Comprehensive proteome analysis of lettuce latex using multidimensional protein-identification technology

Commercially, lettuce (Lactuca sativa) is one of the most important leafy vegetables. Lettuce produces a milky latex of variable chemical compositions within its laticifers. As a step toward understanding the main physiological roles of this latex in higher plants, we embarked on its proteomic analysis. We investigated 587 latex proteins that were identified from the lettuce latex using multidimensional protein-identification technology. A bioinformatics analysis showed that the most frequently encountered proteins in the latex were organellar proteins from plastids and mitochondria, followed by nucleic and cytoplasmic proteins. Functional classification of the identified proteins showed that proteins related to metabolism, cell rescue, defense, and virulence were the most abundant in lettuce latex. Furthermore, numerous resistance proteins of lettuce and viral proteins were present in the latex suggesting for the first time a possible function of the lettuce latex in defense or pathogenesis. To the knowledge of the authors, this is the first large-scale proteome analysis of lettuce latex.     

Identification and characterization of latex-specific proteins in opium poppy

Latex from the opium poppy, Papaver somniferum L., was analyzed by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (PAGE). Two latex-specific bands were identified in protein samples of poppy latex using one-dimensional native PAGE. Second dimension analysis with SDS-PAGE indicates that these proteins have a relative molecular weight of approximately 20 kilodaltons. We have termed these polypeptides the major latex proteins (MLPs). Polyclonal antibodies prepared against the MLPs were used to probe protein gel blots of latex and poppy tissues known to lack laticifers. Laticifer-free tissues showed no reaction with anti-MLP immunoglobulin G indicating that MLPs are found only in poppy latex. MLP distribution was also examined in mature opium poppy tissues by immunocytochemistry. Laticifers were differentially labeled by fluorescein isothiocyanate secondary labeling of anti-MLP immunoglobulin G and could easily be identified in both transverse and longitudinal section. Fractionation studies of isolated latex showed that MLPs are concentrated in the latex cytