Mass Spectrometric Peptide Sequencing Research Articles

Placenta peptides: antibacterial effects

Mass spectrometric sequencing of peptides in Laennec indicated the presence of 5 peptides in the drug, the biological activity of which may determine the antibacterial properties of the drug. The most significant result of this study is the presence in Laennec of a fragment of the antibacterial peptide cathelicidin (LL-37), an important vitamin D-dependent factor of innate immunity. Other Laennec peptides help reduce excess inflammation by inhibiting the activity of the NF-kB protein, which mediates the effects of TNF-α.

Nuclear Leukocyte Immunoglobulin-like Receptor A3 Is Monomeric and Is Involved in Multiple Layers of Regulated Gene Expression and Translation.

The leukocyte immunoglobulin-like receptor A3 (LILRA3) is a soluble protein primarily expressed by peripheral blood monocytes and is abundant in sera of healthy donors. Extracellular LILRA3 is anti-inflammatory and displays neuro-regenerative functions in vitro. However, its intracellular expression, distribution, and function(s) remain unknown. Using a combination of high-resolution confocal and super-resolution microscopy, we identified intracellular expression of native LILRA3 in the nucleus of peripheral blood monocytes and in vitro-derived macrophages. This unexpected nuclear localization of LILRA3 was confirmed in LILRA3-GFP-transfected HEK293T cells. Western blot of proteins fractionated from primary macrophages and the transfected HEK293T cells confirmed nuclear localization of the native and expressed LILRA3 proteins. Interestingly, most of the LILRA3 in the nucleus was in a monomeric form like the biologically active secreted protein, while that in the other cellular compartments was in mixed monomeric, dimeric, and oligomeric forms. The predominant presence of monomeric LILRA3 in the nucleus was independently corroborated in transfected live HEK293T cells using the number and molecular brightness (N&B) analysis method. Immunoprecipitation and mass spectrometric peptide sequencing studies revealed that nuclear LILRA3 co-immunoprecipitated with several nuclear proteins involved in host protein synthesis machinery via direct interactions to a key multifunctional RNA-binding protein, the Ewing sarcoma breakpoint region 1 protein (EWS) (data are available via ProteomeXchange with identifier PXD024602). The biological significance of the nuclear expression of LILRA3 and its interaction with these key proteins remain to be elucidated.

Mass Spectrometric Amino Acid Sequencing of Short and Mid-Sized Peptides in a ESI-O-TOF System as an Alternative to MS/MS: I. Selective Fragmentation of Peptides with y-Ion Formation

The possibility of mass spectrometric sequencing of peptides without the need for the conventional MS/MS analysis has been demonstrated experimentally. The peptide hydrolysate was fractionated by reversephase chromatography on a microbore column. The eluate fraction was injected into the mass spectrometer via an electrospray ion source that directly coupled a liquid chromatography instrument to a time-of-flight mass spectrometer (HPLC-MS). Fragmentation of the peptides eluted from the column was performed in the mass spectrometer interface by varying the voltage difference between the mass spectrometer nozzle and skimmer. A restricted set of intensive peaks of y-ions, which corresponded to sequential cleavage of all amino acids from the peptide, was obtained. The ratios of the y-ion peak intensities to the background were (5−100)/1. The presence of Lys and Arg in the peptides provided for a substantial increase of informative peak intensity in the mass spectra. The mass spectra of short peptides (up to 10 residues) were processed manually, whereas the Proteos hardware and software system was used to process the fragmentation results for a long N-terminal peptide of the human hemoglobin α-chain.

The diversity of the HLA-E-restricted peptide repertoire explains the immunological impact of the Arg107Gly mismatch

