Prefractionation of protein samples for proteome analysis using reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography

We describe an approach for fractionating complex protein samples prior to two-dimensional gel electrophoresis using reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography. Whole lysates of cells and tissue were prefractionated by reversed-phase chromatography and elution with a five-step gradient of increasing acetonitrile concentrations. The proteins obtained at each step were subsequently separated by high-resolution two-dimensional gel electrophoresis (2-DE). The reproducibility of this prefractionation technique proved to be optimal for comparing 2-DE gels from two different cell states. In addition, this method is suitable for enriching low-abundance proteins barely detectable by silver staining to amounts that can be detected by Coomassie blue and further analyzed by mass spectrometry.     

Development of a database of amino acid sequences for human colon carcinoma proteins separated by two-dimensional polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis

The tandem use of preparative two-dimensional polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (2-DE) and electroblotting onto polyvinylidene difluoride membranes has been employed to rapidly isolate a number of proteins from a crude cell extract of a human colon carcinoma cell line (LIM 1863). The immobilized proteins were located by staining with Coomassie Brilliant Blue R-250, and selected protein spots were excised and subjected to Edman degradation. Our results demonstrate that overall sequence yields in the 3-20 pmol range can be achieved on protein spots from four identical 2-DE gels; approximately 150-200 micrograms of total protein was applied to a single 2-DE gel. An approximate two-fold increase in sensitivity of phenylthiohydantoin-amino acid detection (subpicomole range) was achieved by fitting our commercial sequencers with a simple sample transfer device which permitted the analysis of the total phenylthiohydantoin-amino acid derivative. N-Terminal amino acid sequence data was obtained for thirteen electroblotted proteins. All of these sequences positively matched those of proteins of known structure listed in the available protein sequence databases. Approximately 40% of the electroblotted proteins did not yield N-terminal sequence information, presumably because they had blocked N-termini (either naturally or artifactually). Internal amino acid sequence information was obtained from three proteins isolated by preparative 2-DE. This was achieved by in situ digestion of the proteins in the gel matrix with Staphylococcus aureus V8 protease, electrophoresis of the generated peptides in a one-dimensional gel, electrotransfer of the peptides to a polyvinylidene difluoride membrane and microsequence analysis of the electroblotted peptides.     

A high resolution two-dimensional gel electrophoresis and silver staining protocol demonstrated with nuclear matrix proteins.

An improved two-dimensional gel electrophoresis procedure has been developed utilizing isolated nuclear matrix proteins. The proteins of the cellular nuclear matrix are tissue specific. They are an example of a protein set whose two-dimensional electrophoretic patterns afford much information of clinical significance. However, current two-dimensional gel techniques were not completely satisfactory for the small amounts of protein present in tissue samples. There was a need for a two-dimensional gel procedure which was capable of increased sensitivity and resolution and at the same time was reliable and reproducible. This has been accomplished by implementing several modifications to the current two-dimensional gel procedures. In addition, changes were introduced in the silver staining process of the gels to increase the signal to background ratio. The overall procedure affects a dramatic increase in the resolution and clarity of the proteins visualized on two-dimensional gels and is no more laborious than current techniques.     

Combining capillary electrophoresis with mass spectrometry for applications in proteomics

Mass spectrometry (MS)-based proteomics is currently dominated by the analysis of peptides originating either from digestion of proteins separated by two-dimensional gel electrophoresis (2-DE) or from global digestion; the simple peptide mixtures obtained from digestion of gel-separated proteins do not usually require further separation, while the complex peptide mixtures obtained by global digestion are most frequently separated by chromatographic techniques. Capillary electrophoresis (CE) provides alternatives to 2-DE for protein separation and alternatives to chromatography for peptide separation. This review attempts to elucidate how the most promising CE modes, capillary zone electrophoresis (CZE) and capillary isoelectric focusing (CIEF), might best be applied to MS-based proteomics. CE-MS interfacing, mass analyzer performance, column coating to minimize analyte adsorption, and sample stacking for CZE are considered prior to examining numerous applications. Finally, multidimensional systems that incorporate CE techniques are examined; CZE often finds use as a fast, final dimension before ionization for MS, while CIEF, being an equilibrium technique, is well-suited to being the first dimension in automated fractionation systems.     

