Analysis of expression and comparative profile of normal placental tissue proteins and those in preeclampsia patients using proteomic approaches

Preeclampsia (PE) is a complex and serious condition of pregnancy. Trophoblasts in human placenta can be separated and collected by laser capture micro-dissection (LCM). Protein in trophoblasts have been extracted and separated by sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE), finally 962 unique proteins are identified by liquid chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). Comparison of differential expressed proteins in normal and those in PE are investigated. Two-dimensional electrophoresis (2DE) and MS were used to identify differential expressed proteins. 13 differential expressed proteins include signal transduction protein, molecular chaperone, cell skeleton proteins are identified, in which 3 proteins are down-regulated and 10 proteins are up-regulated. They might be correlated with the cause of PE.     

Alteration of protein composition in mouse thymocytes by signals through T-cell receptor

To avoid destructive autoimmunity, T-cell precursors (thymocytes) expressing autoreactive T-cell receptor are deleted in the thymus via an apoptotic process by the signals from the T-cell receptor-CD3 complexes. In order to analyze the apoptotic mechanism, we established a cell-free system using the lysates from mouse thymocytes treated in vivo with anti-CD3 monoclonal antibody (mAb). The soluble cytosolic high molecular mass protein fraction from the anti-CD3-treated thymocytes revealed an activity that directly induces nuclear apoptotic morphological changes and DNA fragmentation. This fragmentation activity was not observed in the fraction from the thymocytes without anti-CD3 treatment. Proteins in both fractions were separated by two-dimensional electrophoresis. The silver-stained gels revealed differences in protein spots. These protein spots were identified by database searching of mass spectrometric (MS) and tandem mass spectrometric (MS/MS) data obtained from in-gel tryptic digests of the spots, using an integrated system of liquid chromatography/electrospray ionization/ion-trap mass spectrometry. In this study, the high mobility group protein HMG2 was identified as one of the cytosolic proteins that is increased by the signals from the T-cell receptor, and heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoprotein A2/B1 and glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate dehydrogenase were found to be decreased by the signals.     

Enrichment of low molecular weight serum proteins using acetonitrile precipitation for mass spectrometry based proteomic analysis

A rapid acetonitrile (ACN)-based extraction method has been developed that reproducibly depletes high abundance and high molecular weight proteins from serum prior to mass spectrometric analysis. A nanoflow liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry (nano-LC/MS/MS) multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) method for 57 high to medium abundance serum proteins was used to characterise the ACN-depleted fraction after tryptic digestion. Of the 57 targeted proteins 29 were detected and albumin, the most abundant protein in serum and plasma, was identified as the 20th most abundant protein in the extract. The combination of ACN depletion and one-dimensional nano-LC/MS/MS enabled the detection of the low abundance serum protein, insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I), which has a serum concentration in the region of 100 ng/mL. One-dimensional sodium dodecyl sulfate/polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) analysis of the depleted serum showed no bands corresponding to proteins of molecular mass over 75 kDa after extraction, demonstrating the efficiency of the method for the depletion of high molecular weight proteins. Total protein analysis of the ACN extracts showed that approximately 99.6% of all protein is removed from the serum. The ACN-depletion strategy offers a viable alternative to the immunochemistry-based protein-depletion techniques commonly used for removing high abundance proteins from serum prior to MS-based proteomic analyses.     

Isolation, primary structure characterization and identification of the glycosylation pattern of recombinant goldfish neurolin, a neuronal cell adhesion protein