Human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-E molecules are potent inhibitors of NK cell-mediated killing. Low in polymorphisms, two alleles are widely expressed among diverse populations: HLA-E*01:01 and HLA-E*01:03. Both alleles are distinguished by one SNP resulting in the substitution Arg107Gly. Both alleles present a limited set of peptides derived from class I leader sequences physiologically; however, HLA-E*01:01 presents non-canonical peptides in the absence of HLA class I molecules. To further assess the functional differences between both alleles, we analyzed the peptide repertoire of HLA-E*01:03 by applying soluble HLA technology followed by mass-spectrometric peptide sequencing. HLA-E*01:03 restricted peptides showed a length of 9–17 amino acids and differed in their biophysical properties, no overlap in the peptide repertoire of both allelic variants could be observed; however, both alleles shared marginal peptides from the same proteomic content. Artificial APCs expressing empty HLA-E*01:01 or E*01:03 molecules were generated and stabilized using cognate HLA class I-derived peptide ligands to analyze the impact of residue 107 within the HLA-E heavy chain on the NKG2/CD94 receptor engagement. Differences in peptide stabilization could be translated to the density and half-life time of peptide-HLA-E molecules on the cell surface that subsequently impacted NK cell inhibition as verified by cytotoxicity assays. Taken together, these data illustrate functional differences of HLA-E allelic variants induced by a single amino acid. Furthermore, the function of HLA-E in pathophysiologic situations when the HLA processing machinery is interrupted seems to be more emphasized than previously described, implying a crucial role for HLA-E in tumor or viral immune episodes.

Two dimensional blue native/SDS-PAGE to identify mitochondrial complex I subunits modified by 4-hydroxynonenal (HNE).

The lipid peroxidation product 4-hydroxynonenal (HNE) can form protein-linked HNE adducts, thereby impacting protein structure and function. Mitochondrial complex I (NADH-ubiquinone oxidoreductase), containing at least 45 subunits in mammalian cells, sits in a lipid-rich environment and is thus very susceptible to HNE modifications. In this paper, a procedure for the identification of HNE-modified complex I subunits is described. Complex I was isolated by first dimensional non-gradient blue native polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (BN-PAGE). The isolated complex I band, visualized by either Coomassie blue staining or silver staining, was further analyzed by second dimensional sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE). HNE-modified proteins were visualized by Western blotting probed with anti-HNE antibodies. HNE-positive bands were then excised and the proteins contained in them were identified by mass spectrometric peptide sequencing. The method was successfully applied for the identification of two complex I subunits that showed enhanced HNE-modifications in diabetic kidney mitochondria.

CIP2A cooperates with H-Ras to promote epithelial–mesenchymal transition in cervical-cancer progression

The oncoprotein Cancerous Inhibitor of PP2A (CIP2A) has been reported to interact with Protein phosphatase 2 (PP2A) to stabilize c-Myc and prevent its degradation, and high expression levels of CIP2A have been proved to be related to poor clinical outcomes in multiple cancers. Here, we not only proved that the expression of CIP2A is positively correlated with lymph-node metastasis and cervical-cancer progression, but also revealed a close correlation between the protein's expression and the expression levels of two core epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) markers, Vimentin and Snail. In addition, we manipulated CIP2A expression to regulate EMT conversion and employed a pull-down assay, mass-spectrometric (MS) peptide sequencing, as well as bilateral co-immunoprecipitation to identify potentially interacting proteins in cervical-cancer cells. In this study, we proposed and successfully proved, for the first time, that CIP2A physically associates with H-Ras, which leads to the activation of the MEK/ERK signaling pathway and promotes EMT and cervical-cancer progression. Based on our observations and prior findings that CIP2A participates in c-Myc regulation, we conjecture that CIP2A may be a potentially promising molecular target for the adoptive therapy of human cancer.

Transcriptomes and proteomes define gene expression progression in pre-meiotic maize anthers.

Plants lack a germ line; consequently, during reproduction adult somatic cells within flowers must switch from mitotic proliferation to meiosis. In maize (Zea mays L.) anthers, hypoxic conditions in the developing tassel trigger pre-meiotic competence in the column of pluripotent progenitor cells in the center of anther lobes, and within 24 hr these newly specified germinal cells have patterned their surrounding neighbors to differentiate as the first somatic niche cells. Transcriptomes were analyzed by microarray hybridization in carefully staged whole anthers during initial specification events, after the separation of germinal and somatic lineages, during the subsequent rapid mitotic proliferation phase, and during final pre-meiotic germinal and somatic cell differentiation. Maize anthers exhibit a highly complex transcriptome constituting nearly three-quarters of annotated maize genes, and expression patterns are dynamic. Laser microdissection was applied to begin assigning transcripts to tissue and cell types and for comparison to transcriptomes of mutants defective in cell fate specification. Whole anther proteomes were analyzed at three developmental stages by mass spectrometric peptide sequencing using size-fractionated proteins to evaluate the timing of protein accumulation relative to transcript abundance. New insights include early and sustained expression of meiosis-associated genes (77.5% of well-annotated meiosis genes are constitutively active in 0.15 mm anthers), an extremely large change in transcript abundances and types a few days before meiosis (including a class of 1340 transcripts absent specifically at 0.4 mm), and the relative disparity between transcript abundance and protein abundance at any one developmental stage (based on 1303 protein-to-transcript comparisons).

