Establishment of a near-standard two-dimensional human urine proteomic map

A proteomic map for human urine on two-dimensional (2-D) gels has been developed. Initial studies demonstrated that the urine proteins prepared by conventional methods showed interference and poor reproducibility in 2-D electrophoresis (2-DE). To address this issue, urine samples were dialyzed to remove any interfering molecules. The dialysis of urine proteins and the concentration by lyophilization without fractionation significantly improved the reproducibility and resolution and likely represents the total urine proteins on a 2-D gel. In addition, removing albumin from urine using Affi-Gel Blue helped to identify the low-abundant proteins. Using the developed method, we prepared proteins from urine collected from healthy females and males. The large inter- and intra-subject variation in protein profiles on 2-D gels made it difficult to establish a normal human urine proteomic 2-D map. To resolve this problem, urinary proteins were prepared from the pooled urine collected from 20 healthy females and males, respectively. The established male and female urine proteomes separated on 2-D gels were almost identical except for some potential sex-dependent protein spots. We have annotated 113 different proteins on the 2-D gel by peptide mass fingerprinting (PMF). We propose that the established total urine proteome can be used for 2-DE analysis, liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS), and identification of novel disease-specific biomarkers.     

不同提取方法及上样量对牡丹试管苗茎基部蛋白双向电泳的影响

为建立一套适合于牡丹试管苗茎基部蛋白的双向电泳技术,以便更好地利用蛋白质组技术研究牡丹试管苗不定根的发生机理,本研究比较了三种不同蛋白质提取方法对双向电泳结果的影响,并在蛋白质上样量方面进行了比较。结果表明,乙酸铵/甲醇酚提取法所得2-DE图谱的蛋白点很少,仅检测到45个,且较模糊,有明显的拖尾现象,分辨率很低;乙醇/乙醚丙酮法所得的蛋白点也较少(101个),较模糊,且横竖纹干扰较大;三氯乙酸/丙酮法所得蛋白点数较多,可检测到434个清晰的蛋白点,且形状规则,重复性好,适合后续分析,操作也较为简便。用三氯乙酸/丙酮法提取蛋白,采用800μg、1000μg和1200μg三个不同的上样量进行双向电泳,在上样量为1200μg时(IPGpH3～10,24cm),蛋白质在12%SDS-PAGE胶上得到了较好的分离,在2-DE图谱上可分辨出562个蛋白点。因此,三氯乙酸/丙酮法是较适合于牡丹试管苗茎基部蛋白质提取的方法,1200μg是较为合适的上样量。     

适用于黄麻根部蛋白质组学分析的双向电泳技术

以黄麻品种'9511'幼苗为试验材料,研究其根部蛋白提取方法的得率及不同的蛋白样品溶解方法、电泳上样量和IPG胶条pH范围对双向电泳图谱的影响.结果表明:采用三氯乙酸(TCA)/丙酮沉淀法提取黄麻根部蛋白质,蛋白得率为80 mg/g;蛋白粉末溶解采用两次水化法,裂解液中含有7 mol/L尿素、2 mol/L硫脲、4% CHAPS、65 mmol/L DTT、0.2%载体两性电解质和1 mmol/L PMSF,能够较充分地溶解蛋白质,且制备的样品浓度能够满足双向电泳上样要求;上样量为400 μg时得到的图谱分辨率高、蛋白斑点分布均匀、清晰;等电聚焦(Isoelectrofocusing,IEF)采用pH 4～7、17 cm的IPG胶条时所得图谱质量最佳.研究表明,样品的制备及IEF有效除盐对获得理想的2-DE图谱非常关键;取材、染色等细节对2-DE的重复性影响很大.     

