Selective separation of caseinophosphopeptides through immobilized metal ion affinity chromatography: effects of pH values, salt concentrations and degree of phosphorylation

A method based on immobilized metal ion affinity chromatography (IMAC) using a CS-IDA-Cu(II) gel is described for the separation of caseinophosphopeptides (CPPs) from a casein hydrolysate. According to the amino acid sequence and the degree of phosphorylation, operating parameters, such as pH values, salt concentrations for selective purification of different CPPs can be designed.     

Simultaneous determination of phthalate di- and monoesters in poly(vinylchloride) products and human saliva by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry

This paper reports on the selectivity behaviour of tryptic peptides on a Cu(2+)-loaded immobilised metal ion affinity chromatography (IMAC) support. Ovalbumin was chosen as a model protein for investigation of the selection and separation of histidine-containing peptides by IMAC off-line coupled with capillary electrophoresis and matrix-assisted laser desorption ionisation time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF). Two of five histidine-containing peptides in addition to some non-histidine-containing peptides from a tryptic digest of ovalbumin were captured by IMAC. To separate and purify the selected peptides, the IMAC sample was analysed by capillary zone electrophoresis (CZE). The sample was not separated by capillary zone electrophoresis, therefore, micellar electrokinetic chromatography (MEKC) using 10-75 mM SDS was used. Analysis of IMAC sample by MEKC, using low concentrations of SDS (10 mM) was characterised by MALDI-TOF. When using SDS at 75 mM, the migration times of reversed-phase fractions of the IMAC sample, were used to identify the peaks. One of the two selected histidine-containing peptides with two histidine residues was identified, analysing the sample by CZE or MEKC.     

Identification of novel antibacterial peptides isolated from a commercially available casein hydrolysate by autofocusing technique

Autofocusing, as a simple and safe technique, was used to fractionate casein hydrolysate based on the amphoteric nature of its peptides. The antibacterial activity of casein hydrolysate and its autofocusing fractions (A1-10) was examined against Escherichia coli and Bacillus subtilis. The basic fraction A9 exhibited the highest activity with minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of 150 μg/mL, whereas casein hydrolysate showed MIC values ranging from 2000 to 8000 μg/mL. The antibacterial peptides in A9 were purified by using a series of size exclusion and reversed phase chromatographies. Three peptides exhibited the most potent antibacterial activity with MIC values ranging from 12.5 to 100 μg/mL. These peptides were generated from α(s2) -casein, α(s1) -casein, and κ-casein and identified as K(165) KISQRYQKFALPQYLKTVYQHQK(188) , I(6) KHQGLPQEV(15) , and T(136) EAVESTVATL(146) , respectively. Therefore, the results revealed that casein hydrolysate had potent antibacterial peptides that could be isolated by autofocusing technique. ? 2012 International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Inc.     

Nanoprobe-based immobilized metal affinity chromatography for sensitive and complementary enrichment of multiply phosphorylated peptides

Magnetic nanoparticles (MNP, <100 nm) have rapidly evolved as sensitive affinity probes for phosphopeptide enrichment. By taking advantage of the easy magnetic separation and flexible surface modification of the MNP, we developed a surface‐blocked, nanoprobe‐based immobilized metal ion affinity chromatography (NB‐IMAC) method for the enhanced purification of multiply phosphorylated peptides. The NB‐IMAC method allowed rapid and specific one‐step enrichment by blocking the surface of titanium (IV) ion‐charged nitrilotriacetic acid‐conjugated MNP (Ti⁴⁺‐NTA‐PEG@MNP) with low molecular weight polyethylene glycol. The MNP demonstrated highly sensitive and unbiased extraction of both mono‐ and multiply phosphorylated peptides from diluted β‐casein (2×10^?10 M). Without chemical derivation or fractionation, 1283 phosphopeptides were identified from 400 μg of Raji B cells with 80% purification specificity. We also showed the first systematic comparison on the particle size effect between nano‐sclae IMAC and micro‐scale IMAC. Inductively coupled plasma‐mass spectrometry (ICP‐MS) analysis revealed that MNP had a 4.6‐fold higher capacity for metal ions per unit weight than did the magnetic micro‐sized particle (MMP, 2–10 μm), resulting in the identification of more phosphopeptides as well as a higher percentage of multiply phosphorylated peptides (31%) at the proteome scale. Furthermore, NB‐IMAC complements chromatography‐based IMAC and TiO₂ methods because <13% of mono‐ and 12% of multiply phosphorylated peptide identifications overlapped among the 2700 phosphopeptides identified by the three methods. Notably, the number of multiply phosphorylated peptides was enriched twofold and threefold by NB‐IMAC relative to micro‐scale IMAC and TiO₂, respectively. NB‐IMAC is an innovative material for increasing the identification coverage in phosphoproteomics.     

