新型等点聚焦系统用于蛋白质组样本的预分离方法研究

对蛋白质或多肽的高效分离,将有利于降低肽段信号之间的干扰,保证规模化的蛋白质组学深度覆盖鉴定,并提高定量蛋白质组分析的准确性。本研究采用一种新型的等电聚焦预分离系统(OFFGEL),考察系统对293T细胞在蛋白质与肽段水平的分级分离效果,在OFFGEL系统中聚焦后的蛋白质或肽段可以从溶液中直接回收,与下游的LC-MS/MS肽段鉴定流程兼容。实验结果表明,肽段的分离效果明显优于蛋白质的分离,分级分离后各馏分对应的等电点位置与肽段的理论等电点分布高度一致,每个馏分中单独鉴定的肽段比例超过90%,显示了该系统对肽段的高分辨分离能力,结合生物质谱技术,在293T细胞中实现6727个蛋白质的规模化鉴定,表明该系统在复杂体系蛋白质组研究中的应用潜力。     

反相高效液相色谱双梯度洗脱分离肽混合物及质谱分析

复杂肽段混合物的有效分离是高覆盖率地鉴定蛋白质混合物的前提。“鸟枪法”(Shotgun)蛋白质组学研究策略通常采用蛋白酶切、二维液相色谱-串联质谱分析肽段混合物从而鉴定蛋白质,其中高效率地分离肽段混合物是关键步骤之一。本文通过pH梯度结合有机溶剂梯度的反相高效液相色谱(RP-HPLC)进行一维液相色谱分离,按等时间间隔收集馏分并将一个梯度的前段的一个馏分与后段一个馏分混合,然后进行纳升级液相色谱-质谱联用(nanoRPLC-MS/MS)分析。将该方法应用于酵母蛋白质的分离和鉴定,实验结果为: 与常规的强阳离子色谱-反相液相色谱-质谱分离鉴定方法相比,采用pH梯度结合有机相梯度的RP-HPLC-RPLC-MS分离鉴定方法多鉴定到567个酵母蛋白质(簇,含有3035个唯一肽段);其中鉴定到肽段的pI分布范围为3.42～12.01,相对分子质量范围为587.67～3499.79;蛋白质的pI分布范围为3.82～12.19,相对分子质量范围为3446.55～432905。该结果表明这种方法在复杂体系蛋白质组分离鉴定中具有明显的优势,在蛋白质组学研究中有较好的应用前景。     

基于共价色谱分离的含半胱氨酸肽段富集策略

多维色谱分离、串联质谱分析技术已在蛋白质组研究中得到广泛应用。然而生物样品的蛋白质以及全酶切肽段具有高度的复杂性,这严重干扰了蛋白质高通量、规模化的分析。通过标签肽段富集进行样品预分离可以降低体系的复杂程度。本文建立了一种基于共价色谱技术选择性分离富集含半胱氨酸肽的方法,从而降低了样品体系的复杂程度。首先以牛血清白蛋白(BSA)的酶切肽段为模型,对富集条件进行了优化和考察,并在此基础上通过5种蛋白质酶切肽段混合物的富集对该方法进行了验证。结果证明此方法的重现性好,富集效率高,富集特异性好,能有效地富集鉴定含半胱氨酸肽段。所建立的方法在复杂体系的蛋白质组研究中具有广泛的应用前景,为复杂样品的蛋白质高通量、自动化、规模化鉴定和定量研究提供了实用技术。     

亲水作用-反相二维液相色谱串联质谱法鉴定水稻蛋白质

建立了亲水作用-反相二维液相色谱串联质谱分析水稻叶片蛋白质组学的方法。利用标准肽段系统分析了液相色谱流动相酸碱度对二维亲水作用-反相色谱系统正交性的影响。结果表明,第一维亲水作用色谱在碱性(pH 9.3)和第二维反相色谱在酸性(pH 3.3)的条件下,正交性最佳(R~2=0.34113)。在此基础上,结合馏分收集技术进一步评价了本测试系统在水稻叶片蛋白质分析中的正交性。结果表明,在所有馏分收集组分中,鉴定次数小于2次的水稻叶片肽段占总肽段数目的 50%以上,且一维液相色谱馏分收集的肽段在第二维色谱及质谱分离分析中,可以较好地分布在不同时间段的洗脱窗口,表明本研究建立的亲水作用-反相二维液相色谱串联质谱结合馏分收集技术在复杂水稻叶片蛋白质分离鉴定中可提供良好的的分离正交性。结合水稻蛋白质数据库检索,共鉴定出207345个肽段,归属于2930个蛋白质簇。     

