Cover Picture: Proteomics 14'11

Abstract

AbstractHome‐grown tomatoesJohn Denver could be guaranteed a standing ovation when he started in on “Home‐grown tomatoes” and by the end any members of the audience who did not know the words were clapping to the beat. Then, there were those like me who cannot carry a tune (or rhythm) in a bucket who sat as unobtrusively as possible, remembering those tomatoes eaten and those ripening now in a laboratory window. The tomatoes in the window will be used by Wang et al. for studies on the structure of polyLacNAc derived from human endothelial cells. Human cells were EA.hy926, derived from HUVEC (human umbilical vein endothelial cells). Tomatoes were used as a source of (tomato) LEL (Lycopercison esculuntum lectin), specific for polyLacNAc and a tool for enriching for glycopeptides and glycoproteins containing LacNAc. This and the sensitivity to bacterial β‐galactosidase make for a much faster determination of polyLacNAc.Wang, S.‐H. et al., Proteomics 2011, 11, 2812–2829.POPX2 goes the weasel (An olde English nursery rhyme?)Is Science always serious? Mostly, but not entirely. It is even showing up on stage occasionally now. This is a story of a phosphatase that might be called “extreme” or “Super” phosphatase. Singh et al. took up the challenge of determining the regulatory path(s) controlled by POPX2, a commonly seen but incompletely characterized phosphatase. Their tools were those of proteomics: ESI‐, MALDI‐, MS/MS, determining the pathways and substrate concentrations that are controlled by POPX2, and some extreme characteristics: control of cell motility and invasiveness. They also developed a new protocol using electrostatic repulsion–hydrophilic interaction chromatography which allows POPX2 to regulate glycogen synthase kinase‐3 which subsequently modulates extracellular signal‐regulated kinase (and whatever motivates your cell?).Singh, P. et al., Proteomics 2011, 11, 2891–2900.Shave and a haircut…How much does the barber charge for giving a bacterium a haircut? Does Staphylococcus aureus even have hair? How about a shave? Dreisbach et al. required a team of 10 (how much is that tip?) to examine the interactions between the shaved surface of S. aureus and human serum proteins. This is of significant medical value given the number of tissues S. aureus can infect (virtually all of them). To see which host factors are involved, these scientists developed a surface “shaving” protocol using trypsin in a 45‐min incubation, then using mass spectrometer to identify the source of the liberated peptides. Interestingly, the patterns were quite different when strains Newman and USA300 were compared, even more interesting were comparison of sample vial materials. …now, at Euro 250/hour…Dreisbach, A. et al., Proteomics 2011, 11, 2921–2930.