Identification of selenium-containing proteins in selenium-rich yeast aqueous extract by 2D gel electrophoresis, nanoHPLC-ICP MS and nanoHPLC-ESI MS/MS

An approach based on the consecutive use of nanoHPLC-ICP collision cell MS and nanoHPLC-electrospray MS was proposed for the analysis of water-soluble selenium-containing proteins in selenium-rich yeast after their separation by 2D gel electrophoresis (GE). An ultrasonic probe was employed for fast protein extraction avoiding sample heating and thus reducing the risk of protein degradation. The efficiency of different extraction steps were critically evaluated by total selenium analysis and size-exclusion chromatography (SEC)-ICP MS. Prior to electrophoresis proteins were purified by acetone precipitation. The protein-containing spots from 2D GE were excised and digested with trypsin. The digests obtained were analyzed by nanoHPLC-ICP MS in order to check for the presence of selenium-containing peptides; this allowed the detection of target proteins for further analyses (two out of five spots). The subsequent analyses of the selected digests by nanoHPLC-ES MS/MS allowed the attribution of amino acid sequences to peaks detected by ICP MS revealing the presence of two selenium-containing proteins: SIP 18 and HSP 12.     

一种新的人血浆中含硒蛋白测定方法

提出一个综合聚丙酰胺凝胶电泳分离和２,３－二氨基萘柱前衍生正相液体色谱测定硒的方法（ＤＡＮ－ＨＰＬＣ－ＦＬＤ）,分离测定了高硒地区人血浆中的含硒蛋白。在所鉴定的５种含硒蛋白中,其中至少有３种是从未明确鉴定过的含硒蛋白。     

3D打印便携式凝胶电泳装置用于蛋白质的快速检测

随着现场分析对于快速、便携和经济型检测的需求,分析仪器的便携化和微型化备受关注。3D打印技术的不断发展,将会极大推动小型化、便携式实验设备的开发和研制。分析仪器的微型化有助于促进资源不足地区在医疗现场、食品安全和环境污染等方面的现场监测。目前,用于蛋白质分离的凝胶电泳装置多为实验室用小型化分析仪器,可用于现场快速分离蛋白质的小型化仪器尚未见报道。该研究设计加工了一款便携式凝胶电泳装置,用于蛋白质的快速分离检测。首先,通过3D打印加工的凝胶电泳装置可在实验室内方便、快捷、低成本的复制。其次,通过对预染蛋白质相对分子质量标准的分离测试,对该系统结构进行优化。优化后该凝胶电泳装置电泳槽的尺寸仅为15 mm×20 mm×17 mm,采用3D打印技术可在5 h内加工完成,耗费打印材料10 mL。正负极所用电泳缓冲液共需4 mL,所使用的25 V锂电池可实现100 h左右的工作时间。装置优化后可实现蛋白质的快速高效分离。随后,在5种常用蛋白质相对分子质量标准的分离中,该装置与商业化平板凝胶电泳分离效果相当,同时具备更快的分离速度。该研究在便携式凝胶电泳装置的开发及其在蛋白质快速分离方面取得了初步成果,但在分离完成后立即对蛋白质进行定量分析以及更多实际样品的应用方面还需要进一步研究。     

Separation and detection of selenium-containing proteins in human serum

Selenium-containing proteins or their subunits in human serum were separated and detected by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) and the amount of selenium in each protein band was determined by HPLC with a fluorescence detector after derivatization with 2,4-diaminonaphthalene (DAN). This procedure provides a detection limit of 0.06 ng in a linear range of 0-1.5 ng. A protein is defined as a selenium-containing protein if its mean Se content exceeds twice the detection limit (0.12 ng) and twice the standard deviation of three replicates in sample determination. At least 4 selenium-containing bands with apparent molecular masses of 57-74, 46-56, 40-42 and 21-22 kDa could be detected from human serum collected from 4 volunteers.     

Separation and detection of selenium-containing proteins in human serum

Selenium-containing proteins or their subunits in human serum were separated and detected by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) and the amount of selenium in each protein band was determined by HPLC with a fluorescence detector after derivatization with 2,4-diaminonaphthalene (DAN). This procedure provides a detection limit of 0.06 ng in a linear range of 0–1.5 ng. A protein is defined as a selenium-containing protein if its mean Se content exceeds twice the detection limit (0.12 ng) and twice the standard deviation of three replicates in sample determination. At least 4 selenium-containing bands with apparent molecular masses of 57–74, 46–56, 40–42 and 21–22 kDa could be detected from human serum collected from 4 volunteers.     

