Selective detection and identification of phosphorylated proteins by simultaneous ligand-exchange fluorescence detection and mass spectrometry

A ligand-exchange method for the detection and identification of phosphorylated peptides in complex mixtures is presented that is based on the characterization of phosphorylated species by solution-phase interactions with Fe(III) ions and subsequent fluorescence readout. After the separation of the peptides and digest products on a reversed-phase LC column, the flow is split between the two detection systems. One part is directed towards an electrospray mass spectrometer for direct detection and identification of all the peptides present in the sample. The other part of the flow is directed towards a ligand-exchange detection system. This system relies on the specific release of a fluorescent reporter ligand from a Fe(III)-complex in the presence of phosphorylated peptides. To recognize false positive signals due to high-affinity non-phosphorylated high-acidic peptides and other compounds which are known to be a problem in for instance immobilized metal affinity chromatography (IMAC), a second run is performed after incubation of the sample with alkaline phosphatase. A positive signal in this second run indicates a high-affinity non-phosphorylated compound. The method is illustrated using digest from a phosphorylated alpha-casein. Automated switching between MS and MS-MS was performed to obtain additional information about the compounds present in the sample. The linearity of the method was tested in the range of 0.5-80 microM of phosphorylated peptides. A limit of detection (LOD) of 0.5 microM was obtained for a mono-phosphorylated peptide. The interday (n=4) and intraday precision (n=3) expressed as relative standard deviation was better than 10%.     

Assay for tyrosine hydroxylase by high-performance liquid chromatography with fluorescence detection

A sensitive assay method for tyrosine hydroxylase in rat brain and adrenal medulla by high-performance liquid chromatography with fluorescence detection is described. L-DOPA formed enzymatically from the substrate L-tyrosine and alpha-methyldopa (internal standard), after clean-up with small cartridges of an activated alumina and a cation exchanger, Toyopak IC-SP M, are converted into the corresponding fluorescent compounds by reaction with 1,2-diphenylethylenediamine. The derivatives are separated by reversed-phase chromatography on TSK gel ODS-120T. The detection limit for L-DOPA formed enzymatically is 2 pmol per assay tube.     

Separation of tyrosine enantiomer derivatives by capillary electrophoresis with light-emitting diode-induced fluorescence detection

Capillary electrophoresis (CE) coupled with fiber-optic light-emitting diode-induced fluorescence detection has been developed for the separation of tyrosine (Tyr) enantiomers. R(−)-4-(3-isothiocyanatopyrrolidin-1-yl)-7-(N,N-dimethylaminosulfonyl)-2,1,3-benzoxadiazole was used as a chiral fluorescence tagged reagent for derivatization of Tyr. The effect of pH, running buffer concentration and applied voltage on enantioselectivity has been investigated. The optimum CE conditions are 15 mmol/L borate running buffer (pH 10.5) and 14-kV applied voltage. Good reproducibility was obtained with coefficient of variation (n = 7) of migration time and peak area less than 0.2 and 2.0%, respectively. The limits of detection of d- and l-Tyr derivatives were 2.9 and 2.2 μmol/L (S/N = 3), respectively. The proposed method has been successfully applied to the determination of Tyr in a commercial amino acid oral solution.     

高效液相色谱荧光检测法测定蔬菜中残留的甲氨基阿维菌素苯甲酸盐

建立了甘蓝和蘑菇中甲氨基阿维菌素苯甲酸盐的固相萃取-高效液相色谱荧光分析方法。蔬菜样品用乙酸乙酯提取,提取液旋转浓缩近干后用少量乙酸乙酯溶解,再经PRS固相萃取(SPE)柱净化,洗脱液经氮气吹干后用氮甲基咪唑和三氟乙酸酐衍生,衍生物用高效液相色谱分析,采用外标法定量。在添加浓度1.0～20.0 μg/kg范围内,平均添加回收率为78.6%～84.9%,日内相对标准偏差(RSD)为2.7%～6.0%,日间RSD为3.1%～8.9%,检出限为0.10 μg/kg。甲氨基阿维菌素苯甲酸盐衍生物在0.002～0.10 mg/L范围内呈良好的线性关系,相关系数为0.9999。     

Comparison of fluorescence reagents for simultaneous determination of hydroxylated phenylalanine and nitrated tyrosine by high-performance liquid chromatography with fluorescence detection