基于超高效液相色谱-八端口转子阀的微升级预分级系统的建立

复杂生物系统蛋白质组的深度覆盖鉴定得益于近年来快速发展的高效色谱分离和串联质谱分析技术。二维高效液相色谱（2-D HPLC）是实现复杂肽混合物正交分离的有效手段，但其缺点是运行时间长，通常要求肽上样量在毫克级别，且收集时的组分体积大，后续合并流程复杂，而有望替代其的StageTip技术，则由于有限的色谱分离梯度，难以达到充分的正交分离。该文探索了超高效液相色谱（UPLC）和八端口转子阀联用，作为高效、便捷肽段预分离和收集系统的可行性。研究结果显示，将UPLC的高pH反相色谱分馏与在线LC-MS/MS相结合，可以实现高pH和低pH条件下基于肽段不同色谱保留行为的正交互补分离，在蛋白质鉴定方面表现出优越的性能。应用该方法对人肝癌细胞系HepG2进行3次技术重复试验，重复试验间具有非常高的定量重现性（决定系数R²>0.95）。与传统StageTip方法相比，肽段鉴定数提高了23.52%。该分级方法灵活、稳定，能够针对较少的样品开展蛋白质组深度覆盖分析。     

新型游离胶分馏器OFFGEL对SH-SY5Y细胞蛋白酶切后肽段分离性能考察

在基于鸟枪法鉴定蛋白的策略中,需要在肽段水平上进行高效良好的预分离。以人多巴胺能神经细胞瘤(SH-SY5Y)为研究对象,考察了游离胶分馏器(OFFGEL)分离肽段的性能。SH-SY5Y细胞全酶切肽段经过OFFGEL分离后,得到24个不同馏分,每一个馏分经过微流液相色谱-质谱检测,发现有83.7%的肽段是专属于一个馏分中,各个馏分中肽段平均等电点与理论值基本一致,且在pH低端肽段的等电点偏差较小,达到良好的聚焦效果。OFFGEL不但能同时分离多达16个样品,而且能够从溶液中回收样品,具有高通量、操作简单、方便后续质谱检测等优点。因此,OFFGEL在蛋白质组学中多肽的分离具有很好的应用前景。     

尺寸排阻-反相液相色谱-质谱联用技术在大鼠肾脏翻译后修饰蛋白质鉴定中的应用

LC-MS联用技术在蛋白质组学研究中具有重要的作用,但是在复杂的生物体系中,由于样品的高度复杂性和其中蛋白质含量的巨大差异,执行全面且无倾向的蛋白质组分析是一项挑战。因此,在液相色谱分离中采用基于不同原理的色谱分离方法来降低蛋白质样本的复杂度,并对微量蛋白质进行富集,对后续采用质谱方法进行信息的采集和深入分析至关重要。在这里我们开发了一种基于尺寸排阻色谱(SEC)与反相液相色谱(RPLC)结合的新方法来进行复杂体系蛋白质的分离和鉴定,特别是对于微量蛋白质的分析。首先使用SEC对蛋白质进行分离和富集,并酶解成多肽,再通过RPLC-MS联用的方法对酶解后的多肽进行分离和鉴定。结果显示使用上述方法可以有效降低蛋白质样本的复杂度,并有效提高微量蛋白质的鉴定能力,可从大鼠肾脏鉴定出23621个肽段及1345个蛋白质,比常规的二维强阳离子交换-反相液相色谱法(2D SCX-RPLC)鉴定到的肽段及蛋白质分别多出69%及27%。此外,该方法对肾脏翻译后修饰(PTM)蛋白质的鉴定显示出更多的优势,翻译后修饰的多肽鉴定率显著增加,特别是磷酸化肽段的鉴定效率可达到靶向富集策略的水平。在此展示的SEC-RPLC-MS可以更好地了解蛋白质翻译后修饰对肾脏的影响,最终将有助于增加我们对正常的生理性肾功能以及病理过程机制的理解。     

