Capillary electrophoresis coupled to mass spectrometer for automated and robust polypeptide determination in body fluids for clinical use

We describe the application of capillary electrophoresis (CE) coupled on-line to an electrospray ionization-time of flight-mass spectrometer (ESI-TOF-MS) to the analysis of human urine and serum for the identification of biomarkers for clinical diagnostics. CE-MS led to display > 1000 polypeptides present in complex biological samples within 45-60 min in a single analysis run. To extract the information of the CE-MS spectra in a timely fashion, a software was designed to automatically deconvolute and normalize the spectra. Both urine and serum contain several hundred polypeptides in samples from healthy individuals. Hence, it is possible to establish typical "normal urine" or "normal serum" polypeptide patterns. Samples from patients with different diseases display polypeptide patterns that differ significantly from those obtained from healthy individuals. Examining series of patients with the same disease allowed the establishment of polypeptide patterns typical for specific diseases. This permits the search for marker peptides specific for diseases. The data indicate that a single polypeptide present in all patients with the same disease, but absent in all healthy control individuals does not exist. The combination of several polypeptides found in either urine or serum or both are forming a specific pattern, which is indicative not only for the particular disease, but also for the stage of disease. CE-MS detects many polypeptides in single samples and the application of the software to the search of identical polypeptides excreted in urine allows the unbiased diagnosis based on a pattern and does not rely on single disease markers.     

Capillary electrophoresis coupled to mass spectrometry to establish polypeptide patterns in dialysis fluids

Combination of capillary electrophoresis with mass spectrometry (CE-MS) allows generation of polypeptide patterns of body fluids. In a single CE-MS (45 min) run more than 600 polypeptides were analyzed in hemodialysis fluids obtained with different membranes (high-flux/low-flux). Larger polypeptides (M(r) > 10 000) were almost exclusively present in high-flux dialysates only, while in low-flux dialysates additional small polypeptides were detected. Comparison to the normal urine pattern yielded a surprisingly low consensus: a number of polypeptides present in urine were missing. We established a fast and sensitive technique, easily applicable to the monitoring of different modalities of dialyzers.     

Discovery of biomarkers in human urine and cerebrospinal fluid by capillary electrophoresis coupled to mass spectrometry: towards new diagnostic and therapeutic approaches

We report on our results using capillary electrophoresis coupled to mass spectrometry (CE-MS) to examine human bodyfluids. To demonstrate the versatility of this approach, data on two different bodyfluids, urine and cerebrospinal fluid, are shown. CE-MS analysis of human urine enables the identification of a series of polypeptides which serve as biomarkers for a variety of different renal diseases. The polypeptides are utilized to generate disease-specific polypeptide patterns. Diagnosis of these diseases is possible based on these polypeptide patters. Further, due to the high mass accuracy, polypeptides of interest can subsequently be identified using tandem MS (MS/MS) analysis. The patterns, which are based on distinct polypeptides, allow differentiation of even similar diseases like focal-segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS) and minimal change disease (MCD). We present preliminary data suggesting that the indicative polypeptides also enable to evaluate therapy success. Initial data obtained on human cerebrospinal fluid strongly suggest that CE-MS analysis of low-molecular-weight proteins and peptides reveals several potential biomarkers for schizophrenia as well as Alzheimer's disease. In conclusion, the data presented here indicate that CE-MS analysis, applied towards different human bodyfluids, holds the promise to allow diagnosis, staging, and evaluation of therapy success of a large number of diseases, due to its ability to display ca. 1000 individual native polypeptides within ca. 60 min.     