Two-dimensional gel electrophoresis of selenized yeast and autoradiography of 75Se-containing proteins

Two-dimensional high-resolution gel electrophoresis (2DE) has been applied to the fractionation of 75Se-containing proteins in yeast, grown in 75Se-containing medium, and autoradiography was used for detection of the 75Se-containing proteins. Gel filtration and ultrafiltration were used to check whether the selenium side-chains were stable in the presence of the chemicals used for lysis and 2DE. The mass distribution of the selenium-containing proteins was estimated by use of gel filtration and the results were compared with the distribution obtained by 2DE. A 2DE map of selenium-containing proteins in yeast is presented, and compared with a total protein map of yeast.     

Identification of selenoproteins in the endoplasmatic reticulum of the rat kidney by combination of radioanalytical techniques and biochemical methods

Investigations have been carried out on rats to obtain information about the selenium-containing proteins present in the microsomal fraction and especially in the endoplasmatic reticulum (ER) of the kidney. For the determination of the selenium levels instrumental neutron activation analysis via ⁷⁵Se was used. After labeling of rats in vivo with ⁷⁵Se-selenite and separation of the proteins in the renal homogenate and cell compartments by electrophoretic methods, the ⁷⁵Se-containing proteins were detected by autoradiography. In this way, six selenium-containing proteins with molecular masses of 15, 16, 20, 23-25, 40-42 and 58-60 were found in the endoplasmatic reticulum. All of those were characterized as selenocysteine-containing selenoproteins. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Two-dimensional nitrosylated protein fingerprinting by using poly (methyl methacrylate) microchips

S-nitrosylation (also referred to as nitrosation), a reversible post translational modification (PTM) of cysteine, plays an important role in cellular functions and cell signalling pathways. Nitrosylated proteins are considered as biomarkers of aging and Alzheimer's disease (AD). Microfluidics has been widely used for development of novel tools for separation of protein mixtures. Here we demonstrate two-dimensional micro-electrophoresis (2D μ-CE) separations of nitrosylated proteins from the human colon epithelial adenocarcinoma cells (HT-29) and AD transgenic mice brain tissues. Sodium dodecyl sulphate micro-capillary gel electrophoresis (SDS μ-CGE) and microemulsion electrokinetic chromatography (MEEKC) were used for the first and second dimensional separations, respectively. The effective separation lengths for both dimensions were 10 mm, and electrokinetic injection was used with field strength at 200 V cm(-1). After 80 s separation in the first CGE dimension, fractions were successfully transferred to a second MEEKC dimension for a short 10 s separation. We first demonstrate this 2D μ-CE separation by resolving five standard proteins with molecular weight (MW) ranging from 20 to 64 kDa. We also present a high peak capacity 3D landscape image of nitrosylated proteins from HT-29 cells before and following menadione (MQ) treatment to induce oxidative stress. Additionally, to illustrate the potential of the 2D μ-CE separation method for rapid profiling of oxidative stress-induced biomarkers implicated in AD disease, the nitrosylated protein fingerprints from 11-month-old AD transgenic mice brain and their age matched controls were also generated. To our knowledge, this is the first report on 2D profiling of nitrosylated proteins in biological samples on a microchip. The characteristics of this biomarker profiling will potentially serve as the screening for early detection of AD.     

Identification of selenium in the leaf protein of sunflowers by a combination of 2D-PAGE and laser ablation ICP-MS

We report on a method for the identification of selenium-containing proteins in an extract of sunflower leafs. It is based on the separation of the proteins by 2-dimensional gel electrophoresis, followed by detection of selenium via laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS). The laser system was operated in a raster mode at 100?μm?s^-1 and proved to be an efficient alternative in the search for selenoproteins in the spots of the gels. The instrumental parameters were optimized in terms of plasma energy and application of optimal reaction cell conditions, and the detection of the mass ⁸⁰Se¹⁶O⁺ which enabled the elimination of interfering species. Selenium was identified in 9.6% of the analyzed spots, indicating its random incorporation into the primary structure of the proteins.