Induction, characterization, and heterologous expression of a carotenoid degrading versatile peroxidase from Pleurotus sapidus

Abstract A β-carotene degrading versatile peroxidase (VP) was successfully induced in submerged cultures of the white-rot basidiomycete Pleurotus sapidus by use of residues of a biogas plant as a carbon and nitrogen source. After three chromatographic steps, the VP was isolated with an overall yield of 12% and a purification factor of 130. The purified enzyme showed a molecular mass of 38 kDa and an isoelectric point of 3.6. Highest affinity to β-carotene ( K m = 50 ± 5 μM) was observed at 30 °C and pH 4.5. The purified VP was capable of degrading suspended lignin organosolv particles. N-terminal and internal peptide sequences were obtained from Edman degradation and mass spectrometric peptide sequencing. The VP encoding cDNA was identified by colony hybridization and amplified by PCR. Bioinformatic analyses revealed an open reading frame of 1083 bp and similarities of 90% to VPs from P. eryngii . The recombinant VP was produced successfully with an activity of 450 ± 20 mU mg −1 in cultures of H. polymorpha .

Combined Electron Transfer Dissociation–Collision-Induced Dissociation Fragmentation in the Mass Spectrometric Distinction of Leucine, Isoleucine, and Hydroxyproline Residues in Peptide Natural Products

Distinctions between isobaric residues have been a major challenge in mass spectrometric peptide sequencing. Here, we propose a methodology for distinction among isobaric leucine, isoleucine, and hydroxyproline, a commonly found post-translationally modified amino acid with a nominal mass of 113 Da, through a combined electron transfer dissociation-collision-induced dissociation approach. While the absence of c and z(•) ions, corresponding to the Yyy-Xxx (Xxx = Leu, Ile, or Hyp) segment, is indicative of the presence of hydroxyproline, loss of isopropyl (Δm = 43 Da) or ethyl radicals (Δm = 29 Da), through collisional activation of z radical ions, are characteristic of leucine or isoleucine, respectively. Radical migration processes permit distinctions even in cases where the specific z(•) ions, corresponding to the Yyy-Leu or -Ile segments, are absent or of low intensity. This tandem mass spectrometric (MS(n)) method has been successfully implemented in a liquid chromatography-MS(n) platform to determine the identity of 23 different isobaric residues from a mixture of five different peptides. The approach is convenient for distinction of isobaric residues from any crude peptide mixture, typically encountered in natural peptide libraries or proteomic analysis.

Matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry peptide sequencing utilizing selective N-terminal bromoacetylation

In tandem mass spectrometric peptide sequencing, simplifying the mass spectrum is often desirable. The b-series ions were distinguished from the y-series ions in the MALDI TOF-TOF spectra by incorporating a bromine-tag to the N-terminal amino group through rapid and selective acetylation using bromoacetic anhydride without blocking the lysine and tyrosine residues. The 51:49 ratio of Br-79 and Br-81 isotopes facilitated identification of ions carrying the tag. With the Br-tag in the b-series ions, N-terminal sequencing of tryptic peptides from hemoglobin as well as model peptides was straightforward. When the b-ions were low in intensity, ions without the Br-tag were identified as y-ions and used for sequencing.

Autoimmune T cell responses to antigenic peptides presented by bronchoalveolar lavage cell HLA-DR molecules in sarcoidosis

The etiology of sarcoidosis remains unknown. Recently, by mass spectrometric sequencing of peptides eluted from HLA-DR molecules of bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) cells from DRB10301(pos) patients, we identified potential self-antigens in sarcoidosis. The aim of the present study was to investigate the capacity of selected peptides to stimulate lung and blood T cells of sarcoidosis patients using an interferon-gamma ELISPOT assay. In peripheral blood, there were strong T cell responses to a peptide derived from the cytoskeletal protein vimentin in 6 out of 11 DRB10301(pos) patients with active disease but not in patients with other HLA types. BAL T cell responses against peptides derived from ATP synthase or from lysyl-tRNA synthetase were detected in DRB10301(pos) as well as DRB10301(neg) patients. By using antigenic peptides presented in vivo in the lungs of sarcoidosis patients, we have identified blood and lung T cell autoimmune responses that may help sustain the inflammation in this disease.

