Mass Spectral Characterization of the CNS Peptidomes of the Lobster Homarus americanus and Crab Carcinus maenas

摘要

As the most diverse and complex group of signaling molecules, neuropeptides are present throughout the central nervous system (CNS) as well as in peripheral organs, which induce and regulate many important physiological processes. In this study, the neuropeptidomes of the CNS isolated from the American lobster Homarus americanus and the European green crab Carcinus maenas are characterized by mass spectrometry (MS). A combined MS approach involving both MALDI FTMS and ESI quadrupole time-of-flight (Q-TOF) is used for comprehensive characterization of the neuropeptide complements expressed in the crustacean nervous systems by high accuracy mass measurement and efficient peptide sequencing. In addition, the recently constructed expressed sequence tag (EST) libraries of both species facilitates the discovery of the novel peptides.