基于强阳离子交换色谱与等电聚焦的磷酸化蛋白质组学分离策略比较

比较分析了强阳离子交换(SCX)与等电聚焦(IPG-IEF)技术在磷酸化蛋白质组学中的应用。采用3种标准磷酸化蛋白对SCX与IPG-IEF两种技术对磷酸化肽段富集的有效性进行考察。以HepG2细胞为复杂样本,考察SCX与IPG-IEF在实际样本中的应用情况。对SCX与IPG-IEF技术在18O标记的磷酸化蛋白质组定量研究中的应用情况进行考察。蛋白鉴定采用高准确度、高灵敏度、高分辨率的LTQ-FTICR-MS/MS质谱仪。实验表明:SCX和IPG-IEF在大规模磷酸化肽段分离过程中均有效;在复杂样本中,SCX技术的分离效果优于IPG-IEF;IPG-IEF的重复性好于SCX;在磷酸化蛋白质组定量分析结果表明,IPG-IEF技术的稳定性优于SCX。本研究为根据不同实验目的而选择适当的磷酸化蛋白质组预分离技术提供了有用信息。     

依赖色谱保留时间的智能化选择反应监测质谱方法的建立及其初步应用

建立了依赖色谱保留时间的智能化选择反应监测质谱方法,并与非依赖色谱保留时间的智能化选择反应监测质谱分析方法对不同体系(牛血清白蛋白酶切物、6种标准蛋白质混合物酶切物、腾冲嗜热菌蛋白提取液酶切物)的分析结果进行了系统比较。结果表明,引入色谱保留时间后的智能化选择反应监测质谱方法能够显著提高肽段及蛋白质的鉴定量,并且在复杂体系（如腾冲嗜热菌蛋白提取液酶切物）中效果尤为明显,鉴定到的肽段及蛋白质的覆盖率可分别达到目标肽段和蛋白质数量的89.62%和92.41%,并且灵敏度高、重复性好,能够实现对质荷比相同但保留时间有差异的肽段的准确鉴定。该方法将在复杂生物样本目标蛋白质组高通量、高灵敏度的鉴定、验证和确认中发挥独特作用。     

通过一步萃取将组蛋白分为多个亚组分的蛋白质组预分离方法的建立

将基于正丙醇、氯化钠和水的双水相体系用于蛋白质组的预分离研究, 并考察了体系酸度及在不同浓度的盐、正丙醇及蛋白质存在时该双水相体系对蛋白质的分离效果. 将经该双水相体系预分离过的蛋白质组样品在未与成相试剂分离的条件下直接用于凝胶电泳分析. 结果表明, 该双水相体系可通过一步萃取将蛋白质组样品分为3个亚组群. 该蛋白质组预分离方法简单、快速、成本低, 并具有生物相容性、可连续操作性、无需昂贵复杂仪器以及在进行电泳分析前无须(或易于)将目标蛋白与成相试剂分离等优点. 该蛋白质组预分离方法的建立在蛋白质组学和方法学方面均有着极为重要的意义.     

Low‐molecular‐weight color pI markers to monitor on‐line the peptide focusing process in OFFGEL fractionation

High‐throughput mass spectrometry‐based proteomic analysis requires peptide fractionation to simplify complex biological samples and increase proteome coverage. OFFGEL fractionation technology became a common method to separate peptides or proteins using isoelectric focusing in an immobilized pH gradient. However, the OFFGEL focusing process may be further optimized and controlled in terms of separation time and pI resolution. Here we evaluated OFFGEL technology to separate peptides from different samples in the presence of low‐molecular‐weight (LMW) color pI markers to visualize the focusing process. LMW color pI markers covering a large pH range were added to the peptide mixture before OFFGEL fractionation using a 24‐wells device encompassing the pH range 3–10. We also explored the impact of LMW color pI markers on peptide fractionation labeled previously for iTRAQ. Then, fractionated peptides were separated by RP_HPLC prior to MS analysis using MALDI‐TOF/TOF mass spectrometry in MS and MS/MS modes. Here we report the performance of the peptide focusing process in the presence of LMW color pI markers as on‐line trackers during the OFFGEL process and the possibility to use them as pI controls for peptide focusing. This method improves the workflow for peptide fractionation in a bottom‐up proteomic approach with or without iTRAQ labeling.     