Application of the ProteomeLab? PF2D protein fractionation system in proteomic analysis for human genetic diseases

Proteomic analysis has been widely used in elucidating the mechanism of diseases. As a classical proteomic approach, two-dimensional gel electrophoresis (2DGE) has been commonly applied in finding differentially expressed proteins through a first dimension of separation by the isoelectric point (pI) of proteins and a second dimension of separation according to the molecular weight (MW) of proteins. Compared to 2DGE, a recently developed commercial system from Beckman Coulter, the two-dimensional protein fractionation (PF2D), separates proteins according to the pI of proteins in the first dimension followed by a second dimension of separation according to the degree of protein hydrophobicity. As a liquid-based fractionation system, PF2D could facilitate the extraction and separation of broader protein categories and improve reproducibility and quantification as well as be less labor-intensive, which are usually identified as limitations of a gel-based 2DGE platform. This review evaluates the applications of the PF2D system and discusses the perspectives and advantages of PF2D in the investigation of cancer and genetic disorders and in protein mapping in human biological fluids and cell cultures.      

Detection of metals in proteins by means of polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and laser ablation-inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry: application to selenium

The capabilities of laser ablation-inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry for the detection of trace elements in a gel after gel electrophoresis were systematically studied. Figures of merit, such as limit of detection, linearity, and repeatability, were evaluated for various elements (Li, V, Cr, Mn, Ni, Cu, Zn, As, Se, Mo, Pd, Ag, Cd, Pt, Tl, Pb). Two ablation strategies were followed: single hole drilling, relevant for ablation of spots after two-dimensional (2-D) separations, and ablation with translation, i.e., on a line, relevant for one-dimensional (1-D) separations. This technique was applied to the detection of selenoproteins in red blood cells extracts after a 1-D separation (sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis) and the detection of selenium-containing proteins in yeast after 2-D electrophoresis (2-DE). The detection procedure was further improved by using the dynamic reaction cell technology, which allowed the removal of the Ar_2(+) interference and hence the use of the most abundant Se isotope, (80)Se. Reaction gases were compared (methane, carbon monoxide, ammonia, oxygen and the combination of argon (collision gas) and hydrogen (reaction gas)). In each instance, the reaction cell parameters were optimized in order to obtain the lowest detection limit for Se (as (80)Se(+), (82)Se(+) or (77)Se(+); and as (80)Se(16)O(+), (82)Se(16)O(+) or (77)Se(16)O(+) with O(2) as the reaction gas). Carbon monoxide was found to offer the best performance. The detection limit with the use of DRC and He as transport gas was 0.07 microg Se g(-1) gel with single hole drilling and 0.15 microg Se g(-1) gel for ablation with translation.     

Development of new analytical methods for selenium speciation in selenium-enriched yeast material

A sequential extraction allowing the discrimination of water-soluble and non-soluble selenium fractions has been developed to evaluate the availability of selenium (Se) in an Se-enriched yeast candidate reference material. The fractionation of selenium-containing compounds in the extracts was achieved on preparative grade 200 Superdex 75 and columns. It showed that water-soluble selenium is present in several fractions with a large mass distribution. Low-molecular- (< or = 10,000) and high-molecular-mass selenocompounds (range 10,000-100,000) were considered separately for further experiments. The analytical approach for low-molecular-mass selenocompounds was based onanion-exchange HPLC with on-line inductively coupled plasma (ICP) MS for quantitative analysis. Selenocystine, selenomethionine, selenite and selenate were quantified in the fractions isolated in preparative chromatography. The study revealed the existence of various unidentified Se species in yeast material. The Se-containing proteins in the yeast material have been further separated and selenium quantified by the combination of gel electrophoresis and electrothermal vaporization-ICP-MS. This new approach allows the separation of the proteins with high resolution by sodium dodecylsulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and the sensitive determination of selenium in the protein bands.     

High-performance liquid chromatography coupled on-line with electrospray ionization mass spectrometry for the simultaneous separation and identification of the Synechocystis PCC 6803 phycobilisome proteins

The complete resolution of the protein components of phycobilisome from cyanobacterium Synechocystis 6803, together with their detection and determination of molecular mass, has successfully been obtained by the combined use of HPLC coupled on-line with electrospray ionization mass spectrometry. The method proposed consists of the isolation of the light-harvesting apparatus of cyanobacterium, by simply breaking cells in low-ionic-strength buffer, and subsequent injection of the total mixture of phycobilisomes into a C4 reversed-phase column. Identification of proteins was performed by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) of the samples collected from HPLC or by measuring the protein molecular mass coupling HPLC with mass spectrometry. The latter method allows the simultaneous separation of the phycobiliproteins, phycocyanin and allophycocyanin, from linker proteins and their identification, which due to their similar amino acid sequence and their similar hydrophobicity, might not be detected by denaturing SDS-PAGE. Under the experimental conditions used, the pigment phycobilin is not removed from the polypeptide backbone, determining the hydrophobicity of the phycoproteins and hence their interaction with the reversed-phase column as well as in determining the protein-protein interaction into the phycobilisome aggregation. Removal of the pigment, in fact, abolishes HPLC separation, emphasizing the essential role that the pigments play in maintaining the unusual tertiary structure of these proteins.     