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) and reactive nitrogen species (RNS) are well-known and important contributors to oxidative and nitrosative stress in several diseases. Hydroxylated phenylalanine and nitrated tyrosine products appear to be particularly susceptible targets of oxidative and nitrosative stress. We compared fluorescence reagents for their potential use in the analysis of hydroxylated phenylalanine and nitrated tyrosine products with a high-sensitivity and high-specificity HPLC-UV-FL technique. The analytes were extracted from serum via solid-phase extraction on Waters Oasis MCX cartridges. Chromatographic separation was achieved on an ODS column (Capcell Pak MG II; 150 × 2.0 mm) using a gradient mobile phase consisting of 20 mm sodium phosphate buffer (adjusted to pH 3.0) and acetonitrile. The method quantification limit for 4-nitrophenylalanine, m-tyrosine, and 3-nitrotyrosine was 0.1 μm. The relative standard deviation of the precision and accuracy was acceptable at the spiked concentration of 0.1 μm for 4-nitrophenylalanine, m-tyrosine and 3-nitrotyrosine. The method could be used for the in vitro analysis of serum samples.     

Label-free electrochemical detection of the phosphorylated and non-phosphorylated forms of peptides based on tyrosine oxidation

Identification of protein phosphorylation is an important goal in proteomics, because of the central role played by phosphorylation in the regulation of cellular activities. An exciting consequence of tyrosine (Tyr) oxidation is that it allows a clear distinction between the phosphorylated and non-phosphorylated forms of peptides using electrochemical analysis. In this report, we monitored the effect of phosphorylation on the electro-oxidation of Tyr in connection with differential pulse voltammetry (DPV) using a screen-printed carbon electrode (SPCE). First, we monitored the electrochemical current responses of Tyr and o-phospho-l-Tyrosine (l-3-(4-hydroxyphenyl)alanine 4′-phosphate, Tyr-P). The detection limit for Tyr was determined as 10 nM on the SPCE surface (S/N = 3). We observed that the phosphorylation caused a significant suppression on the electro-oxidation of Tyr. We also monitored the electrochemical responses of Src peptide 521–533 (H–Thr-Ser-Thr-Glu-Pro-Gln-Tyr-Gln-Pro-Gly-Glu-Asn-Leu–OH), both in the non-phosphorylated and phosphorylated forms. The detection limit for Src peptide was determined as 100 nM (S/N = 3). By monitoring the current signals obtained from the Tyr kinase substrate peptides, we suggest that label-free electrochemical in vitro detection of Tyr phosphorylation can be performed in a rapid and cost-effective format.     

Stepwise molding of a highly selective ribonucleopeptide receptor

The structural characteristics of RNA-peptide (RNP) complexes are suitable for molding of a ligand-binding pocket of the RNP complex in a stepwise manner. The first step involves molding of the RNA subunit by in vitro selection of an RNP pool originating from an RNA library and the peptide, as previously reported for the construction of an ATP-binding RNP complex from an RRE RNA-Rev peptide complex. The second step involves selection from an RNP library consisting of Rev peptides with randomized amino acid residues and the RNA subunit selected in the first molding. The ATP-binding pocket produced by sequential molding of RNA and peptide subunits shows higher affinity to ATP and a distinct specificity for ATP versus dATP as compared to the ATP-binding RNP receptor in which only the RNA subunit has been molded. The second step selection from the peptide-based RNP library allows expansion of the ATP recognition surface, consisting of both RNA and peptide subunits, to enhance the affinity and selectivity to discriminate ATP against dATP. Our approach of stepwise molding offers the advantage of increasing the diversity of the RNP library by utilizing characteristics of different biopolymers. The ribonucleopeptide-based, multi-subunit approach is also extendable to other biomacromolecular assemblies, which may yield artificial receptors and enzymes with increased specificity and more diverse chemical activities.     