Identification of naturally processed ligands in the C57BL/6 mouse using large-scale mass spectrometric peptide sequencing and bioinformatics prediction

Most major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I-peptide-binding motifs are currently defined on the basis of quantitative in vitro MHC-peptide-binding assays. This information is used to develop bioinformatics-based tools to predict the binding of peptides to MHC class I molecules. To date few studies have analyzed the performance of these bioinformatics tools to predict the binding of peptides determined by sequencing of naturally processed peptides eluted directly from MHC class I molecules. In this study, we performed large-scale sequencing of endogenous peptides eluted from H2K(b) and H2D(b) molecules expressed in spleens of C57BL/6 mice. Using sequence data from 281 peptides, we identified novel preferred anchor residues located in H2K(b) and H2D(b)-associated peptides that refine our knowledge of these H2 class I peptide-binding motifs. The analysis comparing the performance of three bioinformatics methods to predict the binding of these peptides, including artificial neural network, stabilized matrix method, and average relative binding, revealed that 61% to 94% of peptides eluted from H2K(b) and H2D(b) molecules were correctly classified as binders by the three algorithms. These results suggest that bioinformatics tools are reliable and efficient methods for binding prediction of naturally processed MHC class I ligands.

Large Scale Mass Spectrometric Sequencing of Peptides Eluted from HLA‐B35 Molecules Revealed Broad and N‐terminal Extended Peptide Motifs

Large Scale Mass Spectrometric Sequencing of Peptides Eluted from HLA‐B35 Molecules Revealed Broad and N‐terminal Extended Peptide Motifs

Acute effects of insulin on the activity of mitochondrial GPAT1 in primary adipocytes

The mitochondrial enzyme 1-acyl- sn-glycerol-3-phosphate acyltransferase (mtGPAT1) catalyzes a rate-limiting step in triacylglycerol and glycerophospholipid biosynthesis, which can be modulated by protein kinases in cell free analyses. We report that treatment of primary rat adipocytes with insulin acutely affects the activity of mtGPAT1 by increasing V MAX and K M for the substrates glycerol-3-phosphate and palmitoyl-CoA. Proteolytic cleavage of isolated mitochondrial membranes and mass spectrometric peptide sequencing identify in vivo phosphorylation of serine 632 and serine 639 in mtGPAT1. These phosphorylation sites correspond to casein kinase-2 consensus sequences and are highly conserved in chordate animal, but not fly, fungal or plant, mtGPAT1.

