Quantification Of Histone Post-translational Modifications Research Articles

An Optimized and High-Throughput Method for Histone Propionylation and Data-Independent Acquisition Analysis for the Identification and Quantification of Histone Post-translational Modifications.

Histones are DNA binding proteins that allow for packaging of the DNA into the nucleus. They are abundantly present across the genome and thus serve as a major site of epigenetic regulation through the use of post-translational modifications (PTMs). Aberrations in histone expression and modifications have been implicated in a variety of human diseases and thus are a major focus of disease etiology studies. A well-established method for studying histones and PTMs is through the chemical derivatization of isolated histones followed by liquid chromatography and mass spectrometry analysis. Using such an approach has allowed for a swath of discoveries to be found, leading to novel therapeutics such as histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitors that have already been applied in the clinic. However, with the rapid improvement in instrumentation and data analysis pipelines, it remains important to temporally re-evaluate the established protocols to improve throughput and ensure data quality. Here, we optimized the histone derivatization procedure to increase sample throughput without compromising peptide quantification. An implemented spike-in standard peptide further serves as a quality control to evaluate the propionylation and digestion efficiencies as well as reproducibility in chromatographic retention and separation. Last, the application of various data-independent acquisition (DIA) strategies was explored to ensure low variation between runs. The output of this study is a newly optimized derivatization protocol and mass spectrometry method that maintains high identification and quantification of histone PTMs while increasing sample throughput.

Global Level Quantification of Histone Post-Translational Modifications in a 3D Cell Culture Model of Hepatic Tissue

Global Level Quantification of Histone Post-Translational Modifications in a 3D Cell Culture Model of Hepatic Tissue

Global Level Quantification of Histone Post-Translational Modifications in a 3D Cell Culture Model of Hepatic Tissue.

Flat cultures of mammalian cells are a widely used in vitro approach for understanding cell physiology, but this system is limited in modeling solid tissues due to unnaturally rapid cell replication. This is particularly challenging when modeling mature chromatin, as fast replicating cells are frequently involved in DNA replication and have a heterogeneous polyploid population. Presented below is a workflow for modeling, treating, and analyzing quiescent chromatin modifications using a three-dimensional (3D) cell culture system. Using this protocol, hepatocellular carcinoma cell lines are grown as reproducible 3D spheroids in an incubator providing active nutrient diffusion and low shearing forces. Treatment with sodium butyrate and sodium succinate induced an increase in histone acetylation and succinylation, respectively. Increases in levels of histone acetylation and succinylation are associated with a more open chromatin state. Spheroids are then collected for isolation of cell nuclei, from which histone proteins are extracted for the analysis of their post-translational modifications. Histone analysis is performed via liquid chromatography coupled online with tandem mass spectrometry, followed by an in-house computational pipeline. Finally, examples of data representation to investigate the frequency and occurrence of combinatorial histone marks are shown.

Extraction and isolation of histones from paraffin-embedded tissues and quantitative analysis of post-translational modifications

组蛋白翻译后修饰(HPTMs)参与基因转录调控,其异常与肿瘤等重大疾病的发生发展密切相关。石蜡包埋组织是当前疾病研究的重要样本资源,对肿瘤机制和标志物研究具有重要意义。目前基于质谱的蛋白质组学技术已成为HPTMs分析的有力工具,而针对福尔马林固定石蜡包埋(FFPE)组织样品的HPTMs分析还十分有限。该研究发展了一种基于高效液相色谱-串联质谱的FFPE组织样本HPTMs分离分析新方法。通过研究并优化组蛋白的提取策略,建立了FFPE组织样本脱蜡水化处理、蛋白质提取与聚丙烯酰胺凝胶电泳分离相结合的组蛋白提取和分离方法。通过研究FFPE切片数量、组蛋白化学衍生化方法等对组蛋白鉴定的影响,确定了组蛋白处理的具体步骤。通过HPLC分离结合非依赖性采集模式的质谱分析,鉴定了组蛋白修饰的类型、位点和丰度。最后,将优化的实验方法应用于FFPE临床样本的HPTMs分析,鉴定了2例人乳腺浸润性癌和癌旁正常组织的HPTMs图谱,均获得了100种以上的不同组蛋白修饰形式的多肽。定量分析了他们的差异性水平,通过主成分降维分析,发现浸润性癌和癌旁正常组织之间组蛋白修饰丰度存在明显的差异,且差异性具有一定的规律,特别是涉及转录调控的组蛋白修饰与乳腺癌的预后和治疗靶点具有相关性,进而探讨了乳腺癌中异常HPTMs的生物学意义。该研究对临床石蜡样本中组蛋白修饰的分离分析以及肿瘤表观遗传标志物的检测进行了有益的探索。