Universal interpolating function for the dispersion coefficient of DNA fragments in sieving matrices

The separation of DNA fragments by (slab or capillary) gel electrophoresis has been studied extensively. To characterize the separation achieved by such systems, one needs to understand the impact (and their dependency upon the experimental quantities) of two physical parameters: the electrophoretic mobility mu and the diffusion coefficient D. Three different regimes have been shown to exist for both mu and D: the Ogston regime, the reptation regime and the reptation with orientation regime (note that separation is only possible for the first two regimes). In the small electric field limit, both mu and D are apparently well described by theories for all three regimes. Unfortunately this results in disjointed scaling laws and no theory-based general equations can apply to all regimes. Recently, an empirical interpolating formula has been proposed that adequately fits the low electric field mobility mu of dsDNA fragments across all three regimes and is compatible with accepted theories. In this article we review and clarify the current state of knowledge regarding the size dependence of the mobility and the diffusion coefficient and propose an interpolating formula for molecular size dependence of the low field diffusion coefficient D. With formulas for both the mobility and the diffusion coefficient as a function of the experimental conditions one could, in principle, optimize any gel/polymer matrix-based electrophoresis system for a wide range of DNA molecular sizes.     

Rapid analysis of covalently and non-covalently fluorophore-labeled proteins using ultra-thin-layer sodium dodecylsulfate gel electrophoresis

Gel electrophoresis is one of the most frequently used tools for the separation of complex biopolymer mixtures. In recent years, there has been considerable activity in the separation and characterization of protein molecules by sodium dodecylsulfate (SDS) gel electrophoresis with particular interest in using this technique to separate on the basis of size and to estimate molecular mass and protein purity. Although the method is informative, it is cumbersome, time consuming and lacks automation. In this paper we report an automated, high-performance SDS gel electrophoresis system that is based on electric-field-mediated separation of SDS-protein complexes using an ultra-thin-layer platform. The integrated fiber optic bundle-based scanning laser-induced fluorescence detection technology readily provided high sensitivity, real-time detection of the migrating solute molecules. Rapid separations of covalently and non-covalently labeled proteins were demonstrated in the molecular mass range 14,000 to 205,000 in less than 9 and 16 min, respectively. Excellent quantitation and lane-to-lane migration time reproducibility were found for all the solute components using the multilane separation platform. The limit of detection was found to be 1.5-3 ng/band for both labeling methods, with excellent linearity over a six times serial double-dilution range. Molecular mass calibration plots were compared for both covalently and non-covalently labeled proteins. A linear relationship was found between the molecular mass and electrophoretic mobility in the case of covalently labeled samples, while a non-linear relationship was revealed for the non-covalently labeled samples.     

Stabilization of thin-layer agarose gels after isoelectric focusing with polyacrylamide enables reverse imidazole-zinc staining and facilitates two-dimensional gel electrophoresis

Large-pore-size agarose gels provide excellent resolving capacity for high molecular weight biomolecules. Thin-layer agarose isoelectric focusing (IEF) gels on polyester support films are especially useful for the separation of large proteins based on their pI in native conformation, but the method has suffered from the lack of detection methods compatible with agarose gels in hydrated form. Recently, an acrylamide copolymerization method was reported to enable mass-spectrometry-compatible silver staining and in-gel digestion of proteins. In this study, the method was further applied by demonstrating successful reverse imidazole-zinc staining of thin-layer agarose IEF gels copolymerized with acrylamide. The sensitivity of the reverse staining method on the composite gel at its best equaled the sensitivity of the traditional dried agarose silver staining method. Owing to the increased durability and reversible detection, the reverse-stained first-dimension gel could be conveniently prepared for the second-dimension sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis by reduction and alkylation. In addition, the micropreparative generation of tryptic peptides of Coomassie brilliant blue R-250 stained proteins in the composite gel is demonstrated.     