Beta-amyloid oligomerisation monitored by intrinsic tyrosine fluorescence

Aggregation of the peptide beta-amyloid is known to be associated with Alzheimer's disease. According to recent findings the most neurotoxic aggregates are the oligomers formed in the initial stages of the aggregation process. Here we use beta-amyloid's (Aβ's) intrinsic fluorophore tyrosine to probe the earliest peptide-to-peptide stages of aggregation, a region often merely labelled as a time lag, because negligible changes are observed by the commonly used probe ThT. Using spectrally resolved fluorescence decay time techniques and analysis we demonstrate how the distribution of 3 rotamer conformations of the single tyrosine in Aβ tracks the aggregation across the time lag and beyond according to the initial peptide concentration. At low Aβ concentrations (≤5 μM), negligible aggregation is observed and this is mirrored by little change in the fluorescence decay parameters, providing a useful baseline for comparison. At higher concentrations (≈50 μM), and contrary to what is generally accepted from ThT studies the rate of aggregation can be described by an exponential growth to a plateau in terms of the relative contributions of two of the three rotamers, with a characteristic aggregation time of ≈33 h.     

Label-free electrochemical differentiation of phosphorylated and non-phosphorylated peptide by electro-catalyzed tyrosine oxidation

Protein phosphorylation plays an important role in many significant cellular processes, and has thus gained tremendous interest in the field of proteomics. The electro-active tyrosine residue, as an important receptor of phosphorylation in proteins, exhibits electro-inactivity after being phosphorylated on the hydroxy group of its aromatic ring. In this study, the electrochemical oxidation of tyrosine on indium tin oxide (ITO) electrodes was catalyzed with an electron mediator Os(bpy)(3)(2+) (bpy = 2,2'-bipyridine) and was employed as a signal reporter to differentially detect non-phosphorylated and phosphorylated peptides. A short, tyrosine-containing peptide glu-glu-glu-glu-glu-tyr (EY-6) was immobilized on an ITO surface using the layer-by-layer self-assembly method, and was detected by cyclic voltammetry in an Os(bpy)(3)(2+) solution. The limit of detection was about 0.23 microg mL(-1) EY-6 in solution. The phosphorylated peptide glu-glu-glu-glu-glu-tyr-OP (EY-6P) did not produce an appreciable oxidation current on the electrode. Surface plasmon resonance measurements revealed that the amount of EY-6 and EY-6P adsorbed on the sensor chip surface was 269 and 378 pg mm(-2), respectively. The poly(glu, tyr) (4 : 1) peptide, a protein tyrosine kinase substrate, was also detected by the same approach, with a detection limit of 0.65 microg mL(-1). This new approach offers the possibility of label-free and on-chip detection of protein tyrosine kinase activity.     

Characterization of labelling and de-labelling reagents for detection and recovery of tyrosine residue in peptide

This paper characterized the labelling and de-labelling reagents for reversible labelling of tyrosine (Tyr)-containing peptide, which involves detection and recovery. The phenolic hydroxyl group (-OH) in Tyr structure reacted with 4-fluoro-7-nitro-2,1,3-benzoxadiazole (NBD-F), 4-(N,N-dimethylaminosulfonyl)-7-fluoro-2,1,3-benzoxadiazole (DBD-F), and 1-fluoro-2,4-dinitrobenzene (DNFB) under mild conditions at room temperature at pH 9.3. The labels in the resulting derivatives were removed with the treatment of nucleophiles, such as thiols (cysteine, N-acetyl-L-cysteine and dithiothreitol) and amines (dimethylamine, methylamine, diethylamine, ethylamine and pyrrolidine). The de-labelling reactions of NBD-labelled N-acetyl-L-tyrosine (N-AcTyr) with the nucleophiles produced N-AcTyr, accompanied by NBD-nucleophile. Although DBD-F and DNFB also successfully labeled the -OH group in N-AcTyr, the efficiency of Cbond;O bond cleavage and recovery of N-AcTyr by the nucleophiles was relatively low compared with NBD-label. Among the de-labelling reagents, N-acetyl-L-cysteine and dimethylamine were recommended for the elimination of NBD moiety, with respect to the reaction rate, the side reaction, and the yield of recovery. The proposed procedure, which includes the labelling with NBD-F and the removal of NBD moiety by the nucleophiles, was successfully applied to the reversible labelling of N-terminal amine-blocked peptides, i.e. N-AcTyr-Val-Gly, Z-Glu-Tyr, Z-Phe-Tyr, N-Formyl-Met-Leu-Tyr, and N-AcArg-Pro-Pro-Gly-Phe-Ser-Pro-Tyr-Arg.     

