The Allergen Profile of Two Edible Insect Species-Acheta domesticus and Hermetia illucens.

SCOPE: Edible insect proteins are increasingly introduced as an alternative sustainable food source to address the world's need to feed the growing population. Tropomyosin is the main insect allergen; however, additional potential allergens are not well characterized and the impact of extraction procedures on immunological reactivity is unknown. METHODS AND RESULTS: Proteins from different commercial food products derived from cricket (Acheta domesticus) and black soldier fly (BSF) (Hermetia illucens) are extracted using five different extraction buffers. The proteins are analyzed by SDS-PAGE and immunoblotting using allergen-specific antibodies and crustacean allergic patient sera. IgE binding bands are analyzed by mass spectrometry as well as the complete allergen profile of all 30 extracts. Urea-based buffers are most efficient in extracting insect allergens. Shrimp-specific antibody cross-reactivity to tropomyosin from cricket and BSF indicates high sequence and structural similarity between shrimp and insects. Additional unique allergens are identified in both species, including hemocyanin, vitellogenin, HSP20, apolipophorin-III, and chitin-binding protein. CONCLUSIONS: Identifying potential allergenic proteins and their isoforms in cricket and BSF requires specific extraction approaches using urea-based methods. While tropomyosin is the most abundant and immunoreactive allergen, seven unique allergens are identified, highlighting the need for insect species-specific allergen detection in food products.

Metabolic disruptions and impaired reproductive fitness in wild-caught freshwater turtles (Emydura macquarii macquarii) exposed to elevated per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS).

Per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) pose a threat to organisms and ecosystems due to their persistent nature. Ecotoxicology endpoints used in regulatory guidelines may not reflect multiple, low-level but persistent stressors. This study examines the biological effects of PFAS on Eastern short-necked turtles in Queensland, Australia. In this study, blood samples were collected and analysed for PFAS, hormone levels, and functional omics endpoints. High levels of PFAS were found in turtles at the impacted site, with PFOS being the dominant constituent. The PFAS profiles of males and females differed, with males having higher PFAS concentrations. Hormone concentrations differed between impacted and reference sites in male turtles, with elevated testosterone and corticosterone indicative of stress. Further, energy utilisation, nucleotide synthesis, nitrogen metabolism, and amino acid synthesis were altered in both male and female turtles from PFAS-impacted sites. Both sexes show similar metabolic responses to environmental stressors from the PFAS-contaminated site, which may adversely affect their reproductive fitness. Purine metabolism, caffeine metabolism, and ferroptosis pathway changes in turtles can cause gout, cell death, and overall health problems. Further, the study showed that prolonged exposure to elevated PFAS levels in the wild could compromise turtle reproductive fitness by disrupting reproductive steroids and metabolic pathways.

Utilizing proteomics to identify and optimize microalgae strains for high-quality dietary protein: a review.

Algae-derived protein has immense potential to provide high-quality protein foods for the expanding human population. To meet its potential, a broad range of scientific tools are required to identify optimal algal strains from the hundreds of thousands available and identify ideal growing conditions for strains that produce high-quality protein with functional benefits. A research pipeline that includes proteomics can provide a deeper interpretation of microalgal composition and biochemistry in the pursuit of these goals. To date, proteomic investigations have largely focused on pathways that involve lipid production in selected microalgae species. Herein, we report the current state of microalgal proteome measurement and discuss promising approaches for the development of protein-containing food products derived from algae.

Conventional solid-state fermentation impacts the white lupin proteome reducing the abundance of allergenic peptides.

The demand for high-quality and sustainable protein sources is on the rise. Lupin is an emerging plant-based source of protein with health-enhancing properties; however, the allergenic potential of lupins limits their widespread adoption in food products. A combination of discovery and targeted quantitative proteome measurements was used to investigate the impact of solid-state fermentation induced by Rhizopus oligosporus on the proteome composition and allergenic protein abundances of white lupin seed. In total, 1,241 proteins were uniquely identified in the fermented sample. Moreover, the effectiveness of the solid-state fermentation in reducing the abundance of the tryptic peptides derived from white lupin allergens was demonstrated. Comparably, a greater decrease was noted for the major white lupin allergen based on ß-conglutin peptide abundances. Hence, conventional solid-state fermentation processing can be beneficial for reducing the potential allergenicity of lupin-based foods. This finding will open new avenues for unlocking the potential of this under-utilised legume.

