A new method for fibrous protein analysis illustrated by application to tubulin microtubule polymerisation and depolymerisation

A thermostatted micro volume Couette cell has been designed to enable linear dichroism (LD) data to be collected at a range of temperatures. The cell is a development of the traditional Couette flow LD cell and includes the recent development of micro-volume LD (20-40 microL) coupled with the addition of a heating element, temperature probe and controller. This new micro volume Couette LD cell opens the way not only to the LD analysis of systems where sample volume is critical, but also for the LD analysis of temperature sensitive samples. The polymerization of the microtubule protein tubulin has been followed in a range of different conditions using the thermostatted micro volume Couette LD cell. The focusing lenses on the cell, which are required for the microvolume cell, have the side benefit of significantly reducing the light-scattering artifacts caused by the large size of tubulin microtubules. It is now possible to monitor real-time polymerization and depolymerization kinetics, and any structural rearrangements of chromophores within the polymer. In the case of tubulin, the LD spectra revealed a greater change in the orientation of tryptophan residues at approximately 290 nm during polymerization compared to other contributing chromophores-guanine, phenylalanine, and tyrosine. The improvements in instrumental design have also allowed LD spectra of tubulin to be collected down to approximately 230 nm (previous data have only been available from the near UV region), which means that some indication of protein backbone-orientation changes are now available. It was observed during this work that apparent LD intensity maxima are in fact artifacts when the high-tension voltage is high. The onset of such artifacts has been observed at much lower voltages with light-scattering fibrous proteins (including tubulin) than with nonscattering samples. Therefore, caution must be used when interpreting LD data collected with medium to high photomultiplier tube voltages.     

High-resolution magic angle spinning (1)H NMR spectroscopy of intact liver and kidney: optimization of sample preparation procedures and biochemical stability of tissue during spectral acquisition

High-resolution magic angle spinning (MAS) (1)H NMR spectroscopy has been used to investigate the biochemical composition of whole rat renal cortex and liver tissue samples. The effects of a number of sample preparation procedures and experimental variables have been investigated systematically in order to optimize spectral quality and maximize information recovery. These variables include the effects of changing the sample volume in the MAS rotor, snap-freezing the samples, and the effect of organ perfusion with deuterated saline solution prior to MAS NMR analysis. Also, the overall biochemical stability of liver and kidney tissue MAS NMR spectra was investigated under different temperature conditions. We demonstrate improved resolution and line shape of MAS NMR spectra obtained from small spherical tissue volume (12 microl) rotor inserts compared to 65 microl cylindrical samples directly inserted into the MAS rotors. D(2)O saline perfusion of the in situ afferent vascular tree of the tissue immediately postmortem also improves line shape in MAS NMR spectra. Snap-freezing resulted in increased signal intensities from alpha-amino acids (e.g., valine) in tissue together with decreases in renal osmolytes, such as myo-inositol. A decrease in triglyceride levels was observed in renal cortex following stasis on ice and in the MAS rotor (303 K for 4 h). This work indicates that different tissues have differential metabolic stabilities in (1)H MAS NMR experiments and that careful attention to sample preparation is required to minimize artifacts and maintain spectral quality.     

SVM model for quality assessment of medium resolution mass spectra from 18O-water labeling experiments

We describe a method for assessing the quality of mass spectra and improving reliability of relative ratio estimations from (18)O-water labeling experiments acquired from low resolution mass spectrometers. The mass profiles of heavy and light peptide pairs are often affected by artifacts, including coeluting contaminant species, noise signal, instrumental fluctuations in measuring ion position and abundance levels. Such artifacts distort the profiles, leading to erroneous ratio estimations, thus reducing the reliability of ratio estimations in high throughput quantification experiments. We used support vector machines (SVMs) to filter out mass spectra that deviated significantly from expected theoretical isotope distributions. We built an SVM classifier with a decision function that assigns a score to every mass profile based on such spectral features as mass accuracy, signal-to-noise ratio, and differences between experimental and theoretical isotopic distributions. The classifier was trained using a data set obtained from samples of mouse renal cortex. We then tested it on protein samples (bovine serum albumin) mixed in five different ratios of labeled and unlabeled species. We demonstrated that filtering the data using our SVM classifier results in as much as a 9-fold reduction in the coefficient of variance of peptide ratios, thus significantly improving the reliability of ratio estimations.     