Different techniques for urinary protein analysis of normal and lung cancer patients

Many components in urine are useful in clinical diagnosis and urinary proteins are known as important components to define many diseases such as proteinuria, kidney, bladder and urinary tract diseases. In this study, we focused on the comparison of different sample preparation methods for isolating urinary proteins prior to protein analysis of pooled healthy and lung cancer patient samples. Selective method was used for preliminary investigation of some putative urinary protein markers. Urine samples were passed first through a gel filtration column (PD-10 desalting column) to remove high salts and subsequently concentrated. Remaining interferences were removed by ultrafiltration or four precipitation methods. The analysis of urinary proteins by high-performance liquid chromatography and sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis showed many similarities in profiles among preparation methods and a few profiles were different between normal and lung cancer patients. In contrast, the results of two-dimensional gel electrophoresis (2-DE) showed more distinctly different protein patterns. Our finding showed that the sequential preparation of urinary proteins by gel filtration and ultrafiltration could retain most urinary proteins which demonstrated the highest protein spots on 2-D gels and able to identify preliminary urinary protein markers related to cancer. Although sequential preparation of urine samples by gel filtration and protein precipitation resulted in low amounts of proteins on 2-D gels, high Mr proteins were easily detected. Therefore, there are alternative choices for urine sample preparation for studying the urinary proteome and identifying urinary protein markers important for further preclinical diagnostic and therapeutic applications.     

Development and optimization of two-dimensional-electrophoresis protocol ofLeptospirillum ferriphilum

Leptospirillum ferriphilum is important in bioleaching, in which process it is often under heavy stresses of heavy metal ions and high oxidation reduction potential (ORP). Two-dimensional-electrophoresis (2-DE) and comparative proteomic analysis are useful to investigate the responses ofL. ferriphilum to environmental stresses. But, 2-DE analysis forL. ferriphilum is not successful as the samples ofL. ferriphilum contain low protein concentration, complex composition, high salt concentration, and many other interfering components, which make it difficult for 2-DE analysis. In this research, optimizations on the sample preparation and purification methods, sample volume, sample loading methods for isoelectric focusing (IEF), and gel visualization methods were made. More than 629 Coomassie stained spots in single gel were obtained. The image quality and protein concentration in most of the spots met the requirements for both differential spots analysis and mass-spectrum analysis. The 2-DE protocol forL. ferriphilum was successfully developed for the first time.     

Evaluation of 2-DE protein patterns from pre- and postnatal stages of the mouse brain

Brains of the mouse from three developmental stages, embryo day 16 (Ed16), postnatal stage one week (1W) and eight weeks (8W), were distributed to different laboratories for a collaborative proteome analysis (The Human Brain Proteome Project). As one of the laboratories involved in this project, we separated total protein extracts of the brains by large gel 2-DE. From the 2-DE protein patterns a section was evaluated for each of the three stages according to resolution, reproducibility and quantitative changes using an image analysis software. The evaluated pattern section was selected to allow comparisons of 2-DE patterns between different laboratories on the basis of optimum separation. Changes in protein expression were analysed within two phases of development: Stage Ed16 versus stage 1W and stage 1W versus stage 8W. Out of the 200 protein spots evaluated 5-6% showed quantitative changes in the range of > or = 30% between two stages. The relationship in the frequency of up- and down-regulated protein spots differed between the two investigated phases. Most of the protein spots which showed altered expression between two stages were identified by MS. High quality in protein separation and evaluation is demonstrated.     

Characterization of the human urinary proteome: a method for high-resolution display of urinary proteins on two-dimensional electrophoresis gels with a yield of nearly 1400 distinct protein spots