Outer Membrane Protease OmpT-Based Strategy for Simplified Analysis of Histone Post-Translational Modifications by Mass Spectrometry.

Histone modifications play an important role in regulating transcriptional gene expression and chromatin processes in eukaryotes. Increasing researches proved that aberrant post-translational modifications (PTMs) of histones is associated with many diseases. However, MS-based identification and quantification of histone PTMs are still challenging. Although classic chemical derivatization in conjunction with trypsin digestion is widely used for histone PTMs analysis in a bottom-up strategy, several side reactions have been observed in practice. In this work, outer membrane protease T (OmpT) was utilized as a protease for direct histone proteolysis and generated appropriate lengths of histone peptides for retention on reversed-phase chromatography. The powerful and unique tolerance of OmpT for modified lysines and arginines was demonstrated and can be quantitatively described for the first time, making it useful for detecting natural modifications. Using the optimized digestion conditions, we succeeded in identifying 121 histone marks from HEK293T cells, 42 of which were previously unreported. Additionally, histone H3 PTMs were quantitatively profiled in the KMS11 multiple myeloma cells and NSD2 selective knockout KMS11cells, revealing that NSD2 was of high specificity on H3K36 dimethylation. Histone chemical derivatizations are not required in our strategy, showing a remarkable strength over the conventional trypsin-based workflow.

A mass spectrometry-based assay using metabolic labeling to rapidly monitor chromatin accessibility of modified histone proteins

Histone post-translational modifications (PTMs) contribute to chromatin accessibility due to their chemical properties and their ability to recruit enzymes responsible for DNA readout and chromatin remodeling. To date, more than 400 different histone PTMs and thousands of combinations of PTMs have been identified, the vast majority with still unknown biological function. Identification and quantification of histone PTMs has become routine in mass spectrometry (MS) but, since raising antibodies for each PTM in a study can be prohibitive, lots of potential is lost from MS datasets when uncharacterized PTMs are found to be significantly regulated. We developed an assay that uses metabolic labeling and MS to associate chromatin accessibility with histone PTMs and their combinations. The labeling is achieved by spiking in the cell media a 5x concentration of stable isotope labeled arginine and allow cells to grow for at least one cell cycle. We quantified the labeling incorporation of about 200 histone peptides with a proteomics workflow, and we confirmed that peptides carrying PTMs with extensively characterized roles in active transcription or gene silencing were in highly or poorly labeled forms, respectively. Data were further validated using next-generation sequencing to assess the transcription rate of chromatin regions modified with five selected PTMs. Furthermore, we quantified the labeling rate of peptides carrying co-existing PTMs, proving that this method is suitable for combinatorial PTMs. We focus on the abundant bivalent mark H3K27me3K36me2, showing that H3K27me3 dominantly represses histone swapping rate even in the presence of the more permissive PTM H3K36me2. Together, we envision this method will help to generate hypotheses regarding histone PTM functions and, potentially, elucidate the role of combinatorial histone codes.

Assessment of Quantification Precision of Histone Post-Translational Modifications by Using an Ion Trap and down To 50 000 Cells as Starting Material.

