Identification of collagen 1α3 in teleost fish species and typical collision induced internal fragmentations

In contrast to collagens 1α1 and 1α2, the more obscure collagen 1α3 is sparsely mentioned in literature. In skin collagen type 1 of teleosts (bony fish), however, the chain occurs in a heterotrimer together with collagens 1α1 and 1α2, which makes it one of the most abundant proteins in teleosts. As teleost fish species and gelatin (hydrolysate) prepared from their skin are a major source for food products and nutraceuticals, the goal of the study was to selectively identify collagen 1α3 in several fish species. Fish skin extracts and fish skin gelatins were analyzed using LC-MS. Depending on the amount of available genetic information different approaches were used to identify collagen 1α3. Additionally, collagen-specific collision induced internal fragmentations are discussed, which are important to consider during data analysis. Ultimately the presence of collagen 1α3 could be confirmed using LC-MS in multiple fish species.