Proteomic analysis of carbonylated proteins in two-dimensional gel electrophoresis using avidin-fluorescein affinity staining

A method for detecting carbonylated proteins in two-dimensional electrophoresis (2-DE) was developed using biotinylation and avidin-fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC) affinity staining. The method was used to examine oxidatively modified proteins associated with oxidative stress. Carbonyl formation in proteins was first examined in a model system by subjecting bovine serum albumin (BSA) and ribonuclease A (RNase A) to metal-catalyzed oxidation (MCO). Carbonyl group formation was found to occur at multiple sites along with a small amount of polypeptide chain cleavage. In vivo studies were conducted in yeast cell cultures using 5 mM hydrogen peroxide to induce oxidative stress. Biotinylation of yeast protein was accomplished during extraction at 4 degrees C in a lysis buffer containing 5 mM biotin-hydrazide. Biotin-hydrazide forms a Schiff base with a carbonyl group on an oxidized protein that is subsequently reduced before electrophoresis. Proteins were separated by either 2-DE or sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE). Biotinylated species were detected using avidin-FITC affinity staining. Detection sensitivity with biotinylated proteins was five times higher than achieved by silver staining. The limit of detection with avidin-FITC staining approached 0.64 pmol of protein-associated carbonyls. Twenty carbonylated proteins were identified in the proteome of yeast following oxidative stress with hydrogen peroxide. Matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization-mass spectrometry (MALDI-MS) analysis of tryptic peptides was used to identify peptides extracted from gels. Aconitase, heat shock protein SSA1 and SSC1, pyruvate decarboxylase isozyme 1, pyruvate kinase 1, enolase 1 and 2, phosphoglycerate kinase, fructose-bisphosphate aldorase, and glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase were among the major targets of oxidative stress.     

Improved detection of human pancreatic proteins separated by two-dimensional isoelectric focusing/sodium dodecyl sulphate gel electrophoresis using a combined staining procedure.

In order to assess secretory pancreatic proteins in a two-dimensional isoelectric focusing/sodium dodecyl sulphate electrophoresis gel, a highly sensitive double-staining method with Coomassie Brilliant Blue followed by silver stain was used. This combined procedure afforded more distinct spots and additional bands, particularly glycoproteins, than either silver or Coomassie Blue staining alone. As measurements of dye volumes by densitometry have shown, double staining of two-dimensional separated pancreatic proteins is up to twenty times more sensitive than the usual Coomassie Brilliant Blue staining.     

The simplified technique of high resolution two-dimensional polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis: biomedical applications in health and disease

The application of our simplified technique of high resolution two-dimensional polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (2-D PAGE) to human body fluids is reviewed. Serum/plasma protein changes associated with alcohol abuse, familial dyslipoproteinemia ("fish-eye" disease), and myocardial infarction are demonstrated. High resolution 2-D PAGE of amniotic fluid, cerebrospinal fluid, urine, and saliva is shown with reference to the work of others, and the detection of pink-violet staining "lumicarmines" in sweat and tear fluid is reported for the first time. General aspects relating to the methodology are discussed. These include sample preparation, the choice of electrophoresis conditions (denaturing or nondenaturing) and detection method (Coomassie Brilliant Blue or silver), and the effects of native protein pretreatment with sodium dodecyl sulfate prior to silver staining or isoelectric focusing gel shrinkage in glycerol prior to second-dimensional sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis.     

Prevention of artifactual protein oxidation generated during sodium dodecyl sulfate-gel electrophoresis

Prevention of artifactual protein oxidation occurring during sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) acrylamide gel electrophoresis is critical for identifying physiological protein oxidation implicated in human diseases due to the routine use of gel electrophoresis to separate the multiple proteins in proteomic studies. To develop a methodology that completely prevents artifactual protein oxidation in SDS acrylamide gel electrophoresis, cytochrome c was electrophoresed on polyacrylamide gels and subjected to trypsin in-gel digestion followed by tryptic peptide analysis by mass spectrometry. It was found that degassing the acrylamide solution to remove molecular oxygen prior to gel polymerization is a crucial process to protect the electrophoresed protein from reactive oxygen species generated during electrophoresis. However, significant artifactual protein oxidation remains that can only be eliminated entirely, if proteins are electrophoresed on an SDS gel photopolymerized with flavin as the photoinitiator and thioglycolate included in the cathode buffer as a reactive oxygen species scavenger. Using this combination of methodologies, cytochrome c isolated from adult rat heart mitochondria was purified and digested followed by mass spectrometric analysis, demonstrating the requisite high resolution of the polyacrylamide gel and the entire elimination of artifactual oxidation.     