A model-free algorithm for the removal of baseline artifacts

Summary A novel algorithm for removing baseline distortions in NMR spectra is presented. The algorithm approximates the baseline as the median of the noise extrema. Consequently, the method does not require that NMR peaks be discriminated from noise peaks. In addition, no assumptions regarding the source or functional form of the distortion are made. The algorithm is shown to remove the baseline artifacts present in a particularly distorted NOESY spectrum and to reveal peaks which had been obscured by the artifacts. The parameters and spectral characteristics (signal-to-noise ratio, NMR peak density, peak linewidths) governing the resolution of the calculated baselines are also explored.     

Identification of a modified nucleoside located in the first position of the anticodon of Torulopsis utilis tRNAPro as 5-carbamoylmethyluridine

An unknown nucleoside in the first position of the anticodon of Torulopsis utilis tRNAPro has been isolated. The UV, 1H NMR and secondary ion mass spectra indicated that this nucleoside is a uridine derivative, 5-carbamoylmethyluridine. The structure was completely established by comparison of the instrumental analysis results and chromatographic behavior of the isolated nucleoside with those of a synthetic sample.     

Elimination of the settling artifact in the nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy of living cells

Nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy has become a powerful tool for metabolic investigations on living cell suspensions. However, unless mechanical means are used to maintain the cells in dispersion, settling occurs during the NMR experiment. Because high packed-cell volumes are generally used to produce maximum NMR signals, settling may be inapparent to the eye, leading to unrecognized artifactual changes in NMR spectra. Such artifacts include time-dependent loss of signal intensity when the sample volume approximates the sensitive volume of the NMR probe, and time-dependent increase in signal intensity when the sample volume exceeds the sensitive volume. Through the addition of the polysaccharide arabinogalactan, increasing the buoyant density of the suspending medium to approach that of the cells, we have eliminated cell settling and improved the quality of 31P NMR spectra of human erythrocytes.     

Method of oriented circular dichroism.

We present a new method for determining the orientation of alpha-helical sections of proteins or peptides in membrane. To apply this method, membranes containing proteins must be prepared in a multilayer array. Circular dichroism (CD) spectra of the multilayer sample are then measured at the normal as well as oblique incident angles with respect to the bilayer planes; we call such spectra oriented circular dichroism (OCD). The procedure of OCD measurement, particularly the ways to avoid the spectral artifacts due to the effects of dielectric interfaces, linear dichroism and birefringence, and the method of data analysis are described in detail. To illustrate the method, we analyze the OCD of alamethicin in diphytanoylphosphatidylcholine multilayers. We conclude unambiguously that the helical section of alamethicin is parallel to the membrane normal when the sample is in the full-hydration state, but the helical section rotates to the plane of membrane when the sample is in a low-hydration state. We also obtained the parallel and perpendicular CD spectra of alpha-helix, and found them to be in agreement with previous theoretical calculations based on the exciton theory. These spectra are useful for analyzing protein orientations in future experiments.     

Laboratory selection experiments using Drosophila: what do they really tell us?

Laboratory selection experiments using Drosophila, and other organisms, are widely used in experimental biology. In particular, such experiments on D. melanogaster life history and stress-related traits have been instrumental in developing the emerging field of experimental evolution. However, similar selection experiments often produce inconsistent correlated responses to selection. Unfortunately, selection experiments are vulnerable to artifacts that are difficult to control. In spite of these problems, selection experiments are a valuable research tool and can contribute to our understanding of evolution in natural populations.     