The abundance profile of the human urinary proteome is known to change as a result of diseases or drug toxicities, particularly of those affecting the kidney and the urogenital tract. A consequence of such insults is the ability to identify proteins in urine, which may be useful as quantitative biomarkers. To succeed in discovering them, reproducible urine sample preparation methods and good protein resolution in two-dimensional electrophoresis (2-DE) gels for parallel semiquantitative protein measurements are desirable. Here, we describe a protein fractionation strategy enriching proteins of molecular masses (M(r)) lower than 30 kDa in a fraction separate from larger proteins. The fraction containing proteins with M(r)s higher than 30 kDa was subsequently subjected to immunoaffinity subtraction chromatography removing most of the highly abundant albumin and immunoglobulin G. Following 2-DE display, superior protein spot resolution was observed. Subsequent high-throughput mass spectrometry analysis of ca. 1400 distinct spots using matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization-time of flight peptide mass fingerprinting and liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry lead to the successful identification of 30% of the proteins. As expected from high levels of post-translational modifications in most urinary proteins and the presence of proteolytic products, ca. 420 identified spots collapsed into 150 unique protein annotations. Only a third of the proteins identified in this study are described as classical plasma proteins in circulation, which are known to be relatively abundant in urine despite their retention to a large extent in the glomerular blood filtration process. As a proof of principle that our urinary proteome display effort holds promise for biomarker discovery, proteins isolated from the urine of a renal cell carcinoma patient were profiled prior to and after nephrectomy. Particularly, the decrease in abundance of the kininogen 2-DE gel spot train in urine after surgery was striking.     

Validation of a prefractionation method followed by two-dimensional electrophoresis - Applied to cerebrospinal fluid proteins from frontotemporal dementia patients

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was firstly, to improve and validate a cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) prefractionation method followed by two-dimensional electrophoresis (2-DE) and secondly, using this strategy to investigate differences between the CSF proteome of frontotemporal dementia (FTD) patients and controls. From each subject three ml of CSF was prefractionated using liquid phase isoelectric focusing prior to 2-DE. RESULTS: With respect to protein recovery and purification potential, ethanol precipitation of the prefractionated CSF sample was found superior, after testing several sample preparation methods.The reproducibility of prefractionated CSF analyzed on 2-D gels was comparable to direct 2-DE analysis of CSF. The protein spots on the prefractionated 2-D gels had an increased intensity, indicating a higher protein concentration, compared to direct 2-D gels. Prefractionated 2-DE analysis of FTD and control CSF showed that 26 protein spots were changed at least two fold. Using mass spectrometry, 13 of these protein spots were identified, including retinol-binding protein, Zn-alpha-2-glycoprotein, proapolipoproteinA1, beta-2-microglobulin, transthyretin, albumin and alloalbumin. CONCLUSION: The results suggest that the prefractionated 2-DE method can be useful for enrichment of CSF proteins and may provide a new tool to investigate the pathology of neurodegenerative diseases. This study confirmed reduced levels of retinol-binding protein and revealed some new biomarker candidates for FTD.     

Towards global analysis of mosquito chorion proteins through sequential extraction, two-dimensional electrophoresis and mass spectrometry

This study describes the separation and identification of chorion proteins through two-dimensional electrophoresis (2-DE) and matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization-time of flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) techniques. Due to their high hydrophobicity, chorion proteins are difficult to be solubilized and absorbed into the immobilized pH gradient strip for isoelectric focusing. By optimizing the applied conditions for chorion protein extraction and sample application, we were able to solubilize the majority of the chorion proteins and resolve them by 2-DE. Under optimized conditions, there are more than 700 protein spots resolved by 2-D analysis. Trypsin digestions of individual protein spots, MALDI-TOF MS analysis of their digested peptides, and subsequent BLAST search of peptide masses resulted in the tentative identification of 38 protein spots. Our data show that sequential extraction of the isolated chorion, 2-DE of the solubilized chorion proteins, in-gel digestion of the resolved protein and MALDI-TOF MS analysis of the protein digests is an effective overall strategy towards determination of chorion proteins in mosquitoes. The merits of the method described for the determination of mosquito chorion proteins and its feasibility for the separation and identification of membrane proteins and chorion or eggshell proteins from other insect species are discussed.     