Nutrition, allergenicity and physicochemical qualities of food-grade protein extracts from Nannochloropsis oculata.

Microalgae offer an opportunity to act as a sustainable source of dietary protein. This study aimed to evaluate the impact of different protein extraction methods on the nutritional and physicochemical properties of Nannochloropsis oculata. Food-grade protein extracts were obtained by hypotonic osmotic shock using milli-Q water. Food grade (FG) and non-food grade (NFG) extraction buffers were compared along with three cell disruption methods including bead beating, probe sonication and a combination of both methods for protein extraction. Mass spectrometry was used for protein and putative allergen identification in FG extracts. Bead beating led to a slightly higher number of identifiable proteins in FG extracts compared to control condition. Putative allergenic proteins were identified in FG extracts of N. oculata using different in-silico methods. These findings support the need to further evaluate the potential allergenic proteins in microalgae including N. oculata such as immunoglobulin E (IgE) binding tests.

Post-prandial response in hepatopancreas and haemolymph of Penaeus monodon fed different diets. Omics insights into glycoconjugate metabolism, energy utilisation, chitin biosynthesis, immune function, and autophagy.

Raw materials or bioactive ingredients trigger mechanisms to assimilate nutrients and activate metabolic pathways that promote growth, immune function, or energy storage. Our understanding of these processes at a molecular level remains limited in aquaculture, especially in shrimp. Here, hepatopancreas proteomics and haemolymph metabolomics were used to investigate the post-prandial response of black tiger shrimps (Penaeus monodon) fed a conventional fishmeal diet (FM); a diet supplemented with the microbial biomass Novacq™ (NV); krill meal (KM); or, fasted (FS). Using FM as a control, a 2-fold change in abundance threshold was implemented to determine the significance of proteins and metabolites. NV fed shrimp showed preference for energy derived from carbohydrates indicated by a strong signature of glycoconjugate metabolism and activation of the amino- and nucleotide sugar metabolic pathway. KM activated the glyoxylate and dicarboxylate pathway that denoted shrimp preference for lipidic energy. KM also influenced energy generation by the TCA cycle inferred from higher abundance of the metabolites succinic semialdehyde, citric acid, isocitrate, alpha ketoglutarate and ATP and downregulation of the enzyme isocitrate dehydrogenase that catalyses oxidative decarboxylation of isocitrate. FS shrimp displayed down-regulation of oxidative phosphorylation and resorted to internal lipid reserves for energy homeostasis displaying a strong signature of autophagy. Pyrimidine metabolism was the preferred energy strategy in this group. Our study also provided evidence that during fasting or consumption of specific ingredients, shrimp share common pathways to meet their energy requirements, however, the intensity at which these pathways were impacted was diet dependent.

Unpacking the Proteome and Metaproteome of the Black Soldier Fly Larvae: Efficacy and Complementarity of Multiple Protein Extraction Protocols.

The larvae of the black soldier fly (BSF), Hermetia illucens (Diptera: Stratiomyidae), have demonstrated the ability to efficiently bioconvert organic waste into a sustainable source of food and feed, but fundamental biology remains to be discovered to exploit their full biodegradative potential. Herein, LC-MS/MS was used to assess the efficiency of eight differing extraction protocols to build foundational knowledge regarding the proteome landscape of both the BSF larvae body and gut. Each protocol yielded complementary information to improve BSF proteome coverage. Protocol 8 (liquid nitrogen, defatting, and urea/thiourea/chaps) was better than all other protocols for the protein extraction from larvae gut samples, and the exclusion of defatting steps yielded the highest number of proteins for the larval body samples. Protocol-specific functional annotation using protein level information has shown that the selection of extraction buffer can affect protein detection and their associated functional classes within the measured BSF larval gut proteome. A targeted LC-MRM-MS experiment was performed on the selected enzyme subclasses to assess the influence of protocol composition using peptide abundance measurements. Metaproteome analysis of the BSF larvae gut has uncovered the prevalence of two bacterial phyla: actinobacteria and proteobacteria. We envisage that using complementary extraction protocols and investigating the proteome from the BSF body and gut separately will expand the fundamental knowledge of the BSF proteome and thereby provide translational opportunities for future research to enhance their efficiency for waste degradation and contribution to the circular economy.