A New Partner for c-Myc

For cells to become transformed (cancerous), critical cellular components that regulate cell growth must be disturbed. One way transformation can occur is if the activity of protein phosphatase 2A (PP2A), a serine and threonine phosphatase, is inhibited. PP2A functions as a heterotrimer of catalytic, regulatory, and scaffold proteins, splice variants and isoforms of which result in the formation of many different PP2A enzymes. PP2A dephosphorylates both the tumor suppressor protein p53 and the oncogenic transcription factor c-Myc. Thus far, studies of the tumor-suppressing activity of PP2A have not revealed the mechanisms of its inactivation in cancer. Junttila et al . therefore searched for binding partners with an epitope-tagged scaffolding subunit (PR65) of PP2A in HeLa cells (a transformed cell line derived from human cervical cancer cells). Immunoprecipitation studies followed by mass-spectrometric peptide sequencing identified a protein (called CIP2A for cancerous inhibitor of PP2A) that bound to PR65. Endogenous CIP2A coimmunoprecipitated with endogenous PP2A in HeLa cells, and both proteins were colocalized in the perinuclear region as demonstrated by confocal microscopy. Depletion of CIP2A in HeLa cells, using siRNA, decreased the abundance of c-Myc protein as measured by Western blotting (without affecting c-Myc mRNA) and decreased the proportion of c-Myc that was phosphorylated. In vitro phosphatase assays using immunoprecipitated c-Myc from control and CIP2A-specific siRNA-transfected cells showed that CIP2A inhibited PP2A-mediated dephosphorylation of c-Myc. Further immunoprecipitation studies showed that epitope-tagged CIP2A bound directly to the N terminus of epitope-tagged c-Myc. Injection of athymic mice with CIP2A-specific siRNA-expressing HeLa cells resulted in smaller tumors than were observed in mice injected with control HeLa cells. Overexpression of CIP2A in an immortalized, but not transformed, fibroblast cell line resulted in the formation of a greater number of foci (cell clusters) in soft agar (a characteristic of transformed cells) than were observed in control cells, demonstrating the oncogenic potential of CIP2A. Finally, the authors demonstrated the increased abundance of CIP2A mRNA and protein in transformed cell lines compared with normal cell lines and showed by immunohistochemistry an increased abundance of CIP2A in tissue from head-and-neck squamous cell carcinomas compared with that in normal tissue. As described in the accompanying review by Mumby, these data demonstrate for the first time a mechanism by which PP2A-mediated dephosphorylation of c-Myc is inhibited and characterize CIP2A as an oncogenic protein associated with human malignancies. M. R. Junttila, P. Puustinen, M. Niemelä, R. Ahola, H. Arnold, T. Böttzauw, R. Ala-aho, C. Nielsen, J. Ivaska, Y. Taya, S.-L. Lu, S. Lin, E. K. L. Chan, X.-J. Wang, R. Grènman, J. Kast, T. Kallunki, R. Sears, V.-M. Kähäri, J. Westermarck, CIP2A inhibits PP2A in human malignancies. Cell 130 , 51-62 (2007). [PubMed] M. Mumby, PP2A: Unveiling a reluctant tumor suppressor. Cell 130 , 21-24 (2007). [PubMed]

Hb J-CAPE TOWN [α92(FG4)Arg→Gln (α1), CGG→CAG] in Southern Italy Found in a Patient with Erythrocytosis

A high oxygen affinity hemoglobin (Hb) variant, Hb J-Cape Town [α92(FG4)Arg→Gln (α1), CGG→CAG] was identified in a 30-year-old woman patient from Cosenza (Southern Italy) who had previously been diagnosed with juvenile polycythemia in other hospitals. The occurrence of the variant Hb was assessed by both cation exchange chromatography and liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) analyses. A detailed structural and functional characterization of the variant was performed at both the protein and DNA level. Structural investigation of the Hb variant by mass spectrometric methodologies and peptide sequencing identified the amino acid replacement as Arg→Gln at α92. The corresponding DNA mutation CGG→CAG was assigned to codon 92 of the α1 gene by DNA sequencing. These findings highlight the importance of investigating the hypothesis of a high affinity variant in the presence of a polycythemia so as to avoid unnecessary bone marrow examination or radioactive treatment. This report represents the first observation of the Hb J-Cape Town variant in Italy.

A novel MHC-associated Proteinase 3 peptide isolated from primary chronic myeloid leukaemia cells further supports the significance of this antigen for the immunotherapy of myeloid leukaemias

Three of the most promising antigens for immunotherapy of chronic myelogenous leukaemia (CML) include the specific fusion-protein, Bcr/Abl, and the overexpressed proteins WT1 and Proteinase 3. The clinical significance of Proteinase 3 as a target in myelogenous leukaemias has been bolstered by detection of high frequencies of cytotoxic CD8+ lymphocytes specific for this antigen in patients undergoing immune therapies. Our investigation aimed to directly identify MHC-ligands derived from these antigens and presented on CML blasts by means of affinity-purification and mass spectrometric peptide-sequencing. Although no known or potential new epitopes were discovered for Bcr/Abl or WT1, a novel peptide from Proteinase 3 was detected among the more abundant MHC-ligands. Additionally, MHC-ligands derived from known immunogenic proteins overexpressed as a result of Bcr/Abl transformation were also identified. Our investigation is the second of only a small number of studies to identify a peptide from Proteinase 3 among the more abundant MHC-associated peptides and thus implies that peptides from this antigen are among the more abundantly presented of the known leukaemic antigens. Taken in conjunction with clinical observations of functional Proteinase 3 specific CTL in patients', these data further support the application of this antigen as an immunotherapeutical target for myelogenous leukaemias.