Native polyacrylamide electrophoresis in the presence of Ponceau Red to study oligomeric states of protein complexes

Native polyacrylamide electrophoresis in the presence of two reversible protein anionic stains (Ponceau S and Ponceau 2R) was used to study the oligomeric states of soluble proteins. A mild binding of the used protein stains to nondissociated protein oligomers imposed a charge shift on the proteins resulting into separation of protein species according to their size under physiological conditions. Adsorbed stains could be easily removed after electrophoresis by washing of polyacrylamide gel with buffer and protein complexes could be visualized either by the detection of their enzyme activity or by using a nonspecific protein stain. The specific detection of enzyme activity of glycosidases, lactate dehydrogenase, or phosphatases was shown as an example.     

Preliminary studies on selenium-containing proteins in Brassica juncea by size exclusion chromatography and fast protein liquid chromatography coupled to ICP-MS

An approach for screening and resolving selenium-containing plant proteins was developed based on the combination of sample preparation and multi-dimensional liquid chromatography coupled to ICP-MS. Different protein extraction protocols were investigated. A 24 h dodecylsulfate-mediated protein extraction in a sonication bath followed by acetone precipitation was found to be optimal. The use of different protein precipitate solubilizing agents (sodium dodecyl sulfate media and Tris-HCl buffer) demonstrates possible fractionation of the selenium-containing proteins. Selenium-containing protein screening and fractionation were carried out by means of SEC-ICP-MS. High molecular weight selenium containing proteins were solubilized with a sodium dodecyl sulfate-containing buffer, whereas the low molecular weight compounds were released into a Tris-HCl buffer. Size exclusion chromatography-fast protein liquid chromatography coupled to ICP-MS allowed separation and detection of several selenium-containing proteins in Se-supplemented wild type Brassica juncea plant, a fast growing selenium accumulator.     

Capillary column high-performance liquid chromatographic-electrospray ionization triple-stage quadrupole mass spectrometric analysis of proteins separated by two-dimensional polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis application to cerebellar protein mapping

A method is presented for the structural characterization of proteins separated by two-dimensional poly-acrylamide gel electrophoresis (2D-PAGE). The method includes separation of a protein mixture by 2D-PAGE, recovery of proteins from the gel spots revealed by copper staining and analysis of the proteins by triple-stage quadrupole mass spectrometry using an electrospray ionization interface (ESI-TSQMS). Prior to the mass spectrometric analysis, the extracted proteins were passed through a small reversed-phase column (10 × 4.0 mm I.D.) to remove salts and gel-derived contaminants and then introduced into the mass spectrometer through a reversed-phase capillary column with 0.25 mm I.D. Application of the method to the analysis of rat cerebellar proteins suggests that the molecular mass could be accurately determined with sub-picomole amounts of protein samples derived from one or two 2D gels. The method was also useful for peptide mapping and determination of amino acid sequences of proteins micro-prepared from the 2D gel. Because 2D-PAGE has an excellent resolving power in protein separation and because capillary LC-ESI-TSQMS provides structural information with very small amounts of samples, the combined system of 2D-PAGE and capillary LC-ESI-TSQMS described here should allow wide applications to molecular studies of genes and proteins, such as identifications of protein spots on 2D gels, confirmation of gene/protein sequences and analysis of post-translational modification of proteins present naturally in tissue/cell extracts or expressed by recombinant DNA techniques.     

Capillary sodium dodecyl sulfate-DALT electrophoresis of proteins in a single human cancer cell.

Capillary Sodium dodlecyl sulfate (SDS)-DALT an (abbreviation for Dalton) electrophoresis was applied to analysis of proteins in single HT29 human colon adenocarcinoma cells. A vacuum pulse was employed to introduce a single cell into the coated capillary. Once the cell was lysed, proteins were denatured with SDS, fluorescantly labeled with 3-(2-furoyl)-quinoline-2-carboxaldehyde (FQ), and then separated by using 8% pullulan as the sieving matrix. This method offers a few advantages for single-cell protein analysis. First, it provides reproducible separation of single-cell proteins according to their size. Based on comparison with the migration time of standard proteins, most components from a single HT29 cancer cell have molecular masses within the range of 10-100 kDa. Second, as a one-dimensional separation method, it gives fairly good resolution for proteins. Typically, around 30 protein components of a single HT29 cell were resolved, indicating that this method has similar peak capacity to SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (PAGE). Third, this method shows high detection sensitivity and wide dynamic range, which is important because of the wide range of protein expression in living systems. Detection limits for standard proteins ranged from 10(-10) to 10(-11) M. Finally, this method provides much higher speed than classical gel electrophoresis methods, and it provides automated anlysis of cellular proteins at the single-cell level; the separation is complete in 30 min and the entire analysis takes approximately 45 min.