Analysis Of Low-abundance Proteins Research Articles

Proteomics analysis of an individual formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tissue section using isobaric-tag amplification.

The comprehensive analysis of formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) tissues is essential for retrospective clinical studies. However, detecting low-abundance proteins and obtaining proteome-scale data from FFPE samples pose analytical challenges in mass spectrometry-based proteomics. To overcome this challenge, our study focuses on implementing an isobaric labeling approach to improve the detection of low-abundance target proteins in FFPE tissues, thereby enhancing the qualitative and quantitative analysis. We employed an isobaric labeling approach utilizing synthetic peptides or proteins to enable the qualitative and quantitative measurement of target proteins in FFPE tissue samples. To achieve this, we incorporated tandem mass tag (TMT)-labeled recombinant proteins or synthetic peptides into TMT-labeled metastatic breast cancer FFPE tissues. Through this strategy, we successfully detect coexisting CD276 (B7-H3) and CD147 proteins while identifying over 6000 proteins using targeted analysis of individual FFPE tissue sections. Our findings provide compelling evidence that the incorporation of isobaric labeling, along with the inclusion of TMT-labeled peptides or proteins, greatly enhances the detection of target proteins in FFPE tissue samples. By employing this approach, we were able to obtain robust qualitative measurements of CD276 and CD147 proteins, showcasing its effectiveness in identifying more than 6000 proteins in FFPE samples. The integration of an isobaric labeling approach, in conjunction with synthetic peptides or proteins, presents a valuable strategy for enhancing the detection and validation of target proteins in FFPE tissue analysis. This technique holds immense potential in retrospective clinical studies, as it enables comprehensive analysis of low-abundance proteins and facilitating proteome-scale investigations in FFPE samples. By leveraging this methodology, researchers can unlock new insights into disease mechanisms and advance our understanding of complex biological processes.

Microsampling in Targeted Mass Spectrometry-Based Protein Analysis of Low-Abundance Proteins.

This paper presents a protocol with detailed descriptions for efficient sample cleanup of low-abundance proteins from dried samples. This is performed using bead-based proteolysis prior to proteotypic peptide affinity-capture and liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) determination. The procedure can be applied to both conventional dried samples using paper cards (e.g., dried blood spots [DBSs] and dried serum spots [DSSs]), as well as samples collected with newer sampling methods such as volumetric absorptive microsampling (VAMS). In addition to describing this procedure, the preparation of both trypsin beads and antibody-coated beads is presented in a step-by-step manner in this work. The advantages of the presented procedure are time-efficient proteolysis using beads and selective robust cleanup using peptide affinity-capture. The current procedure describes the determination of the low-abundance small-cell lung cancer (SCLC) biomarker, progastrin-releasing peptide (ProGRP), in dried serum (both DSSs and VAMS). Detailed procedures for bead preparation make it easier to implement the workflow in new applications or other laboratories. It is demonstrated that the results may be dependent on the sampling material; for the present project, higher signal intensities were seen for samples collected using VAMS compared to DSSs.

All-Ion Monitoring-Directed Low-Abundance Protein Quantification Reveals CALB2 as a Key Promoter in Hepatocellular Carcinoma Metastasis.

Because of the wide abundance range of the proteome, achieving high-coverage quantification of low-abundance proteins is always a major challenge. In this study, a complete pipeline focused on all-ion monitoring (AIM) is first constructed with the concept of untargeted parallel-reaction monitoring, including the seamless connection of protein sample preparation, liquid chromatography mass spectrometry (LC-MS) acquisition, and algorithm development to enable the in-depth quantitative analysis of low-abundance proteins. This pipeline significantly improves the reproducibility and sensitivity of sample preparation and LC-MS acquisition for low-abundance proteins, enabling all the precursors ions fragmented and collected. Contributed by the advantages of the AIM method with all the target precursor acquisition by the data-dependent acquisition (DDA) approach, together with the ability of data-independent acquisition to fragment all precursor ions, the quantitative accuracy and precision of low-abundance proteins are greatly enhanced. As a proof of concept, this pipeline is employed to discover the key differential proteins in the mechanism of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) metastasis. On the basis of the superiority of AIM, an extremely low-abundance protein, CALB2, is proposed to promote HCC metastasis in vitro and in vivo. We also reveal that CALB2 activates the TRPV2-Ca2+-ERK1/2 signaling pathway to induce HCC cell metastasis. In summary, we provide a universal AIM pipeline for the high-coverage quantification of low-abundance functional proteins to seek novel insights into the mechanisms of cancer metastasis.