Histone post-translational modifications (PTMs) are fundamental players of chromatin regulation, as they contribute to editing histone chemical properties and recruiting proteins for gene transcription and DNA repair. Mass spectrometry (MS)-based proteomics is currently the most widely adopted strategy for high-throughput quantification of hundreds of histone PTMs. Samples such as primary tissues, complex model systems, and biofluids are hard to retrieve in large quantities. Because of this, it is critical to know whether the amount of sample available would lead to an exhaustive analysis if subjected to MS. In this work, we assessed the reproducibility in quantification of histone PTMs using a wide range of starting material, that is, from 5 000 000 to 50 000 cells. We performed the experiment using four different cell lines, that is, HeLa, 293T, human embryonic stem cells (hESCs), and myoblasts, and we quantified a list of 205 histone peptides using ion trap MS and our in-house software. Results highlighted that the relative abundance of some histone PTMs deviated as little as just 4% when comparing high starting material with histone samples extracted from 50 000 cells, for example, H3K9me2 (40% average abundance). Low abundance PTMs such as H3K4me2 (<3% average abundance) showed higher variability, but still ∼34%. This indicates that most PTMs, and especially abundant ones, are quantified with high precision starting from low cell counts. This study will help scientists to decide whether specific experiments are feasible and to plan how much sample should be reserved for histone analysis using MS.

Profiling post-translational modifications of histones in neural differentiation of embryonic stem cells using liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry.

The neural differentiation of embryonic stem cells (ESCs) is of great significance for understanding of the mechanism of diseases. Histone post-translational modifications (HPTMs) play a key role in the regulation of ESCs differentiation. Here, we combined the stable isotope chemical derivatization with nano-HPLC-mass spectrometry (MS) for comprehensive analysis and quantification of histone post-translational modifications (HPTMs) in mouse embryonic stem cells (mESCs) and neural progenitor cells (mNPCs) that was derived from ESCs. We identified 85 core HPTM sites in ESCs and 78HPTM sites in NPCs including some novel lysine modifications. Our quantitative analysis results further revealed the changes of HPTMs from ESCs to NPCs and suggested effect of combinational HPTMs in the differentiation. This study demonstrates that HPLC-MS-based quantitative proteomics has a considerable advantage on quantification of combinational PTMs and expands our understanding of HPTMs in the differentiation.

Sequential Window Acquisition of all Theoretical Mass Spectra (SWATH) Analysis for Characterization and Quantification of Histone Post-translational Modifications

Histone post-translational modifications (PTMs) have a fundamental function in chromatin biology, as they model chromatin structure and recruit enzymes involved in gene regulation, DNA repair, and chromosome condensation. High throughput characterization of histone PTMs is mostly performed by using nano-liquid chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry. However, limitations in speed and stochastic sampling of data dependent acquisition methods in MS lead to incomplete discrimination of isobaric peptides and loss of low abundant species. In this work, we analyzed histone PTMs with a data-independent acquisition method, namely SWATH™ analysis. This approach allows for MS/MS-based quantification of all analytes without upfront assay development and no issues of biased and incomplete sampling. We purified histone proteins from human embryonic stem cells and mouse trophoblast stem cells before and after differentiation, and prepared them for MS analysis using the propionic anhydride protocol. Results on histone H3 peptides verified that sequential window acquisition of all theoretical mass spectra could accurately quantify peptides (<9% average coefficient of variation, CV) over four orders of magnitude, and we could discriminate isobaric and co-eluting peptides (e.g. H3K18ac and H3K23ac) using MS/MS-based quantification. This method provided high sensitivity and precision, supported by the fact that we could find significant differences for remarkably low abundance PTMs such as H3K9me2S10ph (relative abundance <0.02%). We performed relative quantification for few sample peptides using different fragment ions and observed high consistency (CV <15%) between the fragments. This indicated that different fragment ions can be used independently to achieve the same peptide relative quantification. Taken together, sequential window acquisition of all theoretical mass spectra proved to be an easy-to-use MS acquisition method to perform high quality MS/MS-based quantification of histone-modified peptides.