Safe food through better labelling; a robust method for the rapid determination of caprine and bovine milk allergens.

Accidental milk cross-contamination is one of the most common causes for costly food recalls. Yet, quantifying trace-levels of allergen is time-consuming and current methods are not adapted for routine analyses making quality control for trace-level allergen content impractical. This perpetuates voluntary "may-contain" statements that are unhelpful for people suffering from food allergies. Here, we developed a rapid LC-MS method enabling milk allergen quantification by comparing all tryptic-peptides of major milk allergens. The bovine-specific αS-2 casein peptide and allergen-epitope NAVPITPTLNR provided excellent performance in sensitivity (LOD 1 mg.kg-1; LOQ 2 mg.kg-1) across various dairy products, good recovery rates in baked croissants (77% with a 10% inter-day RSD) and a linear range of 2-2,000 mg.kg-1. The method can be used for routine determination of trace-contamination with bovine milk allergen and the adulteration of high-value caprine dairy products with lower-value bovine milk products, protecting consumer trust and the growing population suffering from food allergies.

Multi-omics eco-surveillance of complex legacy contamination with a locally adapted estuarine invertebrate.

Complex legacy contamination from human use is a major issue for estuaries globally. In particular, contamination of water and sediments with bioavailable metals/metalloids, in addition to other industrial contaminants, such as hydrocarbons. Yet, understanding of complex toxicity and local adaptation in field exposed, non-model, invertebrate communities is limited. Herein, we apply multi-omics (metabolomics, lipidomics, proteomics) coupled to traditional sediment quality analyses, to better characterise molecular and cellular responses necessary for application to monitoring, as an eco-surveillance tool. Using these approaches, we characterise functional phenotypes of a sediment associated invertebrate (sipunculid), from an estuary exposed to complex legacy contamination (metals: Zn, Hg, Cd, Pb, Cu, As; and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, PAHs). We sampled individuals at a range of exposure sites, highly (NTB5), moderately (NTB13), and lesser-influenced reference sites. Size differences were observed in sampled individuals between sites, with smaller individuals collected from NTB13. Analysis of environmental variables that correlated with change in the metabolite data revealed that the metabolism of smaller individuals at medium exposure NTB13 was highly differentiated by sediment concentrations of Hg, despite higher concentrations at more exposed NTB5. Functional phenotypes of these smaller individuals were characterised by sulphur and aromatic amino acid metabolism, increases in oxidised intermediates, upregulation of protein responses to oxidative stress, and melanin synthesis, and saturation of membrane and storage of lipids; in addition to the metabolism of naphthalene (PAH). Such widespread change was not observed in the metabolite and lipid profiles of larger individuals at high exposure NTB5, suggesting possible differences in effects between sites may also be associated with size (developmental stage, or age) and/or PAH exposure. This study serves to further understanding of differing modes of toxicity and local adaptation to multiple contaminants, and drivers of functional change in a complex estuary environment.

Proteome analysis of Campylobacter jejuni poultry strain 2704 survival during 45 min exposure to peracetic acid.