Electrophoretic methods for analysis of urinary polypeptides in IgA-associated renal diseases

We evaluated the utility of SDS-PAGE/Western blot and CE coupled with MS (CE-MS) for detection of urinary polypeptide biomarkers of renal disease in patients with IgA-associated glomerulonephritides. In a reference cohort of 402 patients with various renal disorders and 207 healthy controls, we defined CE-MS patterns of renal damage and IgA nephropathy (IgAN). In a blinded analysis of a separate cohort of patients with IgAN (n = 10), Henoch-Schoenlein purpura (HSP) with nephritis (n = 10), and IgA-associated glomerulonephritis due to hepatitis C virus (HCV)-induced cirrhosis (n = 9), and healthy controls (n = 12), we compared SDS-PAGE/Western blot and CE-MS against clinical urinalysis for detection of urinary proteins/polypeptides. Urinalysis indicated proteinuria for 50, 90, and 33% of patients, respectively, and for none of the healthy controls. SDS-PAGE/Western blot showed urinary polypeptides abnormality for 90, 80, and 67% of patients, respectively, and for none of the healthy controls. CE-MS indicated a Renal Damage Pattern in 80, 80, and 100 of patients, respectively, and in 17% of healthy controls, with the more specific IgAN Pattern in 90, 90, and 1%, respectively, and in none of the healthy controls. Based on differences in CE-MS patterns, the disease mechanisms may differ among various IgA-associated glomerulonephritides. These exploratory findings should be evaluated in a prospective study with contemporaneous renal biopsy and urinary testing. If validated, it may be feasible to adapt the CE-MS methodology to develop novel tests to detect renal injury at earlier stages, assess clinical manifestations, and monitor responses to therapy in patients with IgA-associated renal diseases.     

Pilot study of capillary electrophoresis coupled to mass spectrometry as a tool to define potential prostate cancer biomarkers in urine

We describe the use of capillary electrophoresis (CE) coupled with mass spectrometry (MS) to identify single polypeptides and patterns of polypeptides specific for prostate cancer (CaP) in human urine. Using improved sample preparation methods that enable enhanced comparability between different samples, we examined samples from 47 patients who underwent prostate biopsy. Of this group, 21 patients had benign pathology and 26 with CaP, and these were used to define potential biomarkers, which allow discrimination between these two states. In addition, CE-MS data from these 47 urine samples were compared to that of 41 young men (control) without known or suspected clinical CaP to further confirm the polypeptides indicative for CaP. Upon crossvalidation of the same samples, several polypeptides were selected that enabled correct classification of the CaP patients with 92% sensitivity and 96% specificity. We then examined an additional 474 samples from patients with renal disease enrolled in other studies and found that 14 (3%) had polypeptides suggestive of CaP possibly indicating that they harbor clinical CaP. In conclusion, this early pilot study suggests that CE-MS of urine warrants further investigation as a tool that can identify putative biomarkers for CaP.     

Mass spectrometry for the detection of differentially expressed proteins: a comparison of surface-enhanced laser desorption/ionization and capillary electrophoresis/mass spectrometry

The discovery of biomarkers is currently attracting much interest as it harbors great potential for the diagnosis and monitoring of human diseases. Here we have used two advanced mass spectroscopy based technologies, surface enhanced laser desorption ionization (SELDI-MS) and capillary electrophoresis/mass spectrometry (CE/MS), to obtain proteomic patterns of urine samples from patients suffering from membranous glomerulonephritis (MGN) and healthy volunteers. The results indicate that CE/MS analysis is able to display a rich and complex pattern of polypeptides with high resolution and high mass accuracy. In order to analyze these patterns, the MosaiqueVisu software was developed for peak identification, deconvolution and the display of refined maps in a three-dimensional format. The polypeptide profiles obtained with SELDI-MS from the same samples are much sparser and show lower resolution and mass accuracy. The SELDI-MS profiles are further heavily dependent on analyte concentration. SELDI-MS analysis identified three differentially expressed polypeptides, which are potential biomarkers that can distinguish healthy donors from patients with MGN. In contrast, approximately 200 potential biomarkers could be identified by CE/MS. Thus, while SELDI-MS is easy to use and requires very little sample, CE/MS generates much richer data sets that enable an in-depth analysis.     