Proteomic study of a model causative agent of harmful red tide,Prorocentrum triestinum I: Optimization of sample preparation methodologies for analyzing with two-dimensional electrophoresis

A comprehensive study to find the optimal sample preparation conditions for two-dimensional electrophoresis (2-DE) analysis of Prorocentrum triestinum, a model causative agent of harmful algal blooms (HABs) was carried out. The four major sample preparation steps for 2-DE: (a) cell disruption: i.e. sonication and homogenization with glass beads; (b) protein extraction : i.e. sequential and independent extraction procedures; (c) pre-electrophoretic treatment: these included (i) treatment with RNAase/DNAase or benzonase; (ii) ultracentrifugation to sediment large macromolecules such as DNA; (iii) desalting and concentration by ultrafiltration through a Microcon centrifugal filter device (MWCO: 3000 daltons); and (iv) desalting by a micro BioSpin chromatography column (MWCO: 6000 daltons); and (d) rehydration buffers, reducing agents and sample application in the first dimension isoelectric focussing were studied. Our results showed that sonication is easy to perform and resulted in a higher protein yield. Among the four extraction buffers, the urea containing buffers resulted in the extraction of the highest amount of protein while tris(hydroxymethyl)aminomethane buffers and trichloroacetic acid (TCA)/acetone precipitation allowed detection of a higher number of protein species (i.e. protein spots). Desalting by BioSpin and ultrafiltration have improved the 2-DE resolution of the water soluble fraction but have less effect on urea containing fractions. TCA/acetone precipitation was able to desalt all protein fractions independent of the extraction media, however extended exposure to this low pH medium has caused protein modification. Introduction of either DNase/RNase or benzonase treatment did not improve the discriminatory power of the 2-DE but this treatment did yield 2-DE with the clearest background. Proteolytic digestion was inhibited by addition of a protease inhibitor cocktail. Taken overall, a combination of sequential extraction and desalting by BioSpin chromatography for sample treatment before first dimension of 2-DE gave best results based on its simplicity and minimal protein loss. Finally, triscarboxyethylphosphine (TCEP) has performed well as a reducing agent in both the rehydration and equilibration buffers. The rehydration buffer found to be best in this study was 8.0 M urea, 2% 3-[(3-cholamidoprphyldimethylamino]-1-propanesulfonate, 4 mM TCEP and 1% immobilized pH gradient buffer. Subsequently, we applied this finding and performed 2-DE analysis on the soluble protein fractions extracted from light-starved cultured algal cells (nonblooming) and cultured cells grown under optimal conditions (blooming). 2-DE maps of these algal cultures were visibly different and many differentially expressed proteins were found.     

Polyethylene glycol fractionation improved detection of low-abundant proteins by two-dimensional electrophoresis analysis of plant proteome

Poor detection of low-abundant proteins is a common problem in two-dimensional electrophoresis (2-DE) for separation of proteins in a proteome analysis. This is attributed partially, at least, to the existence of high-abundant proteins, e.g. ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase (Rubisco) in plants. They engage a large proportion of the whole-cell proteins and thus prevent low-abundant proteins from being up-taken by immobilized pH gradient (IPG) strip, consequently making the latter poorly detectable by 2-DE. In this work, we report a straightforward protocol for preparation of whole-cell proteins through differential polyethylene glycol (PEG) precipitation aiming at elimination of Rubisco from plant protein samples. In comparison with 2-DE analysis of protein samples prepared using a conventional TCA/acetone method, a relatively high reproducibility of proteins was achieved using a PEG fractionation protocol in terms of protein yield and protein species. As expected, the large subunit of Rubisco was precipitated predominantly in the 16% PEG fraction. This allowed proteins of the Rubisco-containing fraction to be analyzed separately from those of other PEG fractions. After taking into account the overlapping protein spots among 2-DE gels of all fractions through image and statistical analyses, we detected with this protocol a total 5077 protein spots, among which ca. 80% are proteins undetectable with the TCA/acetone method, while the rest of proteins exhibited a significant increase in their abundance. This protocol was developed using Arabidopsis as a source of protein and thus may also be applicable to protein preparations of other plants.     