Nanodiamond Solid-Phase Extraction and Triton X-114 Cloud Point Separation for Robust Fractionation and Shotgun Proteomics Analysis of the Human Serum Proteome.

Human serum is one of the most attractive specimens in biomarker research. However, its overcomplicated properties have hindered the analysis of low-abundance proteins by conventional mass spectrometry techniques. This work proposes an innovative strategy for utilizing nanodiamonds (NDs) in combination with Triton X-114 protein extraction to fractionate the crude serum to six pH-tuned fractions, simplifying the overall proteome and facilitating protein profiling with high efficiency. A total of 663 proteins are identified and evenly distributed among the fractions along with 39 FDA-approved biomarkers─a remarkable increase from the 230 proteins found in unfractionated crude serum. In the low-abundance protein section, 88 proteins with 7 FDA-approved biomarkers are detected─a marked increase from the 15 proteins (2 biomarkers) observed in the untreated sample. Notably, fractions at pH 11, derived from the aqueous phase of detergent separation, suggest potential applications in rapid and robust serum proteome analysis. Notably, by outlining the excellent properties of NDs for proteomic research, this work suggests a promising extraction protocol utilizing the great compatibility of NDs with streamlined serum proteomics and identifies potential avenues for future developments. Finally, we believe that this work not just improves shotgun proteomics but also opens up studies on the interaction between NDs and the human proteome. Data are available via ProteomeXchange with the identifier PXD029710.

FRACPRED‐2D‐PRM: A Fraction Prediction Algorithm‐Assisted 2D Liquid Chromatography‐Based Parallel Reaction Monitoring‐Mass Spectrometry Approach for Measuring Low‐Abundance Proteins in Human Plasma

Multidimensional fractionation-based enrichment methods improve the sensitivity of proteomic analysis for low-abundance proteins. However, a major limitation of conventional multidimensional proteomics is the extensive labor and instrument time required for analyzing many fractions obtained from the first dimension separation. Here, a fraction prediction algorithm-assisted 2D LC-based parallel reaction monitoring-mass spectrometry (FRACPRED-2D-PRM) approach for measuring low-abundance proteins in human plasma is presented. Plasma digests are separated by the first dimension high-pH RP-LC with data-dependent acquisition (DDA). The FRACPRED algorithm is then usedto predict the retention times of undetectable target peptides according to those of other abundant plasma peptides during the first dimension separation. Fractions predicted to contain target peptides are analyzed by the second dimension low-pH nano RP-LC PRM. The accuracy and robustness of fraction prediction with the FRACPRED algorithm are demonstrated by measuring two low-abundance proteins, aldolase B and carboxylesterase 1, in human plasma. The FRACPRED-2D-PRM proteomics approach demonstrates markedly improved efficiency and sensitivity over conventional 2D-LC proteomics assays. It is expected that this approach will be widely used in the study of low-abundance proteins in plasma and other complex biological samples.

Application of poly(2-methyl-2-oxazoline) in protein separation by capillary electrophoresis