Quantification of SAHA-Dependent Changes in Histone Modifications Using Data-Independent Acquisition Mass Spectrometry.

Histone post-translational modifications (PTMs) are important regulators of chromatin structure and gene expression. Quantitative analysis of histone PTMs by mass spectrometry remains extremely challenging due to the complex and combinatorial nature of histone PTMs. The most commonly used mass spectrometry-based method for high-throughput histone PTM analysis is data-dependent acquisition (DDA). However, stochastic precursor selection and dependence on MS1 ions for quantification impede comprehensive interrogation of histone PTM states using DDA methods. To overcome these limitations, we utilized a data-independent acquisition (DIA) workflow that provides superior run-to-run consistency and postacquisition flexibility in comparison to DDA methods. In addition, we developed a novel DIA-based methodology to quantify isobaric, co-eluting histone peptides that lack unique MS2 transitions. Our method enabled deconvolution and quantification of histone PTMs that are otherwise refractory to quantitation, including the heavily acetylated tail of histone H4. Using this workflow, we investigated the effects of the histone deacetylase inhibitor SAHA (suberoylanilide hydroxamic acid) on the global histone PTM state of human breast cancer MCF7 cells. A total of 62 unique histone PTMs were quantified, revealing novel SAHA-induced changes in acetylation and methylation of histones H3 and H4.

Mass Spectrometric Quantification of Histone Post-translational Modifications by a Hybrid Chemical Labeling Method

Mass spectrometry is a powerful alternative to antibody-based methods for the analysis of histone post-translational modifications (marks). A key development in this approach was the deliberate propionylation of histones to improve sequence coverage across the lysine-rich and hydrophilic tails that bear most modifications. Several marks continue to be problematic however, particularly di- and tri-methylated lysine 4 of histone H3 which we found to be subject to substantial and selective losses during sample preparation and liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry. We developed a new method employing a “one-pot” hybrid chemical derivatization of histones, whereby an initial conversion of free lysines to their propionylated forms under mild aqueous conditions is followed by trypsin digestion and labeling of new peptide N termini with phenyl isocyanate. High resolution mass spectrometry was used to collect qualitative and quantitative data, and a novel web-based software application (Fishtones) was developed for viewing and quantifying histone marks in the resulting data sets. Recoveries of 53 methyl, acetyl, and phosphoryl marks on histone H3.1 were improved by an average of threefold overall, and over 50-fold for H3K4 di- and tri-methyl marks. The power of this workflow for epigenetic research and drug discovery was demonstrated by measuring quantitative changes in H3K4 trimethylation induced by small molecule inhibitors of lysine demethylases and siRNA knockdown of epigenetic modifiers ASH2L and WDR5.

High resolution is not a strict requirement for characterization and quantification of histone post-translational modifications.

Mass spectrometry (MS) is a powerful tool to accurately identify and quantify histone post-translational modifications (PTMs). High-resolution mass analyzers have been regarded as essential for these PTM analyses because the mass accuracy afforded is sufficient to differentiate trimethylation versus acetylation (42.0470 and 42.0106 Da, respectively), whereas lower-resolution mass analyzers cannot. Noting this limitation, we sought to determine whether lower-resolution detectors are nonetheless adequate for histone PTM analysis by comparing the low-resolution LTQ Velos Pro with the high-resolution LTQ-Orbitrap Velos Pro. We first determined that the optimal scan mode on the LTQ Velos Pro is the Enhanced scan mode with respect to apparent resolution, number of MS and MS/MS scans per run, and reproducibility of label-free quantifications. We next compared the performance of the LTQ Velos Pro to the LTQ-Orbitrap Velos Pro using the same criteria for comparison, and we found that the main difference is that the LTQ-Orbitrap Velos Pro is able to resolve the difference between acetylation and trimethylation while the LTQ Velos Pro cannot. However, using heavy isotope labeled synthetic peptide standards and retention time information enables confident assignment of these modifications and comparable quantification between the instruments. Therefore, lower-resolution instruments can confidently be utilized for histone PTM analysis.