Neurolin is a growth-associated cell surface glycoprotein from goldfish and zebra fish which has been shown to be involved in axonal path-finding in the goldfish retina and suggested to function as a receptor for axon guidance molecules. Being a member of the immunoglobulin superfamily of cell adhesion proteins, neurolin consists of five N-terminal extracellular immunoglobulin (Ig)-like domains, a transmembrane and a short cytoplasmatic domain. Repeated injections of polyclonal Fab fragments against neurolin and of monoclonal antibodies against either Ig domains cause path-finding errors and disturbance of axonal fasciculation. In order to obtain a complete structural characterization and a molecular basis for structure-function determination, recombinant neurolin with the complete extracellular part but lacking the transmembrane and cytoplasmatic domain was expressed in Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells (CHO-neurolin). The isolation of CHO-neurolin was carried out by Ni-affinity chromatography and subsequent high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). An exact molecular mass determination was obtained by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry (MALDI/MS) and revealed 60.9 kDa, which suggested that approximately 10 kDa are due to glycosylation. The predicted molecular mass is 51.5 kDa, whereas sodium dodecyl sulphate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) yielded an apparent molecular mass of 72 kDa. Gel shift assays using SDS-PAGE and Western blot analysis with anti-neurolin antibodies provided consistent molecular mass data. The complete primary structure and N-glycosylation patterns were identified using specific lectin assays, MALDI/MS peptide mapping analysis by proteolytic and in-gel digestion, electrospray ionization MS and MALDI/MS in combination with specific glycosidase degradation. HPLC isolation of glycosylated peptide fragments and MS after selective deglycosylation revealed heterogeneous glycosylations at all five N-glycosylation consensus sites. All attached N-glycans are of the complex type and show a mainly biantennary structure; they are fucosylated with alpha(2,3)-terminal neuraminic acid. These data serve as a first detailed model to characterize the molecular recognition structures exhibited by the extracellular domains.     

Phosphopeptide quantitation using amine-reactive isobaric tagging reagents and tandem mass spectrometry: application to proteins isolated by gel electrophoresis

Polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis is widely used for protein separation and it is frequently the final step in protein purification in biochemistry and proteomics. Using a commercially available amine-reactive isobaric tagging reagent (iTRAQ) and mass spectrometry we obtained reproducible, quantitative data from peptides derived by tryptic in-gel digestion of proteins and phosphoproteins. The protocol combines optimized reaction conditions, miniaturized peptide handling techniques and tandem mass spectrometry to quantify low- to sub-picomole amounts of (phospho)proteins that were isolated by sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE). Immobilized metal affinity chromatography (FeIII-IMAC) was efficient for removal of excess reagents and for enrichment of derivatized phosphopeptides prior to matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry (MALDI-MS) analysis. Phosphopeptide abundance was determined by liquid chromatography/tandem mass (LC/MS/MS) using either MALDI time-of-flight/time-of-flight (TOF/TOF) MS/MS or electrospray ionization quadrupole time-of-flight (ESI-QTOF) MS/MS instruments. Chemically labeled isobaric phosphopeptides, differing only by the position of the phosphate group, were distinguished and characterized by LC/MS/MS based on their LC elution profile and distinct MS/MS spectra. We expect this quantitative mass spectrometry method to be suitable for systematic, comparative analysis of molecular variants of proteins isolated by gel electrophoresis.     

Detection of α2u‐globulin and its bound putative pheromones in the preputial gland of the Indian commensal rat (Rattus rattus) using mass spectrometry

The role of pheromones and pheromone‐binding proteins in the laboratory rat has been extensively investigated. However, we have previously reported that the preputial gland of the Indian commensal rat produces a variety of pheromonal molecules and preputial glands would seem to be the predominant source for pheromonal communication. The presence of pheromone‐binding proteins has not yet been identified in the preputial gland of the Indian commensal rat; therefore, the experiments were designed to unravel the α_2u‐globulin (α2u) and its bound volatiles in the commensal rat. Total preputial glandular proteins were first fractionated by sodium dodecyl sulfate/polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS‐PAGE) and subsequently analyzed by mass spectrometry. Further, we purified α2u and screened for the presence of bound pheromonal molecules with the aid of gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS). A novel α2u was identified with a high score and this protein has not been previously described as present in the preputial gland of Indian commensal rats. This novel α2u was then characterized by tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS). Peptides with m/z values of 969, 1192, 1303 and 1876 were further fragmented with the aid of MS/MS and generated de novo sequences which provided additional evidence for the presence of α2u in the preputial gland. Finally, we identified the presence of farnesol 1 and 2 bound to α2u. The present investigation confirms the presence of α2u (18.54 kDa) in the preputial gland of the Indian commensal rat and identifies farnesol 1 and 2 as probably involved in chemo‐communication by the Indian commensal rat. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

