Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 22, 2026
Proteomic Profile of EPS-Urine through FASP Digestion and Data-Independent Analysis
Published on: May 8, 2021
Identification of histoplasma-specific peptides in human urine
David K Crockett1, Mark M Kushnir, Joann L Cloud
1ARUP Institute for Clinical & Experimental Pathology, Department of Pathology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT 84108, USA.
Abstract:
Histoplasmosis is a severe dimorphic fungus infection, which is often difficult to diagnose due to similarity in symptoms to other diseases and lack of specific diagnostic tests. Urine samples from histoplasma-antigen-positive patients and appropriate controls were prepared using various sample preparation strategies including immunoenrichment, ultrafiltration, high-abundant protein depletion, deglycosylation, reverse-phase fractions, and digest using various enzymes. Samples were then analyzed by nanospray tandem mass spectrometry. Accurate mass TOF scans underwent molecular feature extraction and statistical analysis for unique disease makers, and acquired MS/MS data were searched against known human and histoplasma proteins. In human urine, some 52 peptides from 37 Histoplasma proteins were identified with high confidence. This is the first report of identification of a large number of Histoplasma-specific peptides from immunoassay-positive patient samples using tandem mass spectrometry and bioinformatics techniques. These findings may lead to novel diagnostic markers for histoplasmosis in human urine.
Insights
Diagnosing histoplasmosis is challenging. This study identified unique Histoplasma peptides in urine using mass spectrometry, paving the way for new diagnostic markers for this severe fungal infection.
Area of Science:
- Mycology
- Clinical Diagnostics
- Proteomics
Background:
- Histoplasmosis is a severe dimorphic fungal infection.
- Diagnosis is often difficult due to overlapping symptoms and lack of specific tests.
Purpose of the Study:
- To identify specific biomarkers for histoplasmosis in human urine.
- To develop novel diagnostic approaches for histoplasmosis.
Main Methods:
- Urine samples from patients and controls were processed using various techniques including immunoenrichment and protein depletion.
- Samples were analyzed using nanospray tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS).
- Bioinformatics techniques were employed to identify Histoplasma-specific peptides.
Main Results:
- 52 peptides from 37 Histoplasma proteins were identified with high confidence in human urine.
- This is the first report identifying a large number of Histoplasma-specific peptides from patient samples using MS/MS and bioinformatics.
- Unique disease markers were identified through statistical analysis.
Conclusions:
- The identified peptides represent potential novel diagnostic markers for histoplasmosis.
- These findings may significantly improve the diagnosis of histoplasmosis in clinical settings.
- Mass spectrometry and bioinformatics offer a powerful approach for identifying fungal infection biomarkers.