An improved flow microfluorometer for rapid measurement of cell fluorescence

An improved instrument for the making of high-speed fluorescent measurements on single cells has been constructed and characterized. Instrumental optimization was accomplished with Chinese hamser cells (line CHO) stained by the fluorescent Feulgen procedure using either auramine-0 or acriflavine. Contributions of instrumental resolution and artifacts to cellular DNA distributions have been determined. The instrument introduces a total coefficient of variation of less than 2% for the case of CHO cells stained with bright dyes such as acriflavine, where photon-statistical effects are minimal. The design of the instrument is such that any of a number of cellular constituents or properties can be studied and quantitated on a single-cell basis at a rate of 50 000 cells/min.     

Ionic base radicals in gamma-irradiated oriented non-deuterated and fully deuterated DNA.

The free radicals induced by gamma-irradiation at 77 K in non-deuterated and fully deuterated oriented samples of moist algal DNA have been studied by electron paramagnetic resonance (e.p.r.). The e.p.r. spectra from the non-deuterated sample were found to be similar to those from calf-thymus DNA studied previously. Numerical spectra simulations were performed based on the previously proposed interpretation of the DNA spectra at 77 K in terms of a mixture of two spectral components arising from anionic and cationic base radicals (probably on thymine and guanine, respectively). The simulations were found to account satisfactorily for the main characteristics of the e.p.r. spectra from both the non-deuterated and the fully deuterated algal DNA sample.     

Reproducibility of SELDI-TOF protein patterns in serum: comparing datasets from different experiments

MOTIVATION: There has been much interest in using patterns derived from surface-enhanced laser desorption and ionization (SELDI) protein mass spectra from serum to differentiate samples from patients both with and without disease. Such patterns have been used without identification of the underlying proteins responsible. However, there are questions as to the stability of this procedure over multiple experiments. RESULTS: We compared SELDI proteomic spectra from serum from three experiments by the same group on separating ovarian cancer from normal tissue. These spectra are available on the web at http://clinicalproteomics.steem.com. In general, the results were not reproducible across experiments. Baseline correction prevents reproduction of the results for two of the experiments. In one experiment, there is evidence of a major shift in protocol mid-experiment which could bias the results. In another, structure in the noise regions of the spectra allows us to distinguish normal from cancer, suggesting that the normals and cancers were processed differently. Sets of features found to discriminate well in one experiment do not generalize to other experiments. Finally, the mass calibration in all three experiments appears suspect. Taken together, these and other concerns suggest that much of the structure uncovered in these experiments could be due to artifacts of sample processing, not to the underlying biology of cancer. We provide some guidelines for design and analysis in experiments like these to ensure better reproducible, biologically meaningfully results. AVAILABILITY: The MATLAB and Perl code used in our analyses is available at http://bioinformatics.mdanderson.org     

Circular dichroism of films of polynucleotides

The CD spectra of films of the lithium salt of E. coli and calf thymus DNA, and alternating d-AT : AT were measured as a function of relative humidity. Films of the ammonium acetate salt of DNA were also measured. The ammonium films yield the previously reported A-form CD spectra. A possible explanation for the small magnitude of the 260-nm band of the A-form film spectra compared to double-stranded RNA spectra is that the film DNA is in a different conformation than RNA within the A family of conformations. At relative humidities of 92% or lower, a negative nonconservative CD spectrum with negative minima near 270 and 210 nm is observed with the lithium films. The magnitude of the minima varies from film to film. In films of DNA the magnitude ranges from a delta epsilon of ?5 to ?35; d-AT : AT films show magnitudes to ?300. CD spectra of this type are designated Ψ spectra. Similar spectra have been reported from reconstituted complexes of DNA and polylysine or f-1 histone. If the origins of the film and protein–DNA complex spectra are similar, the complex spectra are not the result of specific secondary structural changes induced in the DNA by the protein fraction. Theoretical analysis suggests that Ψ spectra are not the result of changes in the secondary or tertiary structure of DNA. Instead, the previously proposed explanation based on liquid crystals is favored. The DNA could form asymmetric structures with long-range periodicity. It is likely that the observed CD spectra of f-1 complexes are artifacts of DNA aggregation. The possibility that some other previously published spectra of protein–DNA complexes also reflect artifacts is suggested.     