采用高效液相色谱-质谱考察家福捕鸟蛛粗毒中多肽和蛋白质的多样性

家福捕鸟蛛(Selenocosmia jiafu)是一种生活在中国广西、云南等边远山区、中等个体、产毒量较大和毒性较强的蜘蛛新种。为了对家福捕鸟蛛粗毒成分进行初步探索,采用反相高效液相色谱、基质辅助激光解吸离子化飞行时间质谱和十二烷基硫酸钠-聚丙烯酰胺凝胶电泳方法对粗毒多肽和蛋白质的多样性进行了分析。结果表明:家福捕鸟蛛粗毒经色谱分离后得到40多个色谱峰,经质谱鉴定得到238个多肽,且多肽的相对分子质量呈现出双峰分布,其中62.5%的多肽的相对分子质量分布在3000~4500 之间,33.2%的多肽的相对分子质量分布在1000~3000之间。这种相对分子质量的分布模式不同于其他已经报道的蜘蛛粗毒中多肽的分布模式。电泳分析结果表明:除了相对分子质量在10000以下的多肽分子,粗毒在50、72和90 kD附近有3条明显的条带,粗毒电泳条带经液相色谱-电喷雾四极杆飞行时间质谱鉴定,主要是一些血蓝蛋白、钾离子通道蛋白、钙蛋白酶等。说明家福捕鸟蛛粗毒中多肽和蛋白质种类丰富。     

金属离子对蛇毒蛋白生物活性及结构效应的影响

从旅顺产白眉蝮蛇(Gloydius blomhoffii brevicaudus, GBB) 蛇毒中纯化得到了3种电泳和质谱纯蛋白活性组分, 其酶解肽段采用高效液相色谱-电喷雾串联质谱(HPLC-nESI-MS/MS)进行序列测定, 与其它同源性蛇毒蛋白氨基酸序列比对发现, 3种蛋白为新的蛇毒磷脂酶A₂、类凝血酶和金属蛋白酶, 分别将其命名为GBB-bPLA₂, GBB-TLE和GBB-MP. 电感耦合等离子体发射光谱法(ICP-AES) 测得每个GBB-bPLA₂和GBB-MP中含有一个Ca²⁺; 每个GBB-TLE中含有2个Zn²⁺. Ca²⁺可分别使GBB-bPLA₂和GBB-MP的荧光发射波长向短波方向移动2.0和1.6 nm, 使二者的荧光发射强度提高14.0%和11.0%; Ca²⁺的存在可显著提高二者的热稳定性, 使GBB-bPLA₂和GBB-MP的热变性温度分别提高1.5和2.0 ℃. Zn²⁺使GBB-TLE的荧光发射强度增高4.3%, 但对GBB-TLE的酯酶水解活性、荧光发射波长和热变性温度无显著影响. 金属离子的存在能够不同程度地影响蛇毒蛋白结构热稳定性, 但对蛇毒蛋白生物活性的作用则不同.     

Large-scale identification of human biliary proteins from a cholesterol stone patient using a proteomic approach

Gallbladder bile, one of the most important body fluids, is composed of water, inorganic ions, conjugated bile salts, phospholipids, cholesterol, bilirubin, mucin and proteins. The separation and identification of bile proteins remain difficult due to the complexity of this matrix. In the present study, human gallbladder bile was obtained from a cholesterol stone patient, and the proteins were isolated and purified by dialysis, precipitation and delipidation procedures. The resulting proteins were divided into several aliquots. One aliquot was subjected to two-dimensional gel electrophoresis (2DE). The protein spots were then in-gel digested and analyzed by liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry (LC/MS/MS). Another aliquot was directly digested and analyzed by a combination of strong cation-exchange (SCX) and reversed-phase (RP) chromatography prior to tandem mass spectrometry (2D-LC/MS/MS). Eventually, 48 and 218 unique proteins were identified from 2DE/MS and 2D-LC/MS/MS, respectively, resulting in a total of 222 unique identified proteins. Of the 218 proteins identified by 2D-LC/MS/MS, 92 were identified based on more than one unique tryptic peptide, and, of the total 222 proteins, 98 were identified based on more than one unique tryptic peptide.     

