Cover Picture: Proteomics 14/2008

Abstract

AbstractIn this issue of Proteomics you will find the following highlighted articles:A spoonful of reality helps the errors go downPhysicists predict particles from a theory then go hunting for them. To see if they fit the theory, the scientists make measurements of mass, spin, half‐life, charge, symmetry, etc. Life scientists tend to find particles first, then theorize about what they found. Martinez et al. have developed pattern search/match software that is trained on a set of known data (amino acid sequences) to recognize signal sequences that cause cellular enzymes to modify N‐termini of specified cytosolic proteins. Their accuracy rose dramatically when they expanded the amount of training material and segregated it into modules for the various kingdoms (archaea, fungi, plants, animals, eubacteria). Terminal modifications examined included presence or absence of initial methionine, N‐acetylation, N‐myristoylation, and S‐palmitoylation. The particular modification led to varying degrees of internal accumulation.Martinez, A. et al., Proteomics 2008, 8, 2809–2831.Please don't pet the fishSalmon appear to have no fear of jumping several decimeters out of water on their annual upstream migration but they do seem to have a fear of being lifted out of water for a few seconds once a day. Liu et al. looked at the degree of O‐acetylation of serum N‐glycans of Atlantic salmon over a period of 4 weeks. The salmon N‐glycan pattern was similar to the human. Stress was created by holding the fish out of water for 15 seconds daily. Stressed fish showed a reduced level of mono‐O‐acetylated sialic acids. Di‐O‐acetylated species increased, however, over the 4‐week experimental period. The increase in O‐acetylsialic acid is a potential biomarker for long‐term stress in fish. More work is needed to evaluate the extensibility of these findings.Liu, X. et al., Proteomics 2008, 8, 2849–2857.Cattle and ART and proteomicsThe ART of cattle raising is not learned in a Parson's School of Bovine Design or Parisian cow ecole, it is “Assisted Reproduction Technologies” and is taught in veterinary programs and schools of agriculture. It includes in vitro fertilization (IVF), somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT), and multiple ovulation embryo transfer. Expensive procedures requiring specialized training, they are normally applied only to genetically superior breeding stock. Fetal losses are high — 2× to >10× natural fertilization failure rates. Riding et al. used proteomic technology (2‐D DIGE, MALDI‐TOF‐MS/MS) to look for biomarkers in conceptus fluids. In particular, they sought indicators of fetal‐maternal environment status and fetal health at 45 and 90 days post‐conception for IVF and SCNT. Allantoic fluid samples from 45 days showed elevated levels of cathelicidin antimicrobial protein (CAMP) family members (3 of 4 IVF, up ≤100×; 2 of 4 SCNT, up ≤45×; natural, up ≤6×) and several other proteins (PGLYRP, SERPINB1, COLT1).Riding, G. A. et al., Proteomics 2008, 8, 2967–2982.