Analyses of quaternary ammonium drugs in horse urine by capillary electrophoresis-mass spectrometry

A capillary electrophoresis-mass spectrometry (CE-MS) method for the analysis of quaternary ammonium drugs in equine urine was developed. Quaternary ammonium drugs were first extracted from equine urine by ion-pair extraction and then analysed by CE-MS in the positive electrospray ionization (ESI) mode. Within 12 min, eight quaternary ammonium drugs, each at 1 ng/mL in horse urine, could be detected. The confirmation of these drugs in urine samples was achieved by capillary electrophoresis tandem mass spectrometry (CE-MS/MS). A direct comparison of this method was made with existing liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry (LC-MS) methods in the detection and confirmation of glycopyrrolate and ipratropium bromide in horse urine. While the two drugs could be detected within the same CE-MS run at 1 ng/mL in urine, they could only be detected in separate LC-MS runs at 5 ng/mL in urine. In addition, CE-MS consumed a much smaller volume of extract; the analyte peak widths, in some cases, were much narrower; and as the quaternary ammonium ions were well separated electrophoretically from the mainly neutral urine matrix, a much cleaner background in the CE-MS total ion trace was observed.     

Novel approach for developing urinary nucleosides profile by capillary electrophoresis-mass spectrometry

A simple, rapid and efficient capillary electrophoresis-mass spectrometry (CE-MS) method was developed to analyze urinary nucleosides for the first time. The composition of CE buffer and MS parameters were systematically optimized. The optimum buffer was 150 mM acetic acid containing 15% methanol and 15% ethanol. The optimum MS parameters were: methanol containing 0.5% acetic acid was selected as the sheath liquid and the flow rate was 5 microL/min; the flow rate and temperature of drying gas were 6L/min and 150 degrees C, respectively; the pressure of nebulizing gas was 2 psig; and the fragmentor and ESI voltage were 100 V and 4000 V, respectively. Under the optimum CE-MS conditions, the urinary nucleosides were separated within 18 min. The linearity between the relative peak areas and the corresponding concentration of nine nucleosides markers were excellent. The limits of detection (S/N=3) of markers were 0.00862-3.82 nmol/mL. The optimum CE-MS method was applied to analyze urine from 20 bladder cancer patients and 20 healthy volunteers. Considering the standards of many nucleosides cannot be obtained, it is not the ratios of the concentrations of nucleosides to that of creatinine in the literatures, but the ratios of the relative peak area of nucleosides to the concentration of creatinine that used for pattern recognition. And, the statistical analysis result indicated this method was feasible.     

Simplified 2-D CE-MS mapping: analysis of proteolytic digests

It has been demonstrated that CE-MS is a very useful hyphenated technique for proteomic studies. However, the huge amount of data stored in a single CE-MS run makes it necessary to account with procedures able to extract all the relevant information made available by CE-MS. In this work, we present a new and easy approach capable of generating a simplified 2-D map from CE-MS raw data. This new approach provides the automatic detection and characterization of the most abundant ions from the CE-MS data including their mass-to-charge (m/z) values, ion intensities and analysis times. It is demonstrated that visualization of CE-MS data in this simplified 2-D format allows: (i) an easy and simultaneous visual inspection of large datasets, (ii) an immediate perception of relevant differences in closely related samples, (iii) a rapid monitoring of data quality levels in different samples, and (iv) a fast discrimination between comigrating polypeptides and ESI-MS fragmentation ions. The strategy proposed in this work does not rely on an excellent mass accuracy for peak detection and filtering, since MS values obtained from an IT analyzer are used. Moreover, the methodology developed works directly with the CE-MS raw data, without interference by the user, giving simultaneously a simplified 2-D map and a much easier and more complete data evaluation. Besides, this procedure can easily be implemented in any CE-MS laboratory. The usefulness of this approach is validated by studying the very similar trypsin digests from bovine, rabbit and horse cytochrome c. It is demonstrated that this simplified 2-D approach allows specific markers for each species to be obtained in a fast and simple way.     

