Document Type
Thesis
Degree
Master of Science (MS)
Major/Program
Forensic Science
First Advisor's Name
John Berry
First Advisor's Committee Title
Committee Chair
Second Advisor's Name
DeEtta Mills
Second Advisor's Committee Title
Committee Member
Third Advisor's Name
Anthony DeCaprio
Third Advisor's Committee Title
Committee Member
Keywords
MALDI-TOF-MS, cyanobacteria, BMAA, MALDI, β-N-Methylamino-L-alanine, neurotoxin, Parkinson's, PDC, neurodegenerative diseases, ALS, quantitation
Date of Defense
11-10-2015
Abstract
Beta-N-methylamino-L-alanine (BMAA) is a non-protein amino acid produced by many cyanobacteria, and thought to induce neurotoxic effects through excitotoxicity, contributing to neurodegenerative diseases such as Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis/Parkinsonism-dementia complex (ALS-PDC) and Alzheimer’s. The ubiquitous nature of cyanobacteria, and evidence of biomagnification through our food web, creates a dire need for the development of an analytical platform that will provide accurate identification and quantification of BMAA amounts in our ecosystem and potential food supply. The present study evaluated the ability of a MALDI-ToF-MS method to detect and quantify BMAA in a variety of biological matrices. Through validation procedures, it was demonstrated that this MALDI-ToF-MS method provided comparable data to currently accepted analytical methods, specifically LC-MS/MS. Further, the development of said method reduced sample preparation and data acquisition time (1-2 seconds per sample), while providing high throughput analysis and eliminating the need for derivatization, chromatographic separation, and modification of amino acids.
Identifier
FIDC000172
Recommended Citation
Conklin, Laura M., "Development of a MALDI-TOF-MS Method for the Analysis of Cyanobacterial Neurotoxin β-N-Methylamino-L-alanine (BMAA) in Search of BMAA Incorporation in Biological Samples" (2015). FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations. 2275.
https://digitalcommons.fiu.edu/etd/2275
Rights Statement
In Copyright. URI: http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/
This Item is protected by copyright and/or related rights. You are free to use this Item in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use. For other uses you need to obtain permission from the rights-holder(s).