Structural aspects for the recognition of ATP by ribonucleopeptide receptors

A modular structure of ribonucleopeptide (RNP) affords a framework to construct macromolecular receptors and fluorescent sensors. We have isolated ATP-binding RNP with the minimum of nucleotides for ATP binding, in which the RNA consensus sequence is different from those reported for RNA aptamers against the ATP analogues. The three-dimensional structure of the substrate-binding complex of RNP was studied to understand the ATP-binding mechanism of RNP. A combination of NMR measurements, enzymatic and chemical mapping, and nucleotide mutation studies of the RNP-adenosine complex show that RNP interacts with the adenine ring of adenosine by forming a U:A:U triple with two invariant U nucleotides. The observed recognition mode for the adenine ring is different from those of RNA aptamers for ATP derivatives reported previously. The RNP-adenosine complex is folded into a particular structure by formation of the U:A:U triple and a Hoogsteen type A:U base pair. This recognition mechanism was successfully utilized to convert the substrate-binding specificity of RNP from ATP- to GTP-binding with a C(+):G:C triple recognition mode.     

Determination of quinolone residues in shrimp using liquid chromatography with fluorescence detection and residue confirmation by mass spectrometry

The quinolones, oxolinic acid (OXO), flumequine (FLU), and nalidixic acid (NAL), are antibacterial drugs effective against Gram-negative bacteria. Quinolones are used in both human and veterinary medicine, but are currently not approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for use in food fish. A liquid chromatography-fluorescence (LC-FL) method was developed to determine OXO, FLU, and NAL residues in shrimp. An additional liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MSⁿ) method was created to confirm these residues using the same sample extract. Samples were prepared with a simple ethyl acetate extraction followed by solvent exchange into 0.2% formic acid and cleaned-up with hexane. Reverse phase chromatography was used to separate the three compounds in both procedures. For the LC-FL determinative method, fluorescence emission was monitored at 369 nm with excitation at 327 nm. With electrospray ionization, the three most abundant ions from the MS³ product ion spectrum were used to identify OXO, FLU, and NAL in the confirmation procedure. Shrimp samples fortified at levels ranging from 7.5 to 100 ng g⁻¹ were used to validate both methods.     

In vitro selection of ATP-binding receptors using a ribonucleopeptide complex

A recently described three-dimensional structure of the ribosome provides a sense of remarkable diversity of RNA-protein complexes. We have designed a new class of scaffold for artificial receptors, in which a short peptide and RNA with a randomized nucleotide region form a stable and specific complex. The randomized nucleotide region was placed next to the HIV-1 Rev response element to enable the formation of "ribonucleopeptide" pools in the presence of the Rev peptide. In vitro selection of RNA oligonucleotides from the randomized pool afforded a ribonucleopeptide receptor specific for ATP. The ATP-binding ribonucleopeptide did not share the known consensus nucleotide sequence for ATP aptamers and completely lost its ATP-binding ability in the absence of the Rev peptide. The ATP-binding activity of the ribonucleopeptide was increased by a substitution of the N-terminal amino acid of the Rev peptide. These results demonstrate directly that the peptide is incorporated in the functional structure of RNA and suggest that amino acids outside the RNA-binding region of the peptide modulate the ATP-binding of ribonucleopeptide. Our approach would provide an alternative strategy for the design of "tailor-made" ribonucleopeptide receptors and enzymes.     

Single-label kinase and phosphatase assays for tyrosine phosphorylation using nanosecond time-resolved fluorescence detection

The collision-induced fluorescence quenching of a 2,3-diazabicyclo[2.2.2]oct-2-ene-labeled asparagine (Dbo) by hydrogen atom abstraction from the tyrosine residue in peptide substrates was introduced as a single-labeling strategy to assay the activity of tyrosine kinases and phosphatases. The assays were tested for 12 different combinations of Dbo-labeled substrates and with the enzymes p60c-Src Src kinase, EGFR kinase, YOP protein tyrosine phosphatase, as well as acid and alkaline phosphatases, thereby demonstrating a broad application potential. The steady-state fluorescence changed by a factor of up to 7 in the course of the enzymatic reaction, which allowed for a sufficient sensitivity of continuous monitoring in steady-state experiments. The fluorescence lifetimes (and intensities) were found to be rather constant for the phosphotyrosine peptides (ca. 300 ns in aerated water), while those of the unphosphorylated peptides were as short as 40 ns (at pH 7) and 7 ns (at pH 13) as a result of intramolecular quenching. Owing to the exceptionally long fluorescence lifetime of Dbo, the assays were alternatively performed by using nanosecond time-resolved fluorescence (Nano-TRF) detection, which leads to an improved discrimination of background fluorescence and an increased sensitivity. The potential for inhibitor screening was demonstrated through the inhibition of acid and alkaline phosphatases by molybdate.     