Capillary electrophoresis coupled to mass spectrometry for clinical diagnostic purposes

The introduction of fast, sensitive, and robust techniques for proteomic analysis into clinical practice represents a major step toward a new diagnostic approach of body fluids. In addition, proteomics emerges as a key technology for the discovery of disease biomarkers in various body fluids. However, even in relatively protein-deprived body fluids such as urine, the complexity and wide dynamic range of protein expression pose a considerable challenge to both separation and identification technologies. In the present review we discuss from a clinical point-of-view recent advances of the use of proteomics in clinical diagnosis as well as therapy evaluation. We focus on capillary electrophoresis coupled to mass spectrometry (CE-MS) and discuss CE-MS from an application point of view evaluating its merits and vices with regard to biomarker discovery. This review further presents examples of clinical applications of CE-MS for detection and identification of biomarkers in urine.     

Determination of bupivacaine and metabolites in rat urine using capillary electrophoresis with mass spectrometric detection

A method using capillary electrophoresis-mass spectrometry (CE-MS) was developed for the structural elucidation of bupivacaine and metabolites in rat urine. Prior to CE-MS analysis, solid-phase extraction (SPE) was used for sample cleanup and preconcentration purposes. Exact mass and tandem mass spectrometric (MS/MS) experiments were performed to obtain structural information about the unknown metabolites. Two instruments with different mass analyzers were used for mass spectrometric detection. A quadrupole time-of-flight (Q-TOF) and a magnetic sector hybrid instrument were coupled to CE and used for the analysis of urine extracts. Hydroxybupivacaine as well as five other isomerically different metabolites were detected including methoxylated bupivacaine.     

Noncovalent interactions in human plasma proteins analyzed by the comparison of nondenaturing and denaturing micro-2-D gel electrophoresis patterns after polypeptide assignment using matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization-mass spectrometry and peptide mass fingerprinting

Previously, we reported the analysis of human plasma proteins by 2-DE under nondenaturing conditions (Type-I 2-DE) followed by the assignment of stained spots using MALDI-MS and PMF [1]. Here, we employ 2-DE conditions modified only in the second-dimensional separation; SDS was added in the gradient slab gel aiming to dissociate noncovalently bound proteins/polypeptides (Type-II 2-DE). Totally 169 CBB-stained spots on a micro-2-DE gel were numbered and subjected to polypeptide assignment using MALDI-MS-PMF. One hundred sixty spots out of the 169 provided significant match (p <0.05) with polypeptides in databases. Comparisons of the results of polypeptide assignment on the two 2-DE patterns indicated that 10 polypeptides in 20 stained spots on the Type-I 2-DE pattern [1] shifted toward low-molecular-weight positions on the Type-II 2-DE pattern, demonstrating the presence of noncovalent interactions. Seventeen polypeptides in 38 stained spots were only assigned on the Type-II 2-DE gel, which could mostly be accounted for by the disruption of noncovalent protein-protein interactions in the presence of SDS, i.e., protein/polypeptide complexes which might form smear bands on the Type-I 2-DE gel dissociate to form clear spots on the Type-II 2-DE gel. The method employed here, comparisons of nondenaturing and denaturing 2-DE maps with polypeptide assignment by MALDI-MS-PMF, would enable the simultaneous detection of multiple noncovalent interactions in complex protein/polypeptide systems.     