Antihypertensive effect of tryptic hydrolysate of milk casein in spontaneously hypertensive rats

1. Repeated oral administrations of tryptic hydrolysate of bovine milk casein (CEI) showed antihypertensive effect in spontaneously hypertensive rats. 2. Single oral administration of CEI antagonized the pressor response to angiotensin I. 3. Bovine milk casein hydrolysate inhibited the angiotensin I-converting enzyme (ACE) activity. Three peptides with ACE-inhibiting activity were isolated from CEI. 4. It is suggested that ACE-inhibiting peptides in the tryptic hydrolysate milk casein are absorbed from the intestinal tract and produce an antihypertensive effect.     

Immobilized metal affinity chromatography using open tubular capillary for phosphoprotein analysis: comparison between polymer brush coating and surface functionalization

In the present article, open tubular-IMAC columns, functionalized by iminodiacetic acid (IDA) for the immobilization of Fe(3+), were prepared by in situ chemical modification of fused silica capillary using two chemistries, polymer brush coating and surface functionalization. One column was based on a poly-(glycidyl methacrylate) brush (GMA) and the other on 3-glycidoxypropyltrimethoxysilane (GLYMO). Phosphopeptide enrichment on the open tubular columns was evaluated on an α(S1), α(S2) mixture and β casein peptides. The optimized enrichment protocol includes sample loading in a slightly acidic solution made with pure deionized water, a washing step with 10% acetonitrile, 0.1% formic acid, and an elution step with 50% acetonitrile, 0.1% phosphoric acid at pH 8.0. MALDI-TOF spectra generated from eluted fractions show several phosphorylated peptides. For example, 7 phosphorylated peptides of the α(S1), α(S2) casein mixture were identified, including a pentaphosphorylated peptide. In terms of selectivity, the two proposed chemistries exhibit different behaviors: the GMA-IDA-Fe(3+) IMAC polymer brush column elutes all phosphorylated peptides in one fraction independently of phosphorylation degree, whereas the GLYMO-IMAC polymer brush provides longer elution times for higher phosphorylation states. In particular, the pentaphosphorylated peptide was eluted after a 30 min elution versus 5 min for monophosphorylated species (isocratic gradient).     

Development and application of a phosphoproteomic method using electrostatic repulsion-hydrophilic interaction chromatography (ERLIC), IMAC, and LC-MS/MS analysis to study Marek's Disease Virus infection

Marek's Disease (MD) is an avian neoplastic disease caused by Marek's Disease Virus (MDV). The mechanism of virus transition between the lytic and latent cycle is still being investigated; however, post-translational modifications, especially phosphorylation, have been thought to play an important role. Previously, our group has used strong cation exchange chromatography in conjunction with reversed-phase liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) to study the changes in global proteomic expression upon MDV infection (Ramaroson , M. F.; Ruby, J.; Goshe, M. B.; Liu , H.-C. S. J. Proteome Res. 2008, 7, 4346-4358). Here, we extend our study by developing an effective separation and enrichment approach to investigate the changes occurring in the phosphoproteome using electrostatic repulsion-hydrophilic interaction chromatography (ERLIC) to fractionate peptides from chicken embryo fibroblast (CEF) digests and incorporating a subsequent IMAC enrichment step to selectively target phosphorylated peptides for LC-MS/MS analysis. To monitor the multidimensional separation between mock- and MDV-infected CEF samples, a casein phosphopeptide mixture was used as an internal standard. With LC-MS/MS analysis alone, no CEF phosphopeptides were detected, while with ERLIC fractionation only 1.2% of all identified peptides were phosphorylated. However, the incorporation of IMAC enrichment with ERLIC fractionation provided a 50-fold increase in the percentage of identified phosphopeptides. Overall, a total of 581 unique phosphopeptides were identified (p < 0.05) with those of the MDV-infected CEF sample containing nearly twice as many as the mock-infected control of which 11% were unique to MDV proteins. The changes in the phosphoproteome are discussed including the role that microtubule-associated proteins may play in MDV infection mechanisms.     