Peptide mapping of polypeptides separated by two-dimensional electrophoresis: protease digestion directly on the two-dimensional gel followed by electrophoresis in reverse direction

A method is described which allows to reveal simultaneously the proteolytic patterns of numerous polypeptides separated by two-dimensional electrophoresis. After two-dimensional electrophoresis, the gels were dipped successively in buffers for preequilibration, protease digestion, and reequilibration. They were then returned to the electrophoresis tank, and electrophoresis was continued for a short time. After silver staining, digestion products appeared, lined up behind the original polypeptide spots. The method allows proteolytic patterns of numerous polypeptides to be visualized simply and quickly. Among proteins of wheat leaves, 31 groups of related polypeptides were found according to the similarity of their proteolytic patterns.     

Detection of the exercise-associated changes in serum proteins by two-dimensional electrophoresis under non-denaturing conditions

The changes in serum proteins caused by physical exercise (10-km run) were examined using two-dimensional electrophoresis under non-denaturing conditions. Two specific proteins were found to increase remarkably in amount. Both proteins had a slightly higher molecular mass than albumin, which suggests that they are albumin-bound with large amounts of sugars or lipids. However, these proteins were not adsorbed on an anti-albumin affinity column, and they were not stained by either periodic acid-Schiff base or Sudan Black. The molecular mass was determined to be 25,000 by sodium dodecyl sulphate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. The changes of the specific proteins in competitors in a triathlon race were also examined.     

Highly sensitive and simple fluorescence staining of proteins in sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide-based gels by using hydrophobic tail-mediated enhancement of fluorescein luminescence

Fluorescein has an extremely low luminescence intensity in acidic aqueous media. However, when it was bound to proteins, subsequent increase of luminescence intensity took place. Furthermore, when a hydrophobic tail, such as aliphatic hydrocarbons, was introduced to fluorescein, more dramatic increase of luminescence intensity was observed upon binding to proteins. In the present study, by utilizing this luminescence enhancement, three hydrophobic fluorescein dyes (5-dodecanoyl amino fluorescein, 5-hexadecanoyl amino fluorescein, and 5-octadecanoyl amino fluorescein) were examined as noncovalent fluorescent stains of protein bands in sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE). Effective incorporation of the dyes to proteins in gels was accomplished either simply by adding dyes at the protein fixation step, or by treating gels with a staining solution after the fixation. The sensitivity of this staining method using the fluorescein derivatives was approximately 1 ng/band for most proteins. For some cases, protein bands containing as low as 0.1 ng were successfully visualized. In addition, the detection sensitivity showed much less protein-to-protein variation than silver staining. This new staining method was also successfully applied to two-dimensional electrophoresis of rat brain proteins. Its overall sensitivity was comparable to that of silver staining.     

A practicable two-dimensional electrophoresis of urinary proteins as a useful tool in medical diagnosis

Practical experience with a rapid two-dimensional electrophoresis technique for routine analysis of urinary proteins is discussed. The method consists of cellulose acetate electrophoresis in combination with sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) electrophoresis, performed together with Coomassie Blue gel staining on "PhastSystem". Over 400 analyses were performed within the time of two years. Most patients were from nephrological, urological and kidney-transplant departments. Some of them were from obstetric, pediatric or oncological departments. A systematic discussion and evaluation of the two-dimensional protein pattern with typical examples is outlined.     