Capillary electrophoresis-mass spectrometry for glycoscreening in biomedical research

Application of capillary electrophoresis (CE) in combination with mass spectrometry (MS) and tandem MS to glycoscreening in biomedical projects is highlighted. In the first part recent CE-MS experiments by sheath liquid CE and multiple stage MS are reported. Neutral and negatively charged N-glycan mixtures from ribonuclease B and fetuin, high-mannose type N-glycoforms, oligosaccharides from lipopolysaccharides (LPS) of Haemophilus influenzae, polysaccharides of Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus were analyzed. A particular emphasis is devoted to the applicability of novel off- and on-line CE-MS and tandem MS methods for screening of proteoglycan-derived oligosaccharides, glycosaminoglycans (GAGs), such as hyaluronates from Streptococcus agalactiae, chondroitin/dermatan sulfates (CS/DS) from bovine aorta and human skin fibroblast decorin, and heparin/heparan sulfate (HS) from porcine and bovine mucosa. The performance of CE-MS/MS for identification of glycoforms in glycopeptides and glycoproteins is illustrated by experiments performed on complex mixtures from urine of patients suffering from a hereditary N-acetylhexosaminidase deficiency (Schindler's disease) and urine of patients suffering from cancer cachexia. For determination of glycosylation patterns in glycoproteins like enzymes and antibodies by CE/MS, both CE-matrix assisted laser desorption/ionization (MALDI) and CE-electrospray ionization (ESI)-MS were functional. Finally, the potential of CE-ESI-MS strategy in glycolipid analysis is demonstrated for gangliosides from bovine brain for which particular CE buffer conditions are required.     

Confirmation testing of amphetamines and designer drugs in human urine by capillary electrophoresis-ion trap mass spectrometry

Monitoring of amphetamines and designer drugs in human urine is a timely topic in clinical toxicology, surveillance of drug substitution, forensic science, drug testing at the workplace, and doping control. Confirmation testing of urinary amphetamine, methamphetamine, 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA, Ecstasy) and 3,4-methylenedioxyamphetamine (MDA) by capillary electrophoresis (CE) combined with atmospheric pressure electrospray ionization and ion trap mass spectrometry (MS) is described. Using an aqueous pH 4.6 buffer composed of ammonium acetate/acetic acid, CE-MS and CE-MS2 provided data that permitted the unambiguous confirmation of these drugs in external quality control urines. Furthermore, other drugs of abuse present in alkaline urinary extracts, including methadone and morphine, could also be monitored. The data presented illustrate that the sensitivity achieved with the benchtop MS is comparable to that observed by CE with UV absorption detection. CE-MS2 is further shown to be capable of identifying comigrating compounds, including the comigration of amphetamine with nicotine.     

固相萃取-高效阴离子交换色谱-积分脉冲安培法检测人体尿液中的异黄蝶呤

建立了固相萃取-高效阴离子交换色谱-积分脉冲安培法(SPE-HPAEC-IPAD)测定人体尿液中异黄蝶呤的分析方法。尿液经ENVI-18与732型阳离子交换柱串联萃取后,除去了大量干扰物质。采用IonPac AS21分析柱(250 mm×2 mm),以0.025 mol/L NaOH溶液为淋洗液,流速为0.40 mL/min,在优化的安培检测波形条件下,异黄蝶呤的质量浓度在0.005～0.200 mg/L范围内与峰面积呈良好的线性关系,相关系数为0.998 4,检出限为0.003 mg/L。健康人及癌症病人尿液在2 mg/L和5 mg/L两个添加水平的平均回收率在95.4%～96.8%之间,相对标准偏差小于5%。此方法环保、快速、准确,可用于健康人与癌症病人尿液中异黄蝶呤的测定。     

High resolution two-dimensional gel analysis of proteins in the central nervous system of larvae of Drosophila melanogaster.

An improved method of high resolution two-dimensional gel electrophoresis was used to study the patterns of protein synthesis in the central nervous system (CNS) of late instar larvae of Drosophila melanogaster. A small number of CNSs was radiolabeled with a mixture of 14C-labeled amino acids or with [35S]methionine, and the pattern of labeled proteins was analyzed. One thousand and forty-five polypeptides, 800 acidic (IEF) and 245 basic (NEPHGE), from the CNS of several wild-type strains have so far been separated and cataloged. All these polypeptides were numbered and compared with our catalog of polypeptides from wing imaginal discs, and quantitative or qualitative changes were detected in more than 23% of the polypeptides. When comparing patterns of label of CNSs we found small quantitative differences in the rate of synthesis between individuals of the same strain, not due to sexual differences, and a minute number of quantitative and qualitative differences between groups of individuals of different strains.     