Effect of an Excess Intake of Casein Hydrolysate Containing Val-Pro-Pro and Ile-Pro-Pro in Subjects with Normal Blood Pressure,High-Normal Blood Pressure,or Mild Hypertension

A double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized clinical trial was conducted to evaluate the effects of ingesting an excess of tablets containing casein hydrolysate, incorporating angiotensin I-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitory peptides such as Val-Pro-Pro (VPP) and Ile-Pro-Pro (IPP), in subjects with blood pressure ranging from normal to mild hypertension. A total of 48 subjects were given either 5 times more than the effective amount of casein hydrolysate or a placebo in tablet form for 4 weeks. In the active group, systolic blood pressure (SBP) decreased significantly as compared with the placebo group. In stratified analysis, however, this antihypertensive effect was not found in normotensive subjects. In addition, neither an acute or nor an excessive reduction in blood pressure nor clinically important adverse events were observed in this study. These findings suggest that intake of a 5-fold excess of tablets containing casein hydrolysate can lead to a mild improvement in hypertension without side effects.     

Effect of an excess intake of casein hydrolysate containing Val-Pro-Pro and Ile-Pro-Pro in subjects with normal blood pressure, high-normal blood pressure, or mild hypertension

A double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized clinical trial was conducted to evaluate the effects of ingesting an excess of tablets containing casein hydrolysate, incorporating angiotensin I-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitory peptides such as Val-Pro-Pro (VPP) and Ile-Pro-Pro (IPP), in subjects with blood pressure ranging from normal to mild hypertension. A total of 48 subjects were given either 5 times more than the effective amount of casein hydrolysate or a placebo in tablet form for 4 weeks. In the active group, systolic blood pressure (SBP) decreased significantly as compared with the placebo group. In stratified analysis, however, this antihypertensive effect was not found in normotensive subjects. In addition, neither an acute or nor an excessive reduction in blood pressure nor clinically important adverse events were observed in this study. These findings suggest that intake of a 5-fold excess of tablets containing casein hydrolysate can lead to a mild improvement in hypertension without side effects.     

Comparison of different IMAC techniques used for enrichment of phosphorylated peptides.

Four commercially available immobilized metal ion affinity chromatography (IMAC) methods for phosphopeptide enrichment were compared using small volumes and concentrations of phosphopeptide mixtures with or without extra-added bovine serum albumin (BSA) nonphosphorylated peptides. Addition of abundant tryptic BSA peptides to the phosphopeptide mixture increases the demand for selective IMAC capture. While SwellGel gallium Discs, IPAC Metal Chelating Resin, and ZipTipMC Pipette Tips allow for the possibility of enriching phosphopeptides, the Gyrolab MALDI IMAC1 also presents the possibility of verifying existing phosphopeptides after a dephosphorylation step. Phosphate-containing peptides are identified through a mass shift between phosphorylated and dephosphorylated spectra of 80 Da (or multiples of 80 Da). This verification is useful if the degree of phosphorylation is low in the sample or if the ionization is unfavorable, which often is the case for phosphopeptides. A peptide mixture in which phosphorylated serine, threonine, and tyrosine were represented was diluted in steps and thereafter enriched using the four different IMAC methods prior to analyses with matrix assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry. The enrichment of phosphopeptides using SwellGel Gallium Discs or Gyrolab MALDI IMAC1 was not significantly affected by the addition of abundant BSA peptides added to the sample mixture, and the achieved detection limits using these techniques were also the lowest. All four of the included phosphopeptides were detected by MALDI-MS only after enrichment using the Gyrolab MALDI IMAC1 compact disc (CD) and detection down to low femtomole levels was possible. Furthermore, selectivity, reproducibility, and detection for a number of other phosphopeptides using the IMAC CD are reported herein. For example, two phosphopeptides sent out in a worldwide survey performed by the Proteomics Research Group (PRG03) of the Association of Biomolecular Resource Facilities (ABRF) were detected and verified by means of the 80 Da mass shift achieved by on-column dephosphorylation.     