Capillary electrophoresis (CE), a commonly used liquid-phase separation technology, has many advantages such as high analysis speed, high separation efficiency, and low sample consumption. Hence, CE has gained popularity in food analysis, medical clinical diagnosis, environmental monitoring, and biological sample separation, especially in the field of protein separation and analysis. However, the fused silica capillaries that are commonly used in CE easily adsorb proteins, resulting in unstable electroosmotic flow and poor reproducibility of the separation results. In addition, due to the short optical path of the typical ultraviolet detectors employed in commercial CE, the detection sensitivity often does not meet the requirements for the direct analysis of low-abundance proteins. Therefore, developing a coating that can prevent protein adsorption and improve detection sensitivity is one of the important challenges in CE separation and analysis of proteins. Poly(2-methyl-2-oxazoline), a peptide-like hydrophilic polymer, not only has hydrophilicity, protein-repellent ability, and biocompatibility similar to the gold standard of the anti-protein adsorption polymer (polyethylene glycol), but also shows better stability than polyethylene glycol due to its peptide-like structure. Therefore, it has been increasingly used in biomass transfer, drug carrier, and impedance protein adsorption in recent years. This article aims to review the recent applications of poly(2-methyl-2-oxazoline) in CE from two standpoints. First, poly(2-methyl-2-oxazoline) was grafted onto the capillary inner wall using polydopamine as an anchor. The resulting coated capillary successfully separated a mixture of proteins (such as lysozyme, cytochrome C, ribonuclease A, and α -pancreas chymosinogen A), in addition to preventing the non-specific adsorption of other proteins during the quantitative analysis of melamine and lactoferrin in milk powder. Thus, the detection efficiency of melamine and lactoferrin in milk powder was improved. Second, poly(2-methyl-2-oxazoline) was used to produce a binary mixed brush coating with a stimulus-responsive polymer (such as polyacrylic acid). The capillary coated with the mixed brushes could adsorb high amounts of the target protein (such as bovine serum albumin and lysozyme) under certain pH and ionic strength conditions, and most of the adsorbed proteins could be desorbed by changing the pH and ionic strength. During the release, poly(2-methyl-2-oxazoline) present on the coating would prevent the adsorption of proteins. Under the dual effects of electroosmotic flow and electrophoresis, the released protein could migrate rapidly, and the instantaneous concentration of the protein reaching the detector could be greatly increased. Therefore, the target proteins could be on-line concentrated and the detection signals could be amplified, resulting in improved detection sensitivity for the protein. Future development trends in the function of poly(2-methyl-2-oxazoline) for the separation of proteins by CE are also discussed.

Nanoproteomics enables proteoform-resolved analysis of low-abundance proteins in human serum

Top-down mass spectrometry (MS)-based proteomics provides a comprehensive analysis of proteoforms to achieve a proteome-wide understanding of protein functions. However, the MS detection of low-abundance proteins from blood remains an unsolved challenge due to the extraordinary dynamic range of the blood proteome. Here, we develop an integrated nanoproteomics method coupling peptide-functionalized superparamagnetic nanoparticles (NPs) with top-down MS for the enrichment and comprehensive analysis of cardiac troponin I (cTnI), a gold-standard cardiac biomarker, directly from serum. These NPs enable the sensitive enrichment of cTnI (<1 ng/mL) with high specificity and reproducibility, while simultaneously depleting highly abundant proteins such as human serum albumin (>1010 more abundant than cTnI). We demonstrate that top-down nanoproteomics can provide high-resolution proteoform-resolved molecular fingerprints of diverse cTnI proteoforms to establish proteoform-pathophysiology relationships. This scalable and reproducible antibody-free strategy can generally enable the proteoform-resolved analysis of low-abundance proteins directly from serum to reveal previously unachievable molecular details.

Characterization of the colostrum and transition milk proteomes from primiparous and multiparous Holstein dairy cows

Colostrum plays a vital role in the nutrition, development, and immunity of a newborn calf. This study aimed to characterize the protein profile of colostrum and to identify changes in the colostrum proteome across parity during the transition to mature milk. Colostrum and transition milk samples were collected at milkings 1, 2, 4, and 14 after calving from multiparous (n = 10) and primiparous cows (n = 10). Samples were skimmed, fractionated, and enriched before analysis for low-abundance proteins by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectroscopy (LC-MS/MS). Changes in protein abundances were analyzed using PROC MIXED in SAS (SAS Institute Inc., Cary, NC) with determination of the adaptive false discovery rate adjustment using a MULTTEST procedure to identify effects of parity (P), milking number (MN), and their interaction (MN×P). We identified 86 proteins through LC-MS/MS, including 3 low-abundance proteins that were affected by P, 78 that were affected by MN, and 36 affected by MN×P. Prominent ontological groupings of proteins affected by MN included defense or immunity proteins, such as immunoglobulins. Proteins involved in the plasminogen activating cascade and more broadly, blood coagulation, were affected by MN×P. The results of this study add to increasing knowledge of the colostrum and transition milk proteomes, and this is the first study to find evidence of different abundances of these proteins when examined across P, MN, and MN×P. These findings aid in the identification of potential milk protein biomarkers for mammary health during the early postpartum period.