多维离子交换色谱分离和串联质谱鉴定在小鼠肝脏膜蛋白质组分析中的应用

膜蛋白质在变性剂作用下能够较充分地溶解。根据这一特点,我们试图在变性剂溶液中采用串联离子交换色谱法分离小鼠肝脏膜蛋白质。将小鼠肝脏膜蛋白质溶解于含有4 mol/L尿素,20 mmol/L三羟甲基氨基甲烷(Tris)-盐酸缓冲液(pH 9.0)中,用Q-Sepharose FF和Sephacryl S-200HR树脂组成的色谱柱结合大部分溶解的膜蛋白质,然后采用氯化钠线性梯度洗脱蛋白质,分步收集后采用十二烷基硫酸钠-聚丙烯酰胺凝胶电泳(SDS-PAGE)进一步分离洗脱组分的蛋白质。利用胶内胰蛋白酶消化技术将SDS-PAGE胶内分离的蛋白质降解为相应的肽段,然后以反相高效液相色谱分离和离子阱质谱仪鉴定肽段。根据文献报道和蛋白质的功能分类,在所鉴定的392个蛋白质中有306个可能为膜蛋白质或膜结合蛋白质。蛋白质的疏水性计算表明,GRAVY(grand average of hydropathicity)得分大于或等于0.00的蛋白质有83个。综上所述,我们有理由认为本实验方法基本符合小鼠肝脏膜蛋白质组学研究的要求。     

Relative quantification of erythropoietin receptor-dependent phosphoproteins using in-gel 18O-labeling and tandem mass spectrometry

On examining different proteomics approaches for the investigation of structure-function relationships of erythropoietin (EPO) receptor signaling, it was found that two-dimensional gel electrophoresis/mass spectrometry procedures are clearly limited in their ability to detect low-expressed signaling proteins. Instead it was found that a strategy involving anti-phosphotyrosine immunoprecipitation, one-dimensional gel electrophoresis (1DE), and capillary liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry (LC/MS/MS) provides the sensitivity required for identification of signaling proteins. In the present work the immunoprecipitation/1DE/LC/MS approach was combined with an in-gel 18O-labeling technique to analyze EPO receptor-dependent proteins. Identification and relative quantification of more than 180 EPO receptor-dependent proteins were achieved directly based on the in-gel 18O-labeling approach.     

Characterization of bovine surfactant proteins B and C by electrospray ionization mass spectrometry

Bovine surfactant proteins B (SP-B) and C (SP-C) were analyzed by nano-electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (nano-ESI-MS). The observed molecular masses showed discrepancies compared to the calculated molecular masses using the published amino acid sequences. The number of cysteine residues in the published bovine SP-B amino acid sequences also failed to match the observed mass shift upon reduction of the SP-B dimer. To determine the amino acid sequences of two proteins, SP-B was first digested with trypsin and analyzed by liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry (LC/MS/MS), while SP-C was analyzed by MS/MS in its intact form. The amino acid sequence of bovine SP-B determined here matches the observed molecular mass. The sequence is almost identical to the sheep SP-B except for two amino acid residues, consistent with the proximity of the two species. The correct sequence contains seven cysteine residues. Bovine SP-B exists as dimers and all cysteines are oxidized to form disulfide bonds in physiological conditions, which is in agreement with the observed mass shift upon reduction of the SP-B dimer. These cysteine residues are completely conserved across all species indicating their importance for the biological functions of this surfactant protein. The sequence of SP-C determined here also reveals an L to V substitution at its position 22 compared with the published bovine SP-B sequence.     

Two-dimensional electrophoresis and mass spectrometry identification of proteins bound by a murine monoclonal anti-cardiolipin antibody: a powerful technique to characterize the cross-reactivity of a single autoantibody

Antigenic cross-reactivity, i.e., the capacity of a single antibody to react with apparently dissimilar structures, is a common characteristic of autoantibodies produced during systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), an autoimmune disease developed by humans and certain strains of mice. Characterization of the extent of cross-reactivity of SLE-related autoantibodies may help identify the immunogenic stimulus, or stimuli, of autoantibody-secreting B-lymphocytes. Two-dimensional polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (2-D PAGE) was combined with mass spectrometry (MS) to identify cell proteins recognized by a single monoclonal autoantibody (mAb 4B7), derived from an (NZW x BXSB)F1 mouse and selected based on its capacity to react with cardiolipin, that binds to elements in the cytoplasm and nucleoli of HEp-2 cells as assessed by indirect immunofluorescence assay. Proteins from HL-60 extract were separated by 1-D and 2-D PAGE. Western blotting with mAb 4B7 after SDS-PAGE revealed four bands, two intensely labeled at 35 and 32 kDa, and two weaker ones at 20 and 60 kDa; three spots were detected after 2-D PAGE. After trypsin in-gel digestion of the three protein spots, MS yielded representative matrix assisted laser desorption/ionization-time of flight (MALDI-TOF) Reflector or quadrupole-time of flight (Q-TOF) spectra. The three corresponding proteins were identified as the nucleolar phosphoprotein B23 (nucleophosmin), heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoprotein A2 (hnRNP A2) and the 60 kDa Ro/SS-A RNP. Thus, these results showed that 2-D PAGE combined with MS constitutes a sensitive and powerful technique to characterize the full extent of cross-reactivity of a single mAb and may constitute a new approach to further characterize the immunogenic cellular components involved in the breakage of B-cell tolerance observed in SLE.     