Strategies for the identification of arginine ADP-ribosylation sites

Mono-ADP-ribosylation of arginine is a protein modification in eukaryotic cells regulating protein activity and thereby influencing signal transduction and metabolism. Due to the complexity of the modification and the fragmentation pattern in MS/MS CID experiments, the identification of ADP-ribosylation sites in complex mixtures is difficult. Here we describe a two-step strategy, in the first step enriching and identifying potentially ADP-ribosylated proteins and in the second step identifying the sites of modification by a combination of LC/MS-, LC/MS(E) (MS at elevated fragmentation energy)- and LC/MS/MS experiments. Using this technique we could identify two ADP-ribosylation sites in TNFα digested with trypsin, protease V8 and both proteases and thereby demonstrate the specific ADP-ribosylation of TNFα. In complex samples the detection of ADP-ribosylated peptides requires further enrichment of the modified peptides. We tested various materials routinely used for the isolation of phosphopeptides. IMAC as well as TiO(2) chromatography were successfully applied for the selective enrichment of ADP-ribosylated model peptides.     

Peptides and hydrolysates from casein and soy protein modulate the release of vasoactive substances from human aortic endothelial cells

Food proteins were shown to affect atherogenic risk factors, which is supposed to be related to specific peptide sequences encrypted within their primary sequence. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of peptides and hydrolysates from two food proteins, casein and soy protein, on endothelial cell functions (cell proliferation and release of vasoactive substances). Cell proliferation was not influenced by dipeptides and most of the tripeptides, whereas several total hydrolysates from casein and soy protein inhibited cell proliferation at higher concentrations (>0.25 mg/mL; P<0.05). The release of one or more of the vasoactive substances, thromboxan B2 (stable marker of thromboxan A2), 6-keto-prostaglandin F1alpha (stable marker of prostaglandin I2), endothelin-1, and nitric oxide, was significantly influenced by the incubation with various peptides compared with control cells (P<0.05). Various hydrolysate fractions from casein and soy protein influenced the release of 6-keto-prostaglandin F1alpha and nitric oxide (P<0.05) but did not influence the release of thromboxan B2 and endothelin-1. In conclusion, the present study demonstrates that peptides and hydrolysate fractions from casein and soy protein influence endothelial cell function as evidenced by the modulation of endothelial cell proliferation and alterations in the release of vasoactive substances.     

Cultivation of free-living stages of Trichostrongylus colubriformis in media without bacteria, animal tissue extract, or serum

Trichostrongylus colubriformis was cultured from hatched first-stage to third-stage larvae in bacteria-free media in the absence of animal tissue extract or serum. This was achieved for the first time with a nematode, parasitic in vertebrates, whose rhabditiform larvae are food-dependent. The best media contained enzymatic hydrolysed casein (amino nitrogen:total nitrogen ratio 0.39), yeast extract, phosphatidylcholine from soybean, and a number of chemically defined ingredients, which include a salt solution, a sterol, and an iron porphyrin. The yield of third-stage larvae obtained was up to 17% of all the living larval stages present after incubation. When casein hydrolysate with AN:TN ratio of 0.39 was replaced by casein hydrolysate with AN:TN ratio of 0.53, little or no development to third-stage larvae occurred. Development to infective larvae was shown to be possible in media with soy peptone instead of casein hydrolysate, although to a very limited extent. It is proposed that the free-living stages of the parasite require peptides, whose molecular weights all lie within a narrow range.     