On-line preconcentration of sodium dodecyl sulfate-protein complexes using electrokinetic supercharging method with a prefilled water plug in capillary sieving electrophoresis.

An electrokinetic supercharging (EKS) method with a prefilled water plug at the head column of capillary was developed for on-line preconcentration of sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS)-protein complexes in capillary sieving electrophoresis (CSE). Conventional EKS is a combination of electrokinetic injection with transient isotachophoresis (tr-ITP). The capillary is first filled with background electrolyte, then an appropriate amount of a leading electrolyte is filled and electro-injection is carried out for certain duration. After that, terminating electrolyte is filled, and tr-ITP is subsequently initiated, followed by capillary electrophoresis (CE) separation. In this work, the performance of EKS was evaluated by integrating multiple sub-methods step by step, and a water plug containing polymer was introduced before electrokinetic injection in order to further improve the concentration effect. The positive effects of the sub-methods were verified, including molecular sieving effect of polymer, field enhanced sample injection (FESI) with and without a water plug, and transient isotachophoretic electrophoresis-based FESI. It was observed that analyte discrimination usually encountered in conventional electrokinetic injection was eliminated due to the similar charge to mass ratios of SDS-protein complexes. Based on these results, a hybrid on-line preconcentration method, EKS with injecting a water plug containing polymer before sample electrokinetic injection, was proposed and used to indiscriminately preconcentrate SDS-protein complexes, which provided a sensitivity enhancement factor of more than 1000. It was very suitable for the analysis of low-abundance proteins, providing the information of their molecular mass.

On-Line Immunoaffinity Solid-Phase Extraction Capillary Electrophoresis-Mass Spectrometry for the Analysis of Serum Transthyretin.

The analysis of low abundant proteins in biological fluids by capillary electrophoresis (CE) is particularly problematic due to the typically poor concentration limits of detection of microscale separation techniques. Another important issue is sample matrix complexity that requires an appropriate cleanup. Here, we describe an on-line immunoaffinity solid-phase extraction capillary electrophoresis-mass spectrometry (IA-SPE-CE-MS) method for the immunoextraction, preconcentration, separation, detection, and characterization of serum transthyretin (TTR). TTR is a protein biomarker related to diverse types of amyloidosis, such as familial amyloidotic polyneuropathy type I (FAP-I), which is the most common hereditary systemic amyloidosis.

Affinity Purification of Methyllysine Proteome by Site-Specific Covalent Conjugation.

A basic but critical step in targeted proteomics by mass spectrometry is the separation of the targeted proteins from the complex mixture of the whole proteome by affinity purification. The bait protein is usually immobilized on the surface of a solid support to enable affinity-based purification of the targeted proteome. Here, we developed a site-specific covalent immobilization of the bait protein through affinity-guided covalent coupling (AGCC) of a single cysteine residue of an SH2 domain (utilized as an affinity tag for the protein target) with an engineered ligand peptide. Site-specific covalent immobilization of a methyllysine-binding protein HP1β chromodomain on the agarose resin was used to purify the methyllysine proteome from the whole-protein mixture. This new bait immobilization led to a notably low background in the affinity purification step, markedly outperforming the conventional (His)6 tag-nickel nitrilotriacetic acid (Ni-NTA) immobilization method. Subsequent analysis of the purified proteome identified 275 lysine methylated sites and 184 methylated proteins from 332 HP1β CD-binding proteins, including 30 novel methylated proteins. This work demonstrates that a robust site-specific covalent protein immobilization method is well-suited for proteomic analysis of low-abundance proteins. This method also enables the identification of new methylated proteins and methylation sites in the methyllysine proteome.

Capillary HILIC-MS: A New Tool for Sensitive Top-Down Proteomics.