Functional Screening of Serine Protease Inhibitors in the Medical Leech Hirudo medicinalis Monitored by Intensity Fading MALDI-TOF MS

The blood-feeding invertebrates are a rich biological source of drugs and lead compounds to treat cardiovascular diseases because they have evolved highly efficient mechanisms to feed on their hosts by blocking blood coagulation. In this work, we focused our attention on the leech Hirudo medicinalis. We performed, by "intensity fading" MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry, a comprehensive detection and functional analysis of pre-existent peptides and small proteins with the capability of binding to trypsin-like proteases related to blood coagulation. Combining "intensity fading MS" and off-line LC prefractionation allowed us to detect more than 75 molecules present in the leech extract that interact specifically with a trypsin-like protease over a sample profile of nearly 2,000 different peptides/proteins in the 2-20-kDa range. Moreover we resolved 232 individual components from the complex mixture, 13 of which have high sequence homology with previously described serine protease inhibitors. Our findings indicate that such extracts are much more complex than expected. Additionally, intensity fading MS, when complemented with LC separation strategies, seems to be a useful tool to investigate complex biological samples, establishing a new bridge between profiling, functional peptidomics, and subsequent drug discovery.

Proteomics of the Injured Rat Sciatic Nerve Reveals Protein Expression Dynamics During Regeneration

Using proteomics, we investigated the temporal expression profiles of proteins in rat sciatic nerve after experimental crush. Extracts of sciatic nerves collected at 5, 10, and 35 days after injury were analyzed by two-dimensional gel electrophoresis and quantitative image analysis. Of the approximately 1,500 protein spots resolved on each gel, 121 showed significant regulation during at least one time point. Using cluster analysis, these proteins were grouped into two expression profiles of down-regulation and four of up-regulation. These profiles mainly reflected differences in cellular origins in addition to different functional roles. Mass spectrometric analysis identified 82 proteins pertaining to several functional classes, i.e. acute-phase proteins, antioxidant proteins, and proteins involved in protein synthesis/maturation/degradation, cytoskeletal (re)organization, and in lipid metabolism. Several proteins not previously implicated in nerve regeneration were identified, e.g. translationally controlled tumor protein, annexin A9/31, vitamin D-binding protein, alpha-crystallin B, alpha-synuclein, dimethylargininases, and reticulocalbin. Real-time PCR analysis of selected genes showed which were expressed in the nerve versus the dorsal root ganglion neurons. In conclusion, this study highlights the complexity and temporal aspect of the molecular process underlying nerve regeneration and points to the importance of glial and inflammatory determinants.

Proteome Changes in Ovarian Epithelial Cells Derived from Women with BRCA1 Mutations and Family Histories of Cancer

Malignant transformation of the ovarian surface epithelium (OSE) accounts for most ovarian carcinoma. Detection of preneoplastic changes in the OSE leading to overt malignancy is important in prevention and management of ovarian cancer. We identified OSE proteins with altered expression derived from women with a family history (FH) of ovarian and/or breast cancer and mutations in the BRCA1 tumor suppressor gene. Proteins from SV-40-transformed FH-OSE cell lines and control OSE lines derived from women without such histories (non-family history) were separated by two-dimensional PAGE. Gels were analyzed, a protein data base was created, and proteins were characterized according to their molecular weight, isoelectric point, and relative abundance. Mass spectrometry was performed on tryptic protein digests, and data bases were searched for known proteins with the same theoretical tryptic peptide masses. Several proteins showed altered expression in the FH-OSE cells. Beta-tubulin and to a lesser extent ubiquitin carboxyl-terminal hydrolase and glyoxalase 1 appeared to be up-regulated. In contrast, proteins suppressed in FH lines include the 27-kDa heat shock protein, translationally controlled tumor protein, and several proteins associated with actin modification such as actin prepeptide, F-actin capping protein alpha subunit, and cofilin. Sequencing of several cofilin gel spots revealed phosphorylation of serine 3, a post-translational modification associated with decreased actin binding and cytoskeletal reorganization. Two-dimensional Western blots probed with cofilin antibody showed multiple protein spots with isoelectric points of 6-9 pH units. Blots of one-dimensional gels showed a significant reduction in cofilin expression in three FH lines when compared with three non-family history lines (p < or = 0.05). Identification of these and other OSE proteins may be useful in detecting changes suggestive of increased risk of developing preneoplastic disease and defining the possible role(s) of the BRCA1 gene in regulation of OSE cell function.