Comparison of the major polypeptides of the erythrocyte nuclear envelope

The three most abundant nonhistone polypeptides (molecular weights 75,000, 71,000 and 61,000) of the avian erythrocyte nucleus have previously been isolated in the nuclear envelope fraction. They have been separated by sodium dodecylsulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and peptide-mapped after limited enzymatic digestion. Three enzymes -- chymotrypsin, papain and Staphylococcus aureus protease -- were used. Results obtained with each enzyme indicate strong similarities between the three nuclear envelope polypeptides. The amino acid compositions of the two most abundant polypeptides (P75 and P71) have been determined and found to be similar. Further, they readily yield large fragments upon brief alkaline hydrolysis. For both P75, and P71 the degree and the pattern of alkaline fragmentation are almost identical. A 61,000-dalton polypeptide which appears to be P61 is obtained from P75 and P71 by mild acid hydrolysis. These results establish the close chemical similarity of these predominant polypeptides in the erythrocyte nucleus and suggest that they serve related functions.     

基于1H-NMR的模式识别方法应用于异常黑胆质糖尿病患者的尿液代谢组学研究

探讨核磁共振氢谱结合模式识别方法应用于异常黑胆质糖尿病患者的尿液代谢组研究可行性。对32 例异常黑胆质糖尿病患者和29 例健康人尿液进行核磁共振氢谱检测,采用主成分分析(principal component analysis, PCA)、偏最小二乘法判别分析(partial least squares dis-criminant analysis, PLS-DA)、正交偏最小二乘法判别分析(orthogonal to partial least squares discriminant analysis,OPLS-DA)进行模式识别分析,比较3种模式识别方法的判别能力。运用3种模式识别均可以对2组数据进行有效的区分,但OPLS-DA较PCA、P[1]LS-DA更加有效,不仅提高了模式识别方法的判断能力,可以清楚的判断两组中有差异的代谢物。基于核磁共振氢谱结合模式识别分析方法可以为异常黑胆质糖尿病代谢标志物的寻找提供理论依据。OPLS-DA的模式识别方法较其它2种方法更具优势,在揭示维医理论本质上有着广阔的应用前景。     

Comparison of different chiral selectors for the enantiomeric determination of amphetamine-type substances in human urine by solid-phase extraction followed by capillary electrophoresis-tandem mass spectrometry

The present study develops a method for the enantioseparation of a group of amphetamines and their metabolites in urine by CE coupled to MS/MS (CE-MS/MS). Amphetamines present a chiral center and thus two enantiomers, which is important from a toxicological point of view because they may have different pharmacokinetic and pharmacological properties. It is therefore essential to find suitable methods to distinguish both enantiomers. Today the use of CE is becoming more important in this field since, with the simple addition of a chiral selector to the background electrolyte, the enantioseparation can easily be achieved. However, when CE is coupled to MS, the use of volatile chiral selectors and compatible background electrolytes or other strategies such as the countercurrent migration approach are required to avoid contamination of the ion source from nonvolatile species. In the present study, we use the latter strategy to evaluate six different chiral selectors using CE-MS/MS. As a sample pre-treatment, two cationic-exchange sorbents—Oasis WCX and Oasis MCX—are compared for the urine pre-treatment. Using this method, it was possible to achieve the complete chiral separation of the amphetamines under study with detection limits ranging between 0.8 and 1.5 ng/mL and method quantification limits between 2.0 and 8.0 ng/mL. Matrix-matched calibration curves up to 150 ng/mL were used to cover the usual concentration ranges at which amphetamines have generally been found in toxicological and forensic analyses.