Peracetic acid (PAA) applied to whole poultry carcasses can reduce the number of Campylobacter, a leading cause of human gastroenteritis. However, previous modelling experiments indicated that Campylobacter survived in greater numbers when pre-treated with a thermal stress equivalent to poultry processing scalding prior to chilling with PAA than when subject to chilling with PAA only. To better understand how Campylobacter responds to PAA, proteomes of C. jejuni poultry strain 2704 were measured after exposure to PAA (60 ppm, pH 4.0) for 45 min under laboratory ambient conditions (approximately 23 °C) to establish a foundational map of survival mechanism before combining with other stresses. Analysis of 580 quantified proteins did not indicate a triggered "peroxide shock" response, nor were common heat shock responses detected. Thioredoxin, iron homeostatic, peroxiredoxins and cytochrome c peroxidases became more abundant suggesting that PAA disturbed cytoplasmic redox homeostasis resulting in antioxidant activation and increased prioritisation of iron homeostasis. The PAA treatment led to responses that included an increased priority for oxidative phosphorylation and a simultaneous decrease in central metabolism associated protein abundances. Lon protease was induced suggesting it has a role in maintaining homeostasis during non-thermal stress. Proteins in flagella and chemotaxis became more abundant though whether PAA has a chemorepellent effect requires further investigation. Overall, the proteome data suggests there was a rapid cellular response to applied PAA stress in the first 15 min with the adaptation to the stress completing between 30 and 45 min. The findings will help guide PAA implementation in commercial poultry processing in terms of processing location and length of application.

Secure Food-Allergen Determination by Combining Smartphone-Based Raw Image Analyses and Liquid Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry for the Quantification of Proteins Contained in Lateral Flow Assays.

The current food safety testing system, based on laboratory-based quantification, is difficult to scale up in line with the growth in the export market and does not enable traceability through the nodes of the food supply system. Screening assays, for example, lateral flow assays (LFAs), can improve traceability but often lack the required reliability to guarantee compliance. Here, we present an alternative pipeline for secure on-site compliance testing, using allergens as a case study. The pipeline features smartphone-driven LFA quantification and an liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) method enabling direct quantification of the allergens contained in the LFA. The system enables swift and objective screening and provides a control measure to verify LFA assay reliability. For the smartphone assay, 8-bit RGB and grayscale colorimetric channels were compared with 16-bit raw intensity values. The latter outperformed RGB and grayscale channels in sensitivity, repeatability, and precision, while ratiometric ambient light correction resulted in excellent robustness for light-intensity variation. Calibration curves for peanut determination using two commercial LFAs featured excellent analytical parameters (R2 = 0.97-0.99; RSD 7-1%; LOD 3-7 ppm). Gluten determination with a third commercial LFA was equally established. A prediction error of 13 ± 11% was achieved for the best performing assay. Good performance-calibration curves (R2 = 0.93-0.99) and CVs (<15%)- were observed for the analyte quantification from the LFA by LC-MS. The LOD for the LC-MS assay was 0.5 ppm, well below the LODs reported for the LFAs. This method creates a digital, fast, and secure food safety compliance testing paradigm that can benefit the industry and consumer alike.

Comparison of protein extraction protocols and allergen mapping from black soldier fly Hermetia illucens.

Exploration of important insect proteins - including allergens - and proteomes can be limited by protein extraction buffer selection and the complexity of the proteome. Herein, LC-MS/MS-based proteomics experiments were used to assess the protein extraction efficiencies for a suite of extraction buffers and the effect of ingredient processing on proteome and allergen detection. Discovery proteomics revealed that SDS-based buffer yields the maximum number of protein groups from three types of BSF samples. Bioinformatic analysis revealed that buffer composition and ingredient processing could influence allergen detection. Upon applying multi-level filtering criteria, 33 putative allergens were detected by comparing the detected BSF proteins to sequences from public allergen protein databases. A targeted LC-MRM-MS assay was developed for the pan-allergen tropomyosin and used to assess the influence of buffer composition and ingredient processing using peptide abundance measurements. SIGNIFICANCE: We demonstrated that the selection of protein extraction buffer and the processing method could influence protein yield and cross-reactive allergen detection from processed and un-processed black soldier fly (BSF) samples. In total, 33 putative allergens were detected by comparing the detected BSF proteins to sequences from public allergen protein databases. An LC-MRM-MS assay was developed for tropomyosin, indicating the importance of buffer selection and processing conditions to reduce BSF samples' allergenicity.