Determination of polychlorodibenzo-p-dioxins and polychlorodibenzofurans by gas chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry and gas chromatography/triple mass spectrometry in a quadrupole ion trap

The determination of tetra- to octachlorodibenzo-p-dioxins and tetra- to octachlorodibenzofurans (PCCD/Fs) by high-resolution gas chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry (HRGC/MS/MS) and high-resolution gas chromatography/triple mass spectrometry (HRGC/MS(3)) in a quadrupole ion trap, equipped with an external ion source, is presented. MS/MS involves a typical four-step process, namely ionization, parent ion isolation, collision-induced dissociation (CID) and mass analysis of the daughter ions. For the MS(3) experiment, the MS/MS scan function is used with the addition of selected daughter ion isolation, their CID and the mass analysis of second-generation product ions called 'grand-daughter ions.' For both methods, the energies necessary for the CID of the 17 PCDD/Fs were determined and optimized using multiple scan functions with different CID amplitudes. The CID efficiency, defined as the signal ratio of fragment ions detected from the major dissociation channels to molecular ions isolated, was 1.15-2.40 V for parent ion dissociation (MS/MS) and 1.05-1.50 V for daughter ion dissociation (MS(3)) and for all the chloro congeners. The same sensitivity (1 pg microl(-1)) can be reached with both the MS/MS and MS(3) methods and linear responses were obtained between 1 and 100 pg microl(-1) injected.     

Detection of PAH of molecular weight between 300 and 402 in airborne particulate matter by fused silica capillary GC and GC/MS

Gas chromatography (GC), low-voltage mass spectrometry (LV MS), and gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) have been used for detecting polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) of molecular weight between 300 and 402 in airborne particulate matter. Nearly 200 high molecular PAH separated by fused silica capillary columns could be characterized by their El mass spectra. The lack of reference substances precluded further structure elucidation.     

Novel biomarkers of protein oxidation sites and degrees using horse cytochrome c as the target by mass spectrometry

Biomarkers held both incredible application and significant challenge in probing the oxidation mechanisms of proteins under oxidative stress. Here, mass spectrometry (MS) coupled with liquid chromatography (LC) was applied to establish a new pipeline to probe the oxidation sites and degrees of horse cytochrome c (HCC) with its oxidative products serving as the biomarkers. Samples of native and UV/H(2)O(2) oxidized HCCs were digested by trypsin and subjected to biomarker discovery using LC/MS and tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS). Experiment results proved that the main oxidation sites were located at Cys(14), Cys(17), Met(65) and Met(80) residues in peptides C(14)AQC(heme)HTVEK(22), C(14)AQCHTVEK(22), E(60)ETLMEYLENPKK(73), M(80)IFAGIK(86) and M(80)IFAGIKK(87). Quantitative analysis on the oxidized peptides showed the oxidation degrees of target sites had positive correlations with extended oxidation dose and controlled by residues types and their accessibility to solvent molecules. Being able to provide plentiful information for the oxidation sites and oxidation degrees, the identified oxidized products were feasibility biomarkers for HCC oxidation, compared with the conventional protein carbonyl assay.     

Using mass spectrometry to detect buffalo salivary odorant-binding protein and its post-translational modifications

A large number of mammalian odorant-binding proteins, which are lipocalins, have been studied. These proteins participate in peri-receptor events by selecting and carrying odorant molecules. The present study aimed at identifying the buffalo salivary odorant-binding protein (sOBP), and to determine its post-translational modification using mass spectrometry. The buffalo salivary 21 kDa protein was initially separated adopting sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and it was identified as sOBP with high statistical reliability using liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry (LC/MS/MS) and SEQUEST, for the first time. Further, the post-translationally modified peptides were screened adopting MS/MS. A total of four post-translational modifications, namely glycation at lysine-(59), hydroxylation at lysine-(134), ubiquitination at lysine-(121), and dihydroxylation in lysine-(108), were recorded. Moreover, these modifications have not been identified in buffalo salivary odorant-binding protein.     