Recent progress in top-down proteomics has driven the demand for chromatographic methods compatible with mass spectrometry (MS) that can separate intact proteins. Hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography (HILIC) has recently shown good potential for the characterization of glycoforms of intact proteins. In the present study, we demonstrate that HILIC can separate a wide range of proteins exhibiting orthogonal selectivity with respect to reversed-phase LC (RPLC). However, the application of HILIC to the analysis of low abundance proteins (e.g., in proteomics analysis) is hampered by low volume loadability, hindering down-scaling of the method to column diameters below 2.1 mm. Moreover, HILIC-MS sensitivity is decreased due to ion suppression from the trifluoroacetic acid (TFA) often used as the ion-pair agent to improve the selectivity and efficiency in the analysis of glycoproteins. Here, we introduce a capillary-based HILIC-MS method that overcomes these problems. Our method uses RPLC trap-columns to load and inject the sample, circumventing issues of protein solubility and volume loadability in capillary columns (200 μm ID). The low flow rates and use of a dopant gas in the electrospray interface improve protein-ionization efficiencies and reduce suppression by TFA. Overall, this allows the separation and detection of small protein quantities (down to 5 ng injected on column) as indicated by the analysis of a mixture of model proteins. The potential of the new capillary HILIC-MS is demonstrated by the analysis of a complex cell lysate.

Identification of urine biomarkers associated with lung adenocarcinoma.

Lung adenocarcinoma (LAC) progression is accompanied by changes in protein levels that may be reflected in body fluids, such as urine. Urine collected from LAC patients (n=34) and healthy controls (n=36) was analyzed via matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF-MS) combined with weak cationic exchange magnetic beads. The results revealed 76 urinary polypeptides significantly different between LAC patients and normal controls (P<0.05). Twenty-two of these peptides were up-regulated and 54 were down-regulated. Thirteen peptides had average peak intensities >600. Twelve of these 13 peptides were successfully identified using nano-liquid chromatography-tandem MS. Receiver operating characteristic analyses identified seven peptides with superior LAC diagnostic performances. Immunohistochemical staining in 20 paired LAC and adjacent normal tissues showed that IGKC, AAT, SH3BGRL3, osteopontin and gelsolin levels were higher in LAC tissues than in adjacent tissuesand were closely associated with LAC. Urinary peptides assessments may thus provide a novel, noninvasive, repeatable method for detecting and monitoring LAC. New, low-cost detection methods and bioinformatics tools are therefore urgently needed for the analysis of low abundance proteins and peptides in body fluids.

Fully Automated Centrifugal Microfluidic Device for Ultrasensitive Protein Detection from Whole Blood.

Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) is a promising method to detect small amount of proteins in biological samples. The devices providing a platform for reduced sample volume and assay time as well as full automation are required for potential use in point-of-care-diagnostics. Recently, we have demonstrated ultrasensitive detection of serum proteins, C-reactive protein (CRP) and cardiac troponin I (cTnI), utilizing a lab-on-a-disc composed of TiO2 nanofibrous (NF) mats. It showed a large dynamic range with femto molar (fM) detection sensitivity, from a small volume of whole blood in 30 min. The device consists of several components for blood separation, metering, mixing, and washing that are automated for improved sensitivity from low sample volumes. Here, in the video demonstration, we show the experimental protocols and know-how for the fabrication of NFs as well as the disc, their integration and the operation in the following order: processes for preparing TiO2 NF mat; transfer-printing of TiO2 NF mat onto the disc; surface modification for immune-reactions, disc assembly and operation; on-disc detection and representative results for immunoassay. Use of this device enables multiplexed analysis with minimal consumption of samples and reagents. Given the advantages, the device should find use in a wide variety of applications, and prove beneficial in facilitating the analysis of low abundant proteins.