Evaluation of the Major Seed Storage Proteins, the Conglutins, Across Genetically Diverse Narrow-Leafed Lupin Varieties.

Lupin seeds have an excellent nutritional profile, including a high proportion of protein and dietary fiber. These qualities make lupin seeds an ideal candidate to help meet the growing global demand for complementary sources of protein. Of consequence to this application, there are nutritional and antinutritional properties assigned to the major lupin seed storage proteins-referred to as α-, ß-, δ- and γ-conglutins The variation in the abundance of these protein families can impact the nutritional and bioactive properties of different lupin varieties. Hence, exploring the conglutin protein profiles across a diverse range of lupin varieties will yield knowledge that can facilitate the selection of superior genotypes for food applications or lupin crop improvement. To support this knowledge generation, discovery proteomics was applied for the identification of the 16 known conglutin subfamilies from 46 domestic and wild narrow-leafed lupin (NLL) genotypes. Consequently, the diversity of abundance of these proteins was evaluated using liquid chromatography-multiple reaction monitoring-mass spectrometry (LC-MRM-MS). This comparative study revealed a larger variability for the ß- and δ-conglutin content across the lines under study. The absence/lower abundance of the ß2- to ß6-conglutin subfamilies in a subset of the domesticated cultivars led to substantially lower overall levels of the allergenic ß-conglutin content in these NLLs, for which the elevation of the other conglutin families were observed. The diversity of the conglutin profiles revealed through this study-and the identification of potential hypoallergenic genotypes-will have great significance for lupin allergic consumers, food manufactures as well as grain breeders through the future development of lupin varieties with higher levels of desirable bioactive proteins and lower allergen content.

Targeted proteomics for rapid and robust peanut allergen quantification.

This study improves LC-MS-based trace level peanut allergen quantification in processed food by refining method robustness, total analysis time and method sensitivity. Extraction buffer (six compared) and peptide choice were optimised and found to profoundly affect method robustness. A rapid extraction and in-solution digestion method was developed omitting subsequent reduction, alkylation and sample clean-up steps effectively reducing total analysis time from the previously reported ∼5.5-20 h to ∼2.5 h. For the three best performing peptides, accurate quantification (CVs < 15%) with matrix-matched calibration curves (R2 = 0.99-0.97) was achieved for peanut muffin and ice-cream with excellent linearity (0.25-1000 mg kg-1). The best performing peptide enabled excellent recovery rates in ice-cream (106.0 ± 15.1%) and peanut muffin (72.7 ± 13.4%). Sensitivity (LOD = 0.25-0.5 mg kg-1; LOQ = 0.5-1.0 mg kg-1) was 2- to 20-fold improved compared to previous methods depending on the peptide. These methodological improvements contribute to robust peanut detection in food and can be translated to additional food-borne allergens.

Omics-based ecosurveillance for the assessment of ecosystem function, health, and resilience.

Current environmental monitoring efforts often focus on known, regulated contaminants ignoring the potential effects of unmeasured compounds and/or environmental factors. These specific, targeted approaches lack broader environmental information and understanding, hindering effective environmental management and policy. Switching to comprehensive, untargeted monitoring of contaminants, organism health, and environmental factors, such as nutrients, temperature, and pH, would provide more effective monitoring with a likely concomitant increase in environmental health. However, even this method would not capture subtle biochemical changes in organisms induced by chronic toxicant exposure. Ecosurveillance is the systematic collection, analysis, and interpretation of ecosystem health-related data that can address this knowledge gap and provide much-needed additional lines of evidence to environmental monitoring programs. Its use would therefore be of great benefit to environmental management and assessment. Unfortunately, the science of 'ecosurveillance', especially omics-based ecosurveillance is not well known. Here, we give an overview of this emerging area and show how it has been beneficially applied in a range of systems. We anticipate this review to be a starting point for further efforts to improve environmental monitoring via the integration of comprehensive chemical assessments and molecular biology-based approaches. Bringing multiple levels of omics technology-based assessment together into a systems-wide ecosurveillance approach will bring a greater understanding of the environment, particularly the microbial communities upon which we ultimately rely to remediate perturbed ecosystems.