Protein elasticity determined by pressure tuning of the tyrosine residue of ubiquitin

We determined the isotropic, isothermal compressibility of ubiquitin by pressure tuning spectral holes burnt into the red edge of the absorption spectrum of the single tyrosine residue. The pressure shift is perfectly linear with burn frequency. From these data, a compressibility of 0.086 GPa(-1) in the local environment of the tyrosine residue could be determined. This value fits nicely into the range known for proteins. Although the elastic behavior at low temperatures does not show any unusual features, the pressure tuning behavior at room temperature is quite surprising: the pressure-induced spectral shift is close to zero, even up to very high pressure levels of 0.88 GPa, well beyond the denaturation point. The reason for this behavior is attributed to equally strong blue as well as red spectral pressure shifts resulting in an average pressure-induced solvent shift that is close to zero.     

Engineering of an enantioselective tyrosine aminomutase by mutation of a single active site residue in phenylalanine aminomutase

By replacing a single active-site residue Cys107 with Ser in phenylalanine aminomutase (PAM), the enzyme gained tyrosine aminomutase (TAM) activity while retaining PAM activity and high enantioselectivity. This engineered enantioselective TAM also catalyzed formation of β-tyrosine from p-coumaric acid and may prove to be useful for the synthesis of enantiopure β-tyrosine and its derivatives.     

A phosphotyrosine-imprinted polymer receptor for the recognition of tyrosine phosphorylated peptides

Hyperphosphorylation at tyrosine is commonly observed in tumor proteomes and, hence, specific phosphoproteins or phosphopeptides could serve as markers useful for cancer diagnostics and therapeutics. The analysis of such targets is, however, a challenging task, because of their commonly low abundance and the lack of robust and effective preconcentration techniques. As a robust alternative to the commonly used immunoaffinity techniques that rely on phosphotyrosine(pTyr)-specific antibodies, we have developed an epitope-imprinting strategy that leads to a synthetic pTyr-selective imprinted polymer receptor. The binding site incorporates two monourea ligands placed by preorganization around a pTyr dianion template. The tight binding site displayed good binding affinities for the pTyr template, in the range of that observed for corresponding antibodies, and a clear preference for pTyr over phosphoserine (pSer). In further analogy to the antibodies, the imprinted polymer was capable of capturing short tyrosine phosphorylated peptides in the presence of an excess of their non-phosphorylated counterparts or peptides phosphorylated at serine.     

Automated method for analysis of tryptophan and tyrosine metabolites using capillary electrophoresis with native fluorescence detection

Capillary electrophoresis (CE) with laser-induced native fluorescence (LINF) detection offers the ability to characterize low levels of selected analyte classes, depending on the excitation and emission wavelengths used. Here a new automated CE-LINF system that provides deep ultraviolet (DUV) excitation (224 nm) and variable emission wavelength detection was evaluated for the analysis of small molecule tryptophan- and tyrosine-related metabolites. The optimized instrument design includes several features that increase throughput, lower instrument cost and maintenance, and decrease complexity when compared with earlier systems using DUV excitation. Sensitivity is enhanced by using an ellipsoid detection cell to increase the fluorescence collection efficiency. The limits of detection ranged from 4 to 30 nmol/L for serotonin and tyrosine, respectively. The system demonstrated excellent linearity over several orders of magnitude of concentration and intraday precision from 1–11 % relative standard deviation (RSD). The instrument’s performance was validated via tryptophan and serotonin characterization using tissue extracts from the mammalian brain stem, with RSDs of less than 10 % for both metabolites. The flexibility and sensitivity offered by DUV laser excitation and tunable emission enables a broad range of small-volume measurements.