A two-dimensional electrophoresis map of Chinese hamster ovary cell proteins based on fluorescence staining

We report on the development of a detailed two-dimensional electrophoresis map of Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cell proteins based on fluorescence staining and tandem time-of-flight (TOF/TOF)-mass spectrometry. We observed a 71% success rate in the identification of proteins even though the CHO genome is not sequenced. The map consists of 224 protein identifications present in 274 two-dimensional gel electrophoresis (2-DE) gel spots. We have also initiated a study of the phosphoproteome using a commercially available phosphoprotein-specific fluorescent stain. Using this stain, we observe 672 phosphorylated proteins, including many proteins known to be phosphorylated, which is 36% of the proteins we visualized with a total protein stain and consistent with expectations.     

Significant immunological cross-reactivity of plant glycoproteins

Plant glycoproteins generally cross-react because of the presence of identical or related complex glycans which are highly immunogenic. The use of mild periodate oxidation of glycans after glycoprotein transfer from sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis gels to nitrocellulose membranes prior to immunodetection is a way of identifying the carbohydrate antigenic determinants of a glycoprotein as the basis for antigenic cross-reaction. Periodate oxidation can distinguish between antibodies directed against carbohydrate and against peptide antigenic determinants, the latter being unaffected by oxidation. Immunoblotting performed after periodate treatment allows the detection of common protein epitopes.     

Novel procedure for the identification of proteins by mass fingerprinting combining two-dimensional electrophoresis with fluorescent SYPRO red staining

The fluorescent sensitive SYPRO Red dye was successfully employed to stain proteins in two-dimensional gels for protein identification by peptide mass fingerprinting. Proteins which are not chemically modified during the SYPRO Red staining process are well digested enzymatically in the gel and hence the resulting peptides can be efficiently eluted and analysed by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS). A SYPRO Red two-dimensional gel of a complex protein extract from Candida albicans was analysed by MALDI-TOF MS. The validity of SYPRO Red staining was demonstrated by identifying, via peptide mass fingerprinting, 10 different C. albicans proteins from a total of 31 selected protein spots. The peptide mass signal intensity, the number of matched peptides and the percentage of coverage of protein sequences from SYPRO Red-stained proteins were similar to or greater than those obtained in parallel with the modified silver protein gel staining. This work demonstrates that fluorescent SYPRO Red staining is compatible with the identification of proteins separated on polyacrylamide gel and that it can be used as an alternative to silver staining. As far as we know, this is the first report in which C. albicans proteins separated using 2-D gels have been identified by peptide mass fingerprinting. The improved technique described here should be very useful for carrying out proteomic studies.     

Acid-labile surfactant improves in-sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel protein digestion for matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometric peptide mapping

Mass spectrometry (MS) together with genome database searches serves as a powerful tool for the identification of proteins. In proteome analysis, mixtures of cellular proteins are usually separated by sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) polyacrylamide gel-based two-dimensional gel electrophoresis (2-DE) or one-dimensional gel electrophoresis (1-DE), and in-gel digested by a specific protease. In-gel protein digestion is one of the critical steps for sensitive protein identification by these procedures. Efficient protein digestion is required for obtaining peptide peaks necessary for protein identification by MS. This paper reports a remarkable improvement of protein digestion in SDS polyacrylamide gels using an acid-labile surfactant, sodium 3-[(2-methyl-2-undecyl-1,3-dioxolan-4-yl)methoxy]-1-propanesulfonate (ALS). Pretreatment of gel pieces containing protein spots separated by 2-DE with a small amount of ALS prior to trypsin digestion led to increases in the digested peptides eluted from the gels. Consistently, treatment of gel pieces containing silver-stained standard proteins and those separated from tissue extracts resulted in the detection of increased numbers of peptide peaks in spectra obtained by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time of flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOFMS). Hence the present protocol with ALS provides a useful strategy for sensitive protein identification by MS.     

A modified silver staining protocol for visualization of proteins compatible with matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization and electrospray ionization-mass spectrometry

The growing availability of genomic sequence information, together with improvements in analytical methodology, have enabled high throughput, high sensitivity protein identification. Silver staining remains the most sensitive method for visualization of proteins separated by two-dimensional gel electrophoresis (2-D PAGE). Several silver staining protocols have been developed which offer improved compatibility with subsequent mass spectrometric analysis. We describe a modified silver staining method that is available as a commercial kit (Silver Stain PlusOne; Amersham Pharmacia Biotech, Amersham, UK). The 2-D patterns abtained with this modified protocol are comparable to those from other silver staining methods. Omitting the sensitizing reagent allows higher loading without saturation, which facilitates protein identification and quantitation. We show that tryptic digests of proteins visualized by the modified stain afford excellent mass spectra by both matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization and tandem electrospray ionization. We conclude that the modified silver staining protocol is highly compatible with subsequent mass spectrometric analysis.     

Combining microscale solution-phase isoelectric focusing with Multiplexed Proteomics dye staining to analyze protein post-translational modifications

Previously, a strategy for rapidly identifying mitochondrial phosphoproteins was presented that involves prefractionating multisubunit complexes by sucrose gradient centrifugation, followed by sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS)-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and selective staining of phosphoproteins and total protein with fluorescent dyes [1]. Though suitable for evaluating the mitochondrial proteome, which consists of numerous multisubunit complexes, the strategy is not generally applicable to other complex proteomes. We determined that prefractionating samples by solution-phase isoelectric focusing is an effective alternative to sucrose-gradient fractionation that can be applied equally well to the analysis of mitochondrial and plasma proteins. Fluorescence-based multiplexing dye technologies greatly extend the capacity of SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis with respect to the investigation of proteome-wide changes in protein expression and post-translational modification, such as phosphorylation and glycosylation [2]. Overall, the prefractionation/Multiplexed Proteomics staining technology permits rapid, higher throughput screening of specimens for the identification of potentially interesting fractions that can subsequently be evaluated more thoroughly by two-dimensional gel electrophoresis.     

A general method for the rapid characterization of tyrosine-phosphorylated proteins by mini two-dimensional gel electrophoresis

Our preliminary results are reported in the investigation of the tyrosine phosphorylation cascade triggered by the stimulation of the insulin receptor in the adipocyte cell line 3T3-L1 using a mini two-dimensional gel electrophoresis approach. The minigel format, 8 x 10 cm, was found sufficiently resolving and reproducible to study complex biological samples while considerably increasing throughput and lowering costs compared to larger gel formats. Consequently, we used the minigel format to rapidly screen a large number of samples, of which only the most relevant were then analyzed by optimized, preparative two-dimensional gels. The accurate localization and relative quantification of tyrosine-phosphorylated proteins was performed using a nonradioactive triple labeling method. After transfer onto polyvinylidene difluoride (PVDF) membranes, proteins were stained with Sypro Ruby to verify the separation quality and to localize the general region of interest for immunostaining. The membranes were subsequently blocked with polyvinylpyrrolidone-40 and probed with the relevant antibodies for visualization of the phosphorylated proteins by chemiluminescence. Finally, membranes were stained with colloidal gold to obtain a pattern reminiscent of the silver staining of a polyacrylamide gel. We believe that the presented strategy can be generalized for any gel application in which a protein has to be detected and identified based on its immunoreactivity.     

Development of a novel two-dimensional gel electrophoresis protocol with agarose native gel electrophoresis

A new protocol for conducting two-dimensional (2D) electrophoresis was developed by combining the recently developed agarose native gel electrophoresis with either vertical sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (PAGE) or flat SDS agarose gel electrophoresis. Our innovative technique utilizes His/MES buffer (pH 6.1) during the first-dimensional (1D) agarose native gel electrophoresis, which allows for the simultaneous and clear visualization of basic and acidic proteins in their native states or complex structures. Our agarose gel electrophoresis is a true native electrophoresis, unlike blue native–PAGE, which relies on the intrinsic charged states of the proteins and their complexes without the need for dye binding. In the 2D, the gel strip from the 1D agarose gel electrophoresis is soaked in SDS and placed on top of the vertical SDS–PAGE gels or the edge of the flat SDS–MetaPhor high-resolution agarose gels. This allows for customized operation using a single electrophoresis device at a low cost. This technique has been successfully applied to analyze various proteins, including five model proteins (BSA, factor Xa, ovotransferrin, IgG, and lysozyme), monoclonal antibodies with slightly different isoelectric points, polyclonal antibodies, and antigen–antibody complexes, as well as complex proteins such as IgM pentamer and β-galactosidase tetramer. Our protocol can be completed within a day, taking approximately 5–6 h, and can be expanded further into Western blot analysis, mass spectrometry analysis, and other analytical methods.