Biomarkers and biosensors for the diagnosis of noncompliant pH, dark cutting beef predisposition, and welfare in cattle.

Meat quality can be affected by stress, exhaustion, feed composition, and other physical and environmental conditions. These stressors can alter the pH in postmortem muscle, leading to high pH and low-quality dark cutting (DC) beef, resulting in considerable economic loss. Moreover, the dark cutting prediction may equally provide a measure for animal welfare since it is directly related to animal stress. There are two needs to advance on-site detection of dark cutters: (1) a clear indication that biomarker (signature compounds) levels in cattle correlate with stress and DC outcome; and (2) measuring these biomarkers rapidly and accurately on-farm or the abattoir, depending on the objectives. This critical review assesses which small molecules and proteins have been identified as potential biomarkers of stress and dark cutting in cattle. We discuss the potential of promising small molecule biomarkers, including catecholamine/cortisol metabolites, lactate, succinate, inosine, glucose, and ß-hydroxybutyrate, and we identify a clear research gap for proteomic biomarker discovery in live cattle. We also explore the potential of chemical-sensing and biosensing technologies, including direct electrochemical detection improved through nanotechnology (e.g., carbon and gold nanostructures), surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy in combination with chemometrics, and commercial hand-held devices for small molecule detection. No current strategy exists to rapidly detect predictive meat quality biomarkers due to the need to further validate biomarkers and the fact that different biosensor types are needed to optimally detect different molecules. Nonetheless, several biomarker/biosensor combinations reported herein show excellent potential to enable the measurement of DC potential in live cattle.

Bioaccumulation and impact of maternal PFAS offloading on egg biochemistry from wild-caught freshwater turtles (Emydura macquarii macquarii).

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are persistent synthetic contaminants that are pervasive in the environment. Toxicity resulting from elevated PFAS concentrations in wildlife has been studied, yet evidence of their accumulation, developmental toxicity and maternal offloading in egg-laying species is limited. Here we show the maternal offloading of PFAS in freshwater short-necked turtles (Emydura macquarii macquarii) exposed to elevated PFAS and the resulting biological impact on oviducal eggs. Total PFAS concentrations were determined in serum from adult females and harvested oviducal eggs collected from euthanised turtles exposed to low and high levels of PFAS and compared against turtle serum and eggs collected from a suitable reference site. Multi-omics assays were utilised to explore the biochemical impact of elevated PFAS on egg albumen, yolk and eggshell using a range of metabolomics, lipidomics, and proteomics techniques. Eggshells were also screened for metals by Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS). Analysis of the serum collected from adult female turtles and their oviducal eggs demonstrated PFAS offloading and transference that is 1.6 and 5.3 times higher in the low and high PFAS impacted eggs, respectively, compared to maternal serum concentrations. Oviducal egg yolk comprised >90% of the bioaccumulated PFAS load. Multi-omic analysis of the dissected egg fractions illustrated PFAS impacted eggs are significantly elevated in purine metabolism metabolites, which are tied to potential biological dysfunctional processes. The yolks were significantly depleted in lipids and lipid quality tied to growth and development. The high PFAS impacted oviducal eggshells were lower in calcium, important developmental and immune response proteins, and higher in glycerophosphoethanolamines (PE) lipids and histidine metabolism metabolites that are tied to a weakened physical structure. Further investigation is needed to establish the rate of PFAS offloading and quantify the developmental impact on hatchling and hatchling success to fully demonstrate PFAS-developmental toxicity linkages.

Evaluation of protein extraction methods for in-depth proteome analysis of narrow-leafed lupin (Lupinus angustifolius) seeds.