Preparation of biocompatible molecularly imprinted shell on superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles for selective depletion of bovine hemoglobin in biological sample

Bovine hemoglobin (BHb), as one of the high-abundance proteins, could seriously mask and hamper the analysis of low-abundance proteins in serum. To selectively deplete BHb, we design a simple and effective strategy for preparation of biocompatible molecularly imprinted shell on superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles through surface imprinting technique combined with template immobilization strategy. Firstly, template proteins are immobilized on the directly aldehyde-functionalized magnetic nanoparticles through imine bonds. Then, with gelatin as functional monomer, a polymeric network molded around the immobilized template proteins is obtained. Finally, the specific cavities for BHb are fabricated after removing the template proteins. The effects of imprinting conditions were investigated and the optimal imprinting conditions are found to be 40mg of BHb, 150mg of gelatin, and 8h of polymerization time. The resultant materials exhibit good dispersion, high crystallinity, and satisfactory superparamagnetic property with a high saturation magnetization (33.43emug−1). The adsorption experiments show that the imprinted nanomaterials have high adsorption capacity of 93.1mgg−1, fast equilibrium time of 35min, and satisfactory selectivity for target protein. Meanwhile, the obtained polymers could be used without obvious deterioration after six adsorption-desorption cycles. In addition, the resultant polymers are successfully applied in the selective isolation BHb from bovine blood sample, which could provide an alternative solution for the preparatory work of proteomics.

(E)-Propyl α-Cyano-4-Hydroxyl Cinnamylate: A High Sensitive and Salt Tolerant Matrix for Intact Protein Profiling by MALDI Mass Spectrometry.

Low-abundance samples and salt interference are always of great challenges for the practical protein profiling by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry (MALDI-MS). Herein, a series of carboxyl-esterified derivatives of α-cyano-4-hydroxycinnamic acid (CHCA) were synthesized and evaluated as matrices for MALDI-MS analysis of protein. Among them, (E)-propyl α-cyano-4-hydroxyl cinnamylate (CHCA-C3) was found to exhibit excellent assay performance for intact proteins by improving the detection sensitivity 10 folds compared with the traditional matrices [i.e., super2,5-dihydroxybenzoic acid (superDHB), sinapic acid (SA), and CHCA]. In addition, CHCA-C3 was shown to have high tolerance to salts, the ion signal of myoglobin was readily detected even in the presence of urea (8 M), NH4HCO3 (2 M), and KH2PO4 (500 mM), meanwhile sample washability was robust. These achievements were mainly attributed to improved ablation ability and increased hydrophobicity or affinity of CHCA-C3 to proteins in comparison with hydrophilic matrixes, leading to more efficient ionization of analyte. Furthermore, direct analysis of proteins from crude egg white demonstrated that CHCA-C3 was a highly efficient matrix for the analysis of low-abundance proteins in complex biological samples. These outstanding performances indicate the tremendous potential use of CHCA-C3 in protein profiling by MALDI-MS. Graphical Abstract ᅟ.

Silver-functionalized g-C3N4 nanohybrids as signal-transduction tags for electrochemical immunoassay of human carbohydrate antigen 19-9.

A simple and feasible electrochemical immunosensing platform was developed for highly efficient screening of a disease-related protein (human carbohydrate antigen 19-9, CA 19-9 used in this case) using silver-functionalized g-C3N4 nanosheets (Ag/g-C3N4) as signal-transduction tags. Initially, Ag/g-C3N4 nanohybrids were synthesized by combining thermal polymerization of the melamine precursor with the photo-assisted reduction method. Thereafter, the as-synthesized Ag/g-C3N4 nanohybrids were utilized for the labeling of the anti-CA 19-9 detection antibody by using a typical carbodiimide coupling method. The assay was carried out on a capture antibody-modified glassy carbon electrode in a sandwich-type detection mode. The detectable signal mainly derived from the voltammetric characteristics of the immobilized nanosilver particles on the g-C3N4 nanosheets within the applied potentials. Under the optimal conditions, the voltammetric peak currents increased with the increasing amount of target CA 19-9, and exhibited a wide linear range from 5.0 mU mL(-1) to 50 U mL(-1) with a detection limit of 1.2 mU mL(-1). Our strategy also displayed good reproducibility, precision and specificity. The results of the analysis of clinical serum specimens were in good accordance with the results obtained by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) method. The newly developed immunosensing system is promising for enzyme-free and cost-effective analysis of low-abundance proteins.