Two-stage Off-Gel isoelectric focusing: protein followed by peptide fractionation and application to proteome analysis of human plasma

This paper presents the recently introduced Off-Gel electrophoresis (OGE) technology as a versatile tool to reproducibly fractionate intact proteins and peptides into discrete liquid fractions. The coupling of two stages of OGE, i.e., the separation of intact proteins in a first-stage followed by fractionation of peptides derived from each protein fraction after proteolysis in a second stage, results in an array of 15 x 15 fractions that are directly amenable to additional peptide fractionation like reverse-phase liquid chromatography (RPC). The analysis of all second-stage peptide fractions from only the first-stage protein fraction representing pH 5.0 -5.15 by on-line reverse-phase LC-tandem mass spectrometry resulted in the identification of 53 proteins (337 peptides), of which 10 were on different immunoglobulin (Ig) chains, with an input of only 1.5 mg human blood plasma proteins. Increasing the protein load to approximately 12 mg increased the number of identified proteins in the same protein fraction to 73 proteins (449 peptides), of which 15 were Ig-related. Immunodepletion of six of the most abundant proteins (albumin, transferrin, haptoglobin, IgG, IgA, and alpha-1-antitrypsin) prior to first-stage OGE with an input of 1.5 mg of protein (equivalent to approximately 10 mg nondepleted plasma) resulted in the identification of 81 proteins (660 peptides), of which three were still Ig fragments. The pI-based separation of peptides appears to be nonuniform based on the theoretically determined pI values of identified peptides. This observation specifically accounts for the neutral zone (pI 5-8) and can be accounted for by the physicochemical properties of the peptides given by their amino acid composition. The power of OGE separation of proteins and peptides is discussed with a focus on the use of the knowledge about the pI of proteins and peptides that assist the validation of correct identifications together with the retention time of peptides on RPC.     

Fractionation and separation of human salivary proteins by pH-gradient ion exchange and reversed phase chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry

In the present work, a 2-D capillary liquid chromatography method for fractionation and separation of human salivary proteins is demonstrated. Fractionation of proteins according to their pI values was performed in the 1-D employing a strong anion exchange (SAX) column subjected to a wide-range descending pH gradient. Polystyrene-divinylbenzene (PS-DVB) RP columns were used for focusing and subsequent separation of the proteins in the 2-D. The SAX column was presaturated with a high pH buffer (A) consisting of 10 mM amine buffering species, pH 9.0, and elution was performed with a low pH elution buffer (B) having the same buffer composition and concentration as buffer A, but pH 3.5. Isoelectric point fractions eluting from the 1-D column were trapped on PS-DVB trap columns prior to back-flushed elution onto the PS-DVB analytical column for separation of the proteins. The 1-D fraction eluting at pH 9.0-8.7 was chosen for further analysis. After separation on the RP analytical column, nine RP protein fractions were collected and tryptic digested for subsequent analyses by MALDI TOF MS and column switching capillary LC coupled to ESI TOF MS and ESI QTOF MS. Eight proteins and two peptides were identified in the pH 9.0-8.7 fraction using peptide mass fingerprinting and uninterpreted MS/MS data.     

Proteomic analysis of rat plasma by two-dimensional liquid chromatography and matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry

The proteomic analysis of plasma and serum samples represents a formidable challenge due to the presence of a few highly abundant proteins such as albumin and immunoglobulins. Detection of low abundance protein biomarkers therefore requires either the specific depletion of high abundance proteins using immunoaffinity columns and/or optimized protein fractionation methods based on charge, size or hydrophobicity. Here we describe a two-dimensional (2D) liquid chromatography separation method for the fractionation of rat plasma. In the first dimension proteins were separated by chromatofocusing according to their isoelectric point (pI). In the second dimension, proteins were further fractionated by non-porous, reversed-phase chromatography according to their hydrophobicity. The data from both separations was displayed as a 2D protein expression map of pI versus retention time (relative hydrophobicity). Both separations were carried out on the ProteomeLab PF 2D system (Beckman Coulter), an instrument platform that provides a high degree of automation and real-time monitoring of the separation process. The reproducibility of the first-dimension separation was evaluated in terms of pH gradient formation. The second-dimension separation was evaluated in terms of peak retention times on the reversed-phase column. We found in four consecutive chromatofocusing separations that the pH gradient differed by less than 0.2 pH units at any time during the elution step. Second dimension retention times of peaks from identical pI fractions differed by less than 7 s in six consecutive separations. Each 2D separation generated a total of 540 fractions which were analyzed by matrix assisted laser desorption ionization time of flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS). We detected approximately 275 peptides and proteins with molecular masses ranging from 3 to 225 kDa. Most fractions were found to contain multiple low and high molecular weight proteins. Differential display of 2D protein expression maps from retinol-sufficient and -deficient rat plasma samples identified a fraction with several proteins that appeared to be down-regulated in the vitamin A-deficient animal. Quantitative proteomic analysis of complex samples such as plasma is still a difficult task. We discuss the potential of this approach for biomarker discovery and address the experimental challenges that remain.     

Narrow-band fractionation of proteins from whole cell lysates using isoelectric membrane focusing and nonporous reversed-phase separations

Preparative isoelectric focusing (PIEF) is used to achieve narrow-band fractionation of proteins from whole cell lysates of Escherichia coli (E. coli). Isoelectric membranes create well-defined pH ranges that fractionate proteins by isoelectric point (pI) upon application of an electric potential. A commercial IsoPrime device (Amersham-Pharmacia BioTech) is modified for the PIEF separation to lessen run volumes significantly. Two-dimensional polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (2-D PAGE) analysis of chamber contents indicates that excellent pH fractionation is achieved with little overlap between chambers. PIEF pH fractions are further separated using nonporous reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (NPS-RP-HPLC) and HPLC eluent is analyzed on-line by electrospray ionization-time of flight-mass spectrometry (ESI-TOF-MS) for intact protein molecular weight (MW) analysis. The result is a pI versus MW map of bacterial protein content. IEF fractionation down to 0.1 pH units combined with intact protein MW values result in a highly reproducible map that can be used for comparative analysis of different E. coli strains.     

Extension of separation range in capillary isoelectric focusing for resolving highly basic biomolecules

The non-availability of commercial carrier ampholytes in the pH range greater than 11 has contributed to difficulties in focusing and resolving highly basic proteins/peptides using capillary isoelectric focusing (cIEF). Two different approaches, involving the use of N,N,N',N'-tetramethylethylenediamine (TEMED) and ampholyte 9-11, are investigated for their effects on the extension of separation range in cIEF. The addition of TEMED into pharmalyte 3-10 not only prevents the peptides/proteins from focusing in sections of the capillary beyond the detection point, but also extends the separation range to at least isoelectric point (pI) 12. The combination of ampholyte 9-11 with pharmalyte 3-10 surprisingly provides baseline resolution between bradykinin (pI 12) and cytochrome c (pI 10.3). The sample mixture, containing bradykinin, the high-pI protein calibration kit (pI 5.2-10.3), and cytochrome c digest, is employed to demonstrate the cIEF separation of proteins and peptides over a wide pH range of 3.7-12.     

Fractionation and proteomic analysis of the Walterinnesia aegyptia snake venom using OFFGEL and MALDI‐TOF‐MS techniques

Animal venoms are complex mixtures of more than 100 different compounds, including peptides, proteins, and nonprotein compounds such as lipids, carbohydrates, and metal ions. In addition, the existing compounds show a wide range of molecular weights and concentrations within these venoms, making separation and purification procedures quite tedious. Here, we analyzed for the first time by MS the advantages of using the OFFGEL technique in the separation of the venom components of the Egyptian Elapidae Walterinnesia aegyptia snake compared to two classical methods of separation, SEC and RP‐HPLC. We demonstrate that OFFGEL separates venom components over a larger scale of fractions, preserve respectable resolution with regard to the presence of a given compound in adjacent fractions and allows the identification of a greater number of ions by MS (102 over 134 total ions). We also conclude that applying several separating techniques (SEC and RP‐HPLC in addition to OFFGEL) provides complementary results in terms of ion detection (21 more for SEC and 22 more with RP‐HPLC). As a result, we provide a complete list of 134 ions present in the venom of W. aegyptia by using all these techniques combined.     