基于不同提取方法的水稻叶片蛋白质组的二维液相色谱分离及高分辨质谱分析

建立了酚法提取-二维液相色谱分离-高分辨质谱分析水稻叶片蛋白质组的方法。水稻叶片蛋白质经过酚法提取,酶解肽段脱盐后用离线反相-反相二维液相色谱分离,然后用线性离子阱/静电场轨道阱组合式高分辨质谱分析,共鉴定到2712种蛋白质。比较了液相色谱分离系统（一维液相色谱与二维液相色谱）和水稻叶片蛋白质提取方法（酚法、十二烷基硫酸钠法（SDS法）和三氯乙酸/丙酮法（TCA/丙酮法））对鉴定蛋白质数量的影响,结果表明：在二维液相色谱条件下,酚法、SDS法和TCA/丙酮法鉴定到的蛋白质数目为2712、2415和1914,分别是一维液相色谱条件下鉴定到的蛋白质数目的2.7、2.5和1.9倍。二维液相色谱条件下,酚法鉴定到的蛋白质数目比SDS法和TCA/丙酮法分别多297和798。与SDS法和TCA/丙酮法相比,酚法不但鉴定到的蛋白质数量多,而且能够鉴定到一些极端蛋白质,如酸性、碱性及高等电点的蛋白质。此外,对二维液相色谱条件下3种蛋白质提取方法提取到的蛋白质进行生物学功能分类,发现3种方法鉴定到的蛋白质的功能存在互补性,但酚法鉴定到的蛋白质功能种类最多。该法为水稻蛋白质组学研究提供了技术支撑,同时也为其他作物的蛋白质组学研究技术提供重要的借鉴。     

Subunit Characteristics of Pig Pancreas Ferritin Revealed by MALDI-TOF MS and RP-HPLC

Pig pancreas ferritin（PPF） was purified by ultra-centrifugation, ion-exchange chromatography, and native gradient polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis（PAGENG）. Sodium dodecyl sulfate（SDS）-PAGE indicates that PPF consists of two subunit types, namely, H（21000） and L（19000） subunits, and its core shows an average element composition of 1698 Fe3＋ and 179 phosphate molecules within the hollow shell, giving a 9.5：1 ratio of Fe3＋ to phosphate. An off line approach combining reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography（RP-HPLC） with matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization time of flight mass spectrometry（MALDI-TOF MS） made the decomposition of PPF shell into H and L subunits for the analysis of mass spectrometry（MS）, giving molecular weights of both H（21014.4） and L（18319.9） subunits. Both subunit types were further identified by an approach combining peptide mass fingerprint（PMF） with database search. A ratio of 1H to 2L subunits in PPF was determined by SDS-PAGE, RP-HPLC, and MALDI-TOF MS, respectively. It is well known that the non-covalent interaction of L-L or H-L subunits is stronger than that of H-H subunits in PPF, which may be further used to explain the unclear physiological function between H and L subunits in PPF.     

Disulfide proteomics for identification of extracellular or secreted proteins

The combination of SDS-PAGE and MS is one of the most powerful and perhaps most frequently used gel-based proteomics approaches in protein identification. However, one drawback of this method is that separation takes place under denaturing and reducing (R) conditions and as a consequence, all proteins with identical apparent molecular mass (Mr) will run together. Therefore, low-abundant proteins may not be easily identified. Another way of investigating proteins by proteomics is by analyzing subproteomes from a total proteome such as phosphoproteomics, glycoproteomics, or disulfide proteomics. Here, we took advantage of the property of secreted proteins to form disulfide bridges and investigated disulfide-linked proteins, using SDS-PAGE under nonreducing (NR) conditions. We separated sera from normal subjects and from patients with various diseases by SDS-PAGE (NR) and (R) conditions, followed by LC-MS/MS analysis. Although we did not see any detectable difference between the sera separated by SDS-PAGE(R), we could easily identify the disulfide-linked proteins separated by SDS-PAGE (NR). LC-MS/MS analysis of the disulfide-linked proteins correctly identified haptoglobin (Hp), a disulfide-linked protein usually found as a heterotetramer or as a disulfide-linked heteropolymer. Western blotting under NR and R conditions using anti-Hp antibodies confirmed the LC-MS/MS experiments and further confirmed that upon reduction, the disulfide-linked Hp heterotetramers and polymers were no longer disulfide-linked polymers. These data suggest that simply by separating samples on SDS-PAGEunder NR conditions, a different, new proteomics subset can be revealed and then identified.