Related Experiment Video

Updated: Dec 18, 2025

Untargeted Metabolomics from Biological Sources Using Ultraperformance Liquid Chromatography-High Resolution Mass Spectrometry UPLC-HRMS
11:00

Untargeted Metabolomics from Biological Sources Using Ultraperformance Liquid Chromatography-High Resolution Mass Spectrometry UPLC-HRMS

Published on: May 20, 2013

23.2K

Characterization of maitotoxin-4 (MTX4) using electrospray positive mode ionization high-resolution mass spectrometry

Francesco Pisapia1, Manoëlla Sibat1, Ryuichi Watanabe2

  • 1Ifremer, DYNECO, Rue de l'Île d'Yeu, Nantes, 44311, France.

Rapid Communications in Mass Spectrometry : RCM
|June 13, 2020
PubMed
Abstract

Insights

Maitotoxins (MTXs) from Gambierdiscus and Fukuyoa cause Ciguatera Poisoning. This study characterized MTX4, proposing its elemental formula and structural similarities to other MTXs, paving the way for further elucidation.

Area of Science:

  • Marine Biology
  • Chemical Ecology
  • Toxicology

Background:

  • Dinoflagellates Gambierdiscus and Fukuyoa produce toxins implicated in Ciguatera Poisoning (CP).
  • Maitotoxins (MTXs), while having low oral potency, are highly toxic via injection and can accumulate in fish.
  • Six MTX congeners are known, but MTX2 and MTX4 remain structurally uncharacterized.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To further characterize the maitotoxin congener MTX4.
  • To propose the elemental formula and identify structural features of MTX4.

Main Methods:

  • Chemical analysis using liquid chromatography coupled to a diode-array detector (LC-DAD).
  • Positive ion mode high-resolution mass spectrometry (LC/HRMS) on partially purified G. excentricus extracts.
  • High-resolution mass spectrometry/mass spectrometry (HRMS/MS) studies for fragmentation pathway analysis.

Main Results:

  • The elemental formula of MTX4 was proposed as C157H241NO68S2 based on UV and HRMS spectra.
  • HRMS/MS fragmentation patterns of MTX4 were analyzed, revealing similarities with MTX.
  • A shared A-side product ion was identified, suggesting a common cleavage site (likely C99-C100) in both MTX and MTX4.

Conclusions:

  • MTX4 belongs to the same structural family as other maitotoxins.
  • Complete structural elucidation of MTX4 requires further investigation, including NMR and LC/HRMSn studies.

More Related Videos

Improved Polymerase Chain Reaction-restriction Fragment Length Polymorphism Genotyping of Toxic Pufferfish by Liquid Chromatography/Mass Spectrometry09:34

Improved Polymerase Chain Reaction-restriction Fragment Length Polymorphism Genotyping of Toxic Pufferfish by Liquid Chromatography/Mass Spectrometry

Published on: September 20, 2016

11.5K
Determination of the Gas-phase Acidities of Oligopeptides11:00

Determination of the Gas-phase Acidities of Oligopeptides

Published on: June 24, 2013

11.4K

Related Concept Videos

MALDI-TOF Mass Spectrometry01:19

MALDI-TOF Mass Spectrometry

Mass spectrometry is a powerful characterization technique that can identify and separate a wide variety of compounds ranging from chemical to biological entities, based on their mass-to-charge ratio (m/z). The instruments that allow this detection, known as mass spectrometers, have three components: an ion source, a mass analyzer, and a detector. These spectrometers differ based on the nature of their ion source and analyzers.Matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization (MALDI) is a commonly...
6.3K
Mass Spectrum: Interpretation01:24

Mass Spectrum: Interpretation

An unknown compound can be established by identifying the molecular ion peak in the mass spectrum. The molecular ion peak is often weak or absent due to the predominance of fragmentation in high-energy electron beams. In such cases, a soft-energy electron beam can be used to scan the spectrum to enhance the intensity of the molecular ion peak. Additionally, chemical ionization, field ionization, and desorption ionization spectra are used to obtain a relatively intense molecular ion peak.To...
2.5K
Peptide Identification Using Tandem Mass Spectrometry01:33

Peptide Identification Using Tandem Mass Spectrometry

Tandem mass spectrometry, also known as MS/MS or MS2, is an analytical technique that employs two mass analyzers. Essentially it is a series of mass spectrometers that helps isolate a particular biomolecule and then helps study its chemical properties.
This technique helps gather information regarding the protein from which the peptide was obtained and to study the peptides’ amino acid sequence. Identifying peptides from a complex mixture is an important component of the growing field of...
7.9K
Tandem Mass Spectrometry01:21

Tandem Mass Spectrometry

Tandem mass spectrometry is a technique that uses multiple mass analyzers in series to obtain a higher selectivity and reduce chemical noise during analyte detection. Instruments with multiple analyzers separated by an interaction cell enable secondary fragmentation and selected study of the fragment ions.Secondary fragmentations occur in the interaction cell and can be induced by various factors. Fragmentation induced by collision with inert gases, such as N2, Ar, He, etc., is called...
2.1K
High-Resolution Mass Spectrometry (HRMS)01:15

High-Resolution Mass Spectrometry (HRMS)

The resolution of a mass spectrometer depends on the efficiency of separating ions with different ion masses. The mass of an atom is approximated to the sum of the masses of protons and neutrons inside, considering the masses of protons and neutrons as equal. However, the masses of the proton (1.6726 × 10−24 g) and neutron (1.6749 × 10−24 g) are not truly equal. There is a minor error in the expression of atomic masses relative to the simplest atom of hydrogen. For...
2.2K
Mass Spectrometry: Overview01:19

Mass Spectrometry: Overview

Mass spectrometry is an analytical technique used to determine the molecular mass and molecular formula of a compound. The basic principle of mass spectrometry is to generate ions from the analyte molecule and measure these ion abundances against their molecular mass. One common type of ionization, known as electron ionization or EI, bombards the analyte molecules in the gas phase with high-energy electron beams. The electron beams displace an electron from the molecule and leave behind a...
7.9K