Combining protein-based IMAC, peptide-based IMAC, and MudPIT for efficient phosphoproteomic analysis

Immobilized metal affinity chromatography (IMAC) is a common strategy used for the enrichment of phosphopeptides from digested protein mixtures. However, this strategy by itself is inefficient when analyzing complex protein mixtures. Here, we assess the effectiveness of using protein-based IMAC as a pre-enrichment step prior to peptide-based IMAC. Ultimately, we couple the two IMAC-based enrichments and MudPIT in a quantitative phosphoproteomic analysis of the epidermal growth factor pathway in mammalian cells identifying 4470 unique phosphopeptides containing 4729 phosphorylation sites.     

Preparation of Fe3O4@ZrO2 core-shell microspheres as affinity probes for selective enrichment and direct determination of phosphopeptides using matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization mass spectrometry

Fe3O4@ZrO2 microspheres with well-defined core-shell structure were prepared and applied for the highly selective enrichment of phosphopeptides from tryptic digest product of proteins. To successfully coat iron oxide microspheres with uniform zirconia shell, magnetic Fe3O4 microspheres were first synthesized via a solvothermal reaction, followed by being coated with a thin layer of carbon by polymerization and carbonization of glucose through hydrothermal reaction. Finally, with the use of the Fe3O4@C microspheres as templates, zirconium isopropoxide was prehydrolyzed and absorbed onto the microspheres and eventually converted into zirconia by calcinations. The as-prepared Fe3O4@ZrO2 core-shell microspheres were used as affinity probes to selectively concentrate phosphopeptides from tryptic digest of beta-casein, casein, and five protein mixtures to exemplify their selective enrichment ability of phosphopeptides from complex protein samples. In only 0.5 min, phosphopeptides sufficient for characterization by MALDI-MS could be enriched by the Fe3O4@ZrO2 microspheres. The results demonstrate that Fe3O4@ZrO2 microspheres have the excellent selective enrichment capacity for phosphopeptides from complex samples. The performance of the Fe3O4@ZrO2 microspheres was further compared with commercial IMAC beads for the enrichment of peptides originating from tryptic digestion of beta-casein and bovine serum albumin (BSA) with a molar ratio of 1:50, and the results proved a stronger selective ability of Fe3O4@ZrO2 microspheres over IMAC beads. Finally, the Fe3O4@ZrO2 microspheres were successfully utilized for enrichment of phosphopeptides from human blood serum without any other purification procedures.     

Production of angiotensin-I-converting enzyme inhibitory peptides from β-lactoglobulin- and casein-derived peptides: an integrative approach

Angiotensin I-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibition is one of the mechanisms by which reduction in blood pressure is exerted. Whey proteins are a rich source of ACE inhibitory peptides and have shown a blood pressure reduction effect i.e. antihypertensive activity. The aim of this work was to develop a simplified process using a combination of adsorption and microfiltration steps for the production of hydrolysates from whey with high ACE inhibitory activity and potency; the latter was measured as the IC50, which is the peptide concentration required to reduce ACE activity by half. This process integrates the selective separation of β-lactoglobulin- and casein-derived peptides (CDP) from rennet whey and their hydrolysis, which results in partially pure, less complex hydrolysates with high bioactive potency. Hydrolysis was carried out with protease N "Amano" in a thermostatically controlled membrane reactor operated in a batch mode. By applying the integrative approach it was possible to produce from the same feedstock two different hydrolysates that exhibited high ACE inhibition. One hydrolysate was mainly composed of casein-derived peptides with IC50=285 μg/mL. In this hydrolysate we identified the well-known potent ACE-inhibitor and antihypertensive tripeptide Ile-Pro-Pro (IPP) and another novel octapeptide Gln-Asp-Lys-Thr-Glu-Ile-Pro-Thr (QDKTEIPT). The second hydrolysate was mainly composed of β-lactoglobulin derived peptides with IC50=28 μg/mL. This hydrolysate contained a tetrapeptide (Ile-Ile-Ala-Glu) IIAE as one of the two major peptides. A further advantage to this process is that enzyme activity was substantially increased as enzyme product inhibition was reduced.     