Ion-pair Reversed-phase×Low-pH Reversed-phase Two-dimensional Liquid Chromatography for In-depth Proteomic Profiling

High-resolution liquid chromatography separation is essential to in-depth proteomic profiling of complex biological samples. Herein, we established an ion-pair reversed-phase×reversed-phase two-dimensional liquid chromatography (IPRP×RP 2DLC) strategy for comprehensive proteomic analysis. Both RPLC separation dimensions were performed at low pH, with trifluoroacetic acid(TFA) and formic acid(FA) as mobile phase addictive, respectively. As the good separation resolution offered by ion-pairing effect of TFA, the fractionation efficiency was greatly improved with 74.0% peptides identified in just one fraction. Comparing with conventional high pH RP fractionation, the overall separation rate of IPRP was about 1.6 times that of high-pH RP, which increased the number of identified peptides by 21%. Further, 2169 proteins and 8540 peptides were confidently identified from crude serum sample by our IPRP×RP 2DLC strategy, exhibiting great potential in clinical proteomics in the future.     

Free flow electrophoresis coupled with liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry for a proteomic study of the human cell line (K562/CR3)

The requirement for prefractionation in proteomic analysis is linked to the challenge of performing such an analysis on complex biological samples and identifying low level components in the presence of numerous abundant housekeeping and structural proteins. The employment of a preliminary fractionation step results in a reduction of complexity in an individual fraction and permits more complete liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry (LC/MS) analysis. Free flow electrophoresis (FFE), a solution-based preparative isoelectric focusing technique, fractionates and enriches protein fractions according to their charge differences and is orthogonal in selectivity to the popular reversed phase high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) fractionation step. In this paper, we explored the advantages of a combination of FFE and liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry to extend the dynamic range of a proteomic analysis of a complex cell lysate. In this study, the whole cell lysate of a chronic myelogeneous leukemia cell line, K562/CR3, was prefractionated by FFE into 96 fractions spanning pH 3-12. Of these, 35 fractions were digested with trypsin and then analyzed by LC/MS. Depending on the algorithm used for peptide assignment from MS/MS data, at least 319 proteins were identified through database searches. The results also suggested that pI could serve as an additional criterion besides peptide fragmentation pattern for protein identification, although in some cases, a pI shift might indicate post-translational modification. In summary, this study demonstrated that free flow electrophoresis provided a useful prefractionation step for proteomic analysis and when combined with LC/MS allowed the identification of significant number of low level proteins in complex samples.     

A miniaturized multichamber solution isoelectric focusing device for separation of protein digests

A miniaturized multichamber device was constructed for solution isoelectric focusing (IEF) separation of complex peptide mixtures. The system, based on immobilized pH gels, consisted of 96 minichambers ( approximately 75 nuL each) arranged in eight rows. Neighboring chambers in a given row were separated by short glass tubes (4 mm inner diameter, 3 mm long), within which Immobiline gels of specific pH values were polymerized. During focusing, the device was sandwiched between two supporting blocks incorporating the reservoirs for anolyte and catholyte. In principle, multiple samples could be simultaneously fractionated, each separated into 12 fractions of various pI ranges. A variety of standard peptide mixtures and tryptic digests of proteins were separated by IEF using this device, and the fractions were characterized by mass spectrometry. For a codigested nine-protein mixture, both the total number of peptides identified and the average sequence coverage were similar to the results of ion-exchange chromatography (IEC), according to matrix assisted laser/desorption/ionization--time of flight (MALDI-TOF) data. The IEF separation provided concentrated and desalted fractions, suitable for an additional separation liquid chromatography, capillary electrophoresis (LC, CE) or mass spectrometry (MS) detection without additional sample cleanup. High loading capacity was achieved for the miniaturized multichamber IEF device. Importantly, a linear correlation was found between the experimentally determined and calculated pI values of peptides.