Lupin is slated as a potential contributor towards future food security. Lupin possesses several nutritional and nutraceutical attributes, many linked to seed proteins. For in-depth characterisation of the lupin proteome, liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry was used to evaluate four protein extraction procedures. The proteomes of three narrow-leafed lupin were qualitatively evaluated using protein/peptide identifications and further quantitatively assessed by data-independent proteome measurement. Each extraction buffer led to unique protein identifications; altogether yielding 2,760 protein identifications from lupin varieties. The analysis of protein abundance data highlighted distinct differences between Tris-HCl and urea extracted proteomes, while also revealing variation amongst the cultivar proteomes with the wild accession (P27255) distinctly different from the domesticated cultivars (Tanjil, Unicrop). The extraction buffer used influenced the proteome coverage, downstream functional annotation results and consequently the biological interpretation demonstrating the need to optimise and understand the impact of protein extraction conditions.

Bioaccumulation and metabolic response of PFAS mixtures in wild-caught freshwater turtles (Emydura macquariimacquarii) using omics-based ecosurveillance techniques.

PFAS mixtures in the environment are common and identifying PFAS constituents, bioaccumulation, and biological impacts of mixtures remains a challenge. Here, an omics-based ecosurveillance approach was taken to investigate the impacts of PFAS pollution in freshwater turtles (Emydura macquariimacquarii). Four turtles were collected from an impacted waterway downstream from an industrial source of PFAS contamination in Queensland, Australia and analysed for 49 different PFAS. One turtle was collected from a suitable control site. PFAS concentrations were quantified in turtle serum using an established targeted methodology. The serum PFAS concentration was ten-fold greater at the impacted site (Σ49 PFAS 1933 ± 481 ng/mL) relative to the control sample (Σ49 PFAS 140 ng/mL). Perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS; 889 ± 56 ng/mL) was 235 times higher in turtle serum than in the water that they were collected from (ΣPFAS 32.0 µg/L). Perfluorobutane sulfonamide (FBSA; 403 ± 83 ng/mL) and perfluorohexane sulfonamide (FHxSA; 550 ± 330 ng/mL) were also reported at substantial concentrations in the serum of impacted turtles. Biochemical profiles were analysed using a mixture of liquid chromatography triple quadrupole (QqQ) and quadrupole time-of-flight (QToF) mass spectrometry methodologies. These profiles demonstrated a positive correlation in the impacted turtles exposed to elevated PFAS with an enhanced purine metabolism, glycerophosphocholines and an innate immune response, which suggest an inflammation response, metabolic preservation and re-routing of central carbon metabolites. Conversely, lipid transport and binding activity were negatively correlated. Using these preliminary data, we were able to demonstrate the negative metabolic impact from PFAS mixtures on turtle metabolic health. With further research on a larger turtle cohort, omics-based data will contribute towards linking adverse outcome pathways for turtle populations exposed to PFAS mixtures. Moreover, expanding the use of ecosurveillance tools will inform mechanistic toxicological data for risk assessment and regulatory applications.

Proteome and Nutritional Shifts Observed in Hordein Double-Mutant Barley Lines.

Lysine is the most limiting essential amino acid in cereals, and efforts have been made over the decades to improve the nutritional quality of these grains by limiting storage protein accumulation and increasing lysine content, while maintaining desired agronomic traits. The single lys3 mutation in barley has been shown to significantly increase lysine content but also reduces grain size. Herein, the regulatory effect of the lys3 mutation that controls storage protein accumulation as well as a plethora of critically important processes in cereal seeds was investigated in double mutant barley lines. This was enabled through the generation of three hordein double-mutants by inter-crossing three single hordein mutants, that had all been backcrossed three times to the malting barley cultivar Sloop. Proteome abundance measurements were integrated with their phenotype measurements; proteins were mapped to chromosomal locations and to their corresponding functional classes. These models enabled the prediction of previously unknown points of crosstalk that connect the impact of lys3 mutations to other signalling pathways. In combination, these results provide an improved understanding of how the mutation at the lys3 locus remodels cellular functions and impact phenotype that can be used in selective breeding to generate favourable agronomic traits.