Depletion of RuBisCO protein using the protamine sulfate precipitation method.

Ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase (RuBisCO) is a major high-abundant protein (HAP) in the plant leaves which hinders analysis of low-abundant proteins (LAP). In this chapter, we describe a highly simple RuBisCO depletion method using protamine sulfate (PS). Addition of 0.1 % PS is sufficient to precipitate the RuBisCO from the leaf extracts of diverse plants including monocots and dicots. Our results of SDS-PAGE, Western blotting, and two-dimensional gel electrophoresis showed that both large and small subunits of RuBisCO were precipitated in the pellet fractions, while LAPs were enriched in the supernatant fraction after PS precipitation.

A simple preparation method of an electric heating apparatus for heating capillary chromatographic columns and its application in liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry system

For deep coverage of proteome, especially in performing qualitative identification and quantitative analysis of low-abundance proteins, the most commonly used method is the application of a longer capillary chromatographic column or a capillary column packed with smaller particle sizes. However, this causes another problem, the very high back pressure which results in liquid leaks in some connection parts in a liquid chromatograph. To solve this problem, an electric heating apparatus was developed to raise the temperature of a capillary column for reducing its back pressure, which was further applied in a capillary high performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry system (cHPLC-MS/MS), and evaluated in the terms of chromatographic column back pressure and chromatographic column efficiency using bovine serum albumin (BSA) tryptic digests and yeast tryptic digests, separately. The results showed that at the optimum current, our electric heating apparatus could reduce the column pressure of a capillary column packed with 3 µm packing materials by at least 50% during the separation of BSA tryptic digestion and yeast tryptic digestion, compared with that without electric heating. The column efficiency was also increased slightly. This suggested that the electric heating apparatus can significantly reduce the column pressure, which provides an efficient way to use capillary chromatographic columns packed with smaller sizes of particles at a lower pressure.

Proteominer facilitates high‐throughput proteomic analysis of low abundance proteins in the cartilage secretome (LB39)

Proteomics is increasingly used for biomarker identification. We have developed high‐throughput mass spectrometric (MS) methods to identify proteins in the secretome of articular cartilage explants, which we are utilizing as an in vitro model of joint inflammation. However, the identification of lower abundance proteins of potentially higher biological significance in this model is hampered by the presence of highly abundant glycoproteins in the secretome. Development of protein depletion techniques that allow the identification of low abundance proteins is important for novel biomarker discovery, especially in the context of identifying pathophysiologically relevant biomarkers of joint inflammation and cartilage degradation. Proteominer protein enrichment kits decrease the dynamic range of complex biological samples, allowing improved analytical coverage of the proteome. The objective of this study was to apply high‐throughput MS techniques following proteominer enrichment to expand the range of proteins that can be identified in the secretome of cartilage exposed to proinflammatory cytokines such as IL‐1β. Explant cultures were established in DMEM + 2% Pen/Strep, using metacarpophalangeal joints of horses. Explants were either untreated controls or treated with 10 ng/ml IL‐1β. After incubating for 6 days at 37⁰C in a humidified environment (95% air, 5% CO2) proteins in culture supernatants were concentrated ~24 fold using Centriplus YM‐3 and Centricon‐3 (3000 MWCO) centrifugal filter units. Concentrated samples were processed with a Small Capacity Proteominer™ Protein Enrichment Kit (Bio‐Rad). After elution, samples were reduced, alkylated, acetone precipitated and trypsin digested overnight, before digested peptides were applied to C18 spin columns, followed by nanoLC‐MS/MS analysis on an amaZon speed ETD. Extracellular matrix proteins identified in untreated control secretome included cartilage oligomeric matrix protein (COMP), fibromodulin and fibronectin. Macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF), serum amyloid A protein (SAA) and Heat shock 70 kDa protein 1‐like (HSP70) were identified in explants exposed to IL‐1β. Identification of new low abundance proteins in this model will facilitate a greater understanding of inflammatory processes occurring within cartilage.Grant Funding Source: Supported by Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) (Contract grant number: BB/G018030/1) and the European Commission Framework 7 program (EU FP7; HEALTH.2012.2.4.5–2, project number 305815).