小麦旗叶高纯度质膜的提取及蛋白质组学双向电泳体系的建立

以生长到Feekes 8.5时期小麦旗叶为试验材料,通过差速离心结合两相法提取 并纯化质膜蛋白,进而在裂解液选择、SDS-PAGE胶浓度及蛋白质上样量等方面对质膜蛋白质双向电泳体系进行了优化.结果表明,采用6.4% PEG 3 350/Dextran T-500 (W/W)两相体系可以获得纯度高达87.9%质膜微囊. 经TCA-丙酮法裂解蛋白,以12% SDS-PAGE分离胶对900 μg质膜蛋白进行双向电泳,在2-DE图谱上可分辨出173个蛋白点. 建立了一套用于小麦旗叶高纯度质膜的提取方法及其蛋白质组学双向电泳体系.     

Alternative and effective proteomic analysis in Arabidopsis

Various functional genomics platforms are required to define the phenotype associated with a mutant. Global protein analyses may be included in any study. We describe here a rapid method of protein sample preparation and analysis, suitable for all laboratories and using Arabidopsis plantlets as the starting material. This reliable and reproducible method for high yield protein extraction from small amounts of material can be used on even the most recalcitrant tissues. The proteins extracted are suitable for many types of protein analysis, including nondenaturing investigations. This method was validated by a rigorous 2-DE approach, coupled with unambiguous LC-MS/MS identifications featuring strong sequence coverage (average of 26% with eight different peptides/spot protein). The reproducibility of the method was demonstrated by multiple protein identifications from identical series of spots. An interactive map (http://www.isv.cnrsgif.fr/gel2d/), including 435 protein variants showed that (i) 38% of the proteins were yet unreported, (ii) reduced subfractionation, (iii) had frequent protein modifications (average of two spots/protein entry), and (iv) underwent no major proteolytic events other than leader peptide cleavage. Finally, a simple mobility shift method for the large subunit of RuBisCo (LS) in the first dimension made it possible to characterize previously masked protein spots.     

适用于盐生植物的双向电泳样品制备方法

比较了三氯乙酸,丙酮沉淀法（TCA）、三氯乙酸沉淀法（E-TCA）和酚抽法（Phe）3种方法对盐生植物盐角草（Salicornia europaea L．）总蛋白的提取效果。3种方法分别得到579、343和535个蛋白点;TCA和E-TCA法所得图谱均存在严重的横向纹理,Phe法所得图谱则背景干净,基本上没有纹理。说明Phe法不仅能很好地提取盐角草蛋白,而且能有效去除样品中的盐分。对Phe法的提取液进行了改进,所得图谱背景更加清晰,蛋白点数增加。为其他盐生植物以及嗜盐微生物蛋白质的提取提供了重要参考。     

Assessment of protein spot components applying correspondence analysis for peptide mass fingerprint data

Proteins separated by two-dimensional gel electrophoresis (2-DE) may be distributed over several spots. Otherwise, one spot may contain more than one component. The same protein occurring in several spots supposedly represents differently modified protein species that might be of biological relevance. Identification of spots with peptide mass fingerprinting and database searching leads only to the detection of the major spot components. If a spot also contains additional minor protein components, quantitation of spots with protein staining techniques or antibody detection becomes misleading. In order to find spots containing minor components we applied correspondence analysis, a multivariate data exploration method, to peptide mass fingerprint data. Correspondence analysis using peak lists revealed groups of spots containing the same protein with their characteristic mass-to-charge ratio (m/z) values. In order to detect different protein spot components an interactive threshold setting and removal of m/z values with subsequent recalculation of the correspondence analysis using our software tool CorrAn are performed. The usefulness of this methodical approach was shown by a data set of peptide mass fingerprints of 284 spots of Helicobacter pylori 26695 separated by 2-DE.     

