LC-MS (Liquid Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry)
Definition
An analytical workflow in which proteins or peptides are separated by chromatography and then identified by their mass-to-charge ratios. Used for pangolin scale identification because it works on degraded material where DNA extraction fails.
- Target
- Peptides or proteins, not DNA
- Application
- Pangolin scale species identification
- Advantage
- Works on degraded material
- Method type
- Proteomic mass spectrometry
Common questions
Why use protein analysis instead of DNA for pangolin scales?+
Keratin in scales is processed, dried, and often heat-treated, which fragments DNA badly. Peptide sequences are more chemically stable under these conditions, so mass spectrometry can still generate a species-diagnostic profile when DNA extraction yields little or nothing usable.
How specific is LC-MS identification at the species level?+
It relies on matching detected peptide masses and sequences against reference spectra built from known pangolin species. Where diagnostic peptides differ between species, the method can distinguish them; where reference libraries are incomplete, results may only narrow the identification to genus.
Related terms
- DNA Barcoding
- Species identification using a short, standardised region of the mitochondrial genome. For animals, the primary barcode marker is a 648-base-pair segment of...
- Keratin
- The structural protein that forms pangolin scales, human fingernails, and bird feathers. In scales it is arranged in a layered matrix whose...
- Minimum Number of Individuals (MNI)
- The smallest number of distinct individuals required to account for all skeletal elements present in an assemblage. Determined by identifying the element...
- Scale Microstructure
- The internal and surface architecture of a pangolin scale visible under light microscopy or scanning electron microscopy, including ridge pattern, cross-section shape,...
- TRAFFIC Pangolin Seizure Database
- A compiled database of documented pangolin trade seizures maintained by TRAFFIC (the wildlife trade monitoring network), used to establish trade routes, source...