Examination of the protein binding behaviour of immobilised copper (II)-2,6-diaminomethylpyridine and its application in the immobilised metal ion affinity chromatographic separation of several human serum proteins.

A new metal ion chelator has been developed for use in the immobilised metal ion affinity chromatography (IMAC) of proteins. The aromatic tridentate ligand 2,6-diaminomethylpyridine (bisampyr), 1, was prepared as the dihydrochloride salt, via a two step synthesis from 2,6-pyridinedimethanol, 2, and immobilised onto Sepharose CL-4B through an epoxide coupling procedure. The resulting sorbent was chelated with Cu2+ ions to a density of 420 micromol Cu2+ ions per g gel and then characterised by frontal analysis using the protein, horse heart myoglobin (HMYO), at pH 7.0 and 9.0. From the resulting adsorption isotherms, the adsorption capacity, qm, for HMYO at pH 7.0 and pH 9.0 with the immobilised Cu2+-bisampyr Sepharose sorbent was found to be 1.27 micromol protein/g gel and 1.43 micromol protein/g gel, whilst the corresponding dissociation constants, K(D)s, were 18.0 x 10(-6) M and 16.0 x 10(-6) M respectively. The results confirm that the HMYO-Cu2+-bisampyr complex had similar stability at these pH values. This finding is in contrast with the situation observed with some other commonly used IMAC chelating ligates such as Cu2+-iminodiacetic acid (Cu2+-IDA) or Cu2+-nitrilotriacetic acid (Cu2+-NTA). Using human serum proteins, the interactive properties of the immobilised Cu2+-bisampyr Sepharose sorbent were further characterised at pH 5.0, 7.0 and 9.0 with specific reference to the binding behaviour of albumin, transferrin, and alpha2-macroglobulin.     

Mass spectrometric identification of serum peptides employing derivatized poly(glycidyl methacrylate/divinyl benzene) particles and mu-HPLC

Biomarkers play a key role in preclinical screening and diagnosis of a disease. Various support materials are utilized for this task, in combination with MALDI-TOF-MS. The way to effectively bind serum contents and their profiling is well-elaborated by the material-enhanced laser desorption ionization (MELDI) approach. In this particular work, focus is placed on the development of a strategy to identify low molecular weight serum peptides. Poly(GMA/DVB) is derivatized in a way to achieve an affinity termed as immobilized metal ion affinity chromatography (IMAC). Iminodiacetic acid (IDA) is used as a chelating ligand, whereas copper (Cu2+) acts as a metal ion for complexing peptides and proteins out of blood serum. Polymer binds the serum compounds over a broad mass range, which includes low mass peptides and high mass albumin (66 kDa). Bound contents are eluted from material by an acetonitrile/trifluoroacetic acid mixture, which proves the reversible nature of metal and amino acid linkage. Polystyrene/divinyl benzene (PS/DVB) monolithic capillary column is used for fractionation through RP-HPLC, prior to the target spotting. The tandem TOF fragment ion mass spectra of each fraction is acquired and used to search against the Swiss-Prot database, using the Mascot search engine for the identification of peptides.     

Novel angiotensin I-converting enzyme inhibitory peptides isolated from Alcalase hydrolysate of mung bean protein.

Mung bean protein isolates were hydrolyzed for 2 h by Alcalase. The generated hydrolysate showed angiotensin I-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitory activity with the IC(50) value of 0.64 mg protein/ml. Three kinds of novel ACE inhibitory peptides were isolated from the hydrolysate by Sephadex G-15 and reverse-phase high performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC). These peptides were identified by amino acid composition analysis and matrix assisted-laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight tandem mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS/MS), as Lys-Asp-Tyr-Arg-Leu, Val-Thr-Pro-Ala-Leu-Arg and Lys-Leu-Pro-Ala-Gly-Thr-Leu-Phe with the IC(50) values of 26.5 microM, 82.4 microM and 13.4 microM, respectively.