东谷坨遗址石制品再研究

东谷坨下更新统旧石器遗址发现的1676件石制品,包括各种类型的石核、石片和加工的石器,还有断块,其中石片数量占绝对优势,剥片技术基本上为硬锤锤击,选择台面的打击点和充分利用台面具有成熟的逻辑思维结构。石制品岩性主要为燧石,保存相当新鲜。石制品以小型和宽薄型为主。石器中有加工精致的尖状器和各种样式的边刃器。东谷坨石制品与北京周口店"中国猿人"的本质上没有差异,它们应该属于中国旧石器早期的同一"文化"或"工业"系统。     

Analytical solution to the coupled evolution of multidimensional NMR data

A substantial time savings in the collection of multidimensional NMR data can be achieved by coupling the evolution of nuclei in the indirect dimensions. In order to save time, the sampling of the indirect dimensions is inherently incomplete. Therefore, many algorithms and samplings schemes have been developed aimed at separating the coevolved frequencies into analyzable data with limited artifacts. This paper extends the use of circulant matrices to describe coupled evolution with convolutions. By understanding the data in terms of convolutions, there is an exact solution to the inversion problem of extracting the orthogonal vectors from the coupled dimensions. Previously, this inversion problem has been solved using peak coordinates extracted from spectra. In contrast, the method described here uses spectra directly. This solution suggests a simple sampling scheme of collecting N orthogonal spectra, and N + 1 projections at specific projection angles, however, the theory developed can be extended generally to arbitrary projection angles. The circulant matrix methodology is demonstrated for simulated and real data. Further, an algorithm for separating overlapped signals in the detected dimension is presented. The algorithm involves the forward calculation of the coupled spectra from the orthogonal spectra, followed by back calculation of the orthogonal spectra from the coupled spectra, thus permitting rigorous cross-validation. This algorithm is shown to be robust in that erroneous solutions give rise to large artifacts. Electronic supplementary material  The online version of this article (doi:) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.     

High-speed magic angle spinning solid-state 1H nuclear magnetic resonance study of the conformation of gramicidin A in lipid bilayers.

One- and two-dimensional solid-state 1H nuclear magnetic resonance spectra of gramicidin A incorporated in a dimyristoylphosphatidylcholine membrane have been obtained with use of high-speed magic angle spinning. By rotating the sample at 13 kHz, it is possible to observe signals in the 1H spectra between 6.0 and 9.0 ppm attributable to the aromatic protons of the tryptophan residues and the formyl group proton of gramicidin A. Two-dimensional solid-state COSY spectra provided information for the peak assignments. Moreover, changes in the 1H spectra have been observed as a function of the co-solubilization solvent initially used to prepare the samples and therefore as a function of the conformation adopted by gramicidin A. Three organic solvents have been used: trifluoroethanol, a mixture of methanol/chloroform (1:1 v/v), and ethanol. The conformational interconversion of gramicidin A from the double helix conformation to the channel structure for the sample prepared from ethanol was confirmed by following the time evolution of the proton spectra.     

Rapid analysis of Forster resonance energy transfer by two-color global fluorescence correlation spectroscopy: trypsin proteinase reaction

In this study we introduce the combination of two-color global fluorescence correlation spectroscopy (2CG-FCS) and F?rster resonance energy transfer (FRET) as a very powerful combination for monitoring biochemical reactions on the basis of single molecule events. 2CG-FCS, which is a new variation emerging from the family of fluorescence correlation spectroscopy, globally analyzes the simultaneously recorded auto- and cross-correlation data from two photon detectors monitoring the fluorescence emission of different colors. Overcoming the limitations inherent in mere auto- and cross-correlation analysis, 2CG-FCS is sensitive in resolving and quantifying fluorescent species that differ in their diffusion characteristics and/or their molecular brightness either in one or both detection channels. It is able to account for effects that have often been considered as sources of severe artifacts in two-color and FRET measurements, the most prominent artifacts comprising photobleaching, cross talk, or concentration variations in sample preparation. Because of its very high statistical accuracy, the combination of FRET and 2CG-FCS is suited for high-throughput applications such as drug screening. Employing beam scanning during data acquisition even further enhances this capability and allows measurement times of <2 s. The improved performance in monitoring a FRET sample was verified by following the protease cleavage reaction of a FRET-active peptide. The FRET-inactive subpopulation of uncleaved substrate could be correctly assigned, revealing a substantial portion of inactive or missing acceptor label. The results were compared to those obtained by two-dimensional fluorescence intensity distribution analysis.     

Selective suppression of excipient signals in 2D <Superscript>1</Superscript>H–<Superscript>13</Superscript>C methyl spectra of biopharmaceutical products

While the use of ¹H–¹³C methyl correlated NMR spectroscopy at natural isotopic abundance has been demonstrated as feasible on protein therapeutics as large as monoclonal antibodies, spectral interference from aliphatic excipients remains a significant obstacle to its widespread application. These signals can cause large baseline artifacts, obscure protein resonances, and cause dynamic range suppression of weak peaks in non-uniform sampling applications, thus hampering both traditional peak-based spectral analyses as well as emerging chemometric methods of analysis. Here we detail modifications to the 2D ¹H–¹³C gradient-selected HSQC experiment that make use of selective pulsing techniques for targeted removal of interfering excipient signals in spectra of the NISTmAb prepared in several different formulations. This approach is demonstrated to selectively reduce interfering excipient signals while still yielding 2D spectra with only modest losses in protein signal. Furthermore, it is shown that spectral modeling based on the SMILE algorithm can be used to simulate and subtract any residual excipient signals and their attendant artifacts from the resulting 2D NMR spectra.     

The high salt form of poly(dG-dC).poly(dG-dC) is left-handed Z-DNA: Raman spectra of crystals and solutions.

The laser-Raman spectra of crystalline d(CpGpCpGpCpG) and of aqueous poly(dG-dC).poly(dG-dC) in high salt (4M NaCl) and low salt (0.1M NaCl) solutions have been measured and compared. The spectra of the crystal and the high-salt solution show a striking congruence, which indicates clearly that the high-salt form of the aqueous polymer has the left-handed Z-DNA structure of the crystalline oligomer. These two spectra differ substantially from that of the low-salt form of the polymer, which has been found previously to have spectral characteristics of the B-form of DNA. The high salt spectrum shows a unique line due to guanine residues at 625 cm-1 which should be useful for qualitative and possibly quantitative assessment of the amount of Z-structure present in a sample of DNA.     

王府井东方广场遗址骨制品研究

王府井东方广场遗址不仅出土了丰富的石制品,而且也含有较为丰富的骨制品。骨制品可分为骨核、人工骨块、骨片、骨屑和骨器五大类;骨片约占骨制品总数一半;骨器包括刮削器、尖头器、雕刻器和骨铲四类。观察发现：79件骨制品和骨骼可以拼合成33组,45件上有古人类砍砸、切割或刻划的痕迹。丰富的骨制品进一步反映了王府井古人类文化的进步性;同华北地区类似制品比较,它们之间存在着密切的渊源关系。遗物分布特征表明,东方广场遗址是一处古人类的临时居住地。出土的石器、骨器遗物以及大量的动物骨骼化石表明,王府井古人类不仅能够制作石器与骨器用来宰杀与支解猎物,而且具有用火、控火进行烹饪的能力。     

Enhancement of structural information in FAB ionized carbohydrate samples by neutral gas collision

Fast atom bombardment (FAB) ionization and two coupled analyzers (BE-EB) have been combined with neutral gas collision (C) to enhance structural information in the mass spectra of oligosaccharides. (B and E are abbreviations for magnetic and electric sectors respectively.) FAB ionization and the first analysers (BE) have provided parent ions free from biological and liquid matrix contaminants. Structural detail of these products were observed after collision and daughter ion analysis in a second coupled analyser (EB). Starting from complex mixtures, this instrumental approach, BE-C-EB, has provided specific oligomeric sequence information which was not observed in the normal FAB mass spectra. Collision spectra obtained from isomeric linear and branched oligosaccharides show unique fragments that can be directly related to structure.