Genetic characterization of diagnostic epitopes of cardiac troponin I in African rhinoceros

African rhinoceros undergo chemical immobilization and prolonged transport during translocations for conservation purposes and, hence, experience several pathophysiologic changes, including skeletal muscle injury. Potential concurrent myocardial injury has not been investigated due to a lack of validated immunoassays. We aimed to use inferred cardiac troponin I (cTnI) amino acid sequences of southern white (<i>Ceratotherium simum simum</i>) and southern-central black (<i>Diceros bicornis minor</i>) rhinoceros to assess the potential usefulness of several commercial cTnI immunoassays for detecting cTnI in African rhinoceros. We extracted RNA from the myocardium of deceased rhinoceros (2 white, 1 black rhinoceros) followed by primer design, cDNA synthesis via RT-PCR, and Sanger sequencing. The inferred cTnI amino acid sequences were obtained from the mRNA transcript sequences. The homology of epitope binding sites recognized by capture and detection antibodies in 6 human immunoassays was visually evaluated using aligned inferred rhinoceros cTnI amino acid sequences. Percentage identity between white and black rhinoceros cDNA nucleotide sequences was 99%; inferred amino acid sequences were identical. There were 5 amino acid differences between humans and rhinoceros in the epitope binding sites of immunoassay antibodies; 5 assays contained antibodies against epitopes that were not conserved. For one assay, the single capture antibody targeted a short heterologous epitope (residue 87-91), and cross-reactivity with rhinoceros cTnI was deemed unlikely. For the other 5 assays, complete antibody-epitope homology, or the inclusion of multiple detection or capture antibodies, or targeting of long epitopes, indicated that these assays could be suitable for further investigation of cTnI measurement in African rhinoceros.