卵泡液蛋白质组学2-DE体系的构建与应用

卵泡液是在卵泡形成过程中生成的,作为卵母细胞生长和分化的培养基,直接或间接影响卵母细胞的生育力和发育潜能,其成分非常复杂。本研究通过调整,优化2-DE技术条件,建立了相对稳定的卵泡液蛋白质2-DE技术,获得了卵泡液蛋白质组表达图谱,并用PDQuest软件进行了图像分析,用MALDI-TOF MS鉴定了9个蛋白点,其中有四种为新鉴定的在卵泡液中表达的蛋白质。结果表明,该体系稳定性、重复性好,为进一步开展卵泡液蛋白质组学的相关研究奠定了基础。     

Systematic evaluation of sample preparation methods for gel-based human urinary proteomics: quantity, quality, and variability

We performed systematic evaluation of 38 protocols to concentrate normal human urinary proteins prior to 2D-PAGE analysis. Recovery yield and pattern of resolved protein spots were compared among different methods and intra-/inter-individual variabilities were examined. Precipitation with 90% ethanol provided the greatest protein recovery yield (92.99%), whereas precipitation with 10% acetic acid had the least protein recovery (1.91%). In most of precipitation protocols, the higher percentage of applied organic compounds provided the greater recovery yield. With a fixed concentration at 75%, the urine precipitated with acetonitrile had the greatest number of protein spots visualized in 2D gel, whereas the acetic-precipitated sample had the smallest number of spots. For the intra-individual variability, the first morning urine had the greatest amount of total protein but provided the smallest number of protein spots visualized. Excessive water drinking, not caffeine ingestion, caused alterations in the urinary proteome profile with newly presenting spots and also proteins with decreased excretion levels. As expected, there was a considerable degree of inter-individual variability. Coefficients of variation for albumin and transferrin expression were greatest by inter-individual variables. Male urine had greater amount of total protein but provided smaller number of protein spots compared to female urine. These data offer a wealth of useful information for designing a high-quality, large-scale human urine proteome project.     

2D-electrophoresis and the urine proteome map: Where do we stand?

The discovery of urinary biomarkers is a main topic in clinical medicine. The development of proteomics has rapidly changed the knowledge on urine protein composition and probably will modify it again. Two-dimensional electrophoresis (2D-PAGE) coupled with mass spectrometry has represented for years the technique of choice for the analysis of urine proteins and it is time to draw some conclusions.This review will focus on major methodological aspects related to urine sample collection, storage and analysis by 2D-PAGE and attempt to define an advanced normal urine protein map.Overall, 1118 spots were reproducibly found in normal urine samples but only 275 were characterized as isoforms of 82 proteins. One-hundred height spots belonging to 30 proteins were also detected in plasma and corresponded to typical plasma components. The identity of most of the proteins found in normal urine by 2D-PAGE remains to be determined, the majority being low-molecular weight proteins (< 30 kDa). Equalization procedures would also enhance sensitivity of the analysis and allow low abundance proteins to be characterized.Therefore, we are still on the way to define the normal urine composition. Technology advancements in concentrating procedure will improve sensitivity and give the possibility to purify proteins for mass spectrometry.     

Changes in cod muscle proteins during frozen storage revealed by proteome analysis and multivariate data analysis

Multivariate data analysis has been combined with proteomics to enhance the recovery of information from 2-DE of cod muscle proteins during different storage conditions. Proteins were extracted according to 11 different storage conditions and samples were resolved by 2-DE. Data generated by 2-DE was subjected to principal component analysis (PCA) and discriminant partial least squares regression (DPLSR). Applying PCA to 2-DE data revealed the samples to form groups according to frozen storage time, whereas differences due to different storage temperatures or chilled storage in modified atmosphere packing did not lead to distinct changes in protein pattern. Applying DPLSR to the 2-DE data enabled the selection of protein spots critical for differentiation between 3 and 6 months frozen storage with 12 months frozen storage. Some of these protein spots have been identified by MS/MS, revealing myosin light chain 1, 2 and 3, triose-phosphate isomerase, glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase, aldolase A and two alpha-actin fragments, and a nuclease diphosphate kinase B fragment to change in concentration, during frozen storage. Application of proteomics, multivariate data analysis and MS/MS to analyse protein changes in cod muscle proteins during storage has revealed new knowledge on the issue and enables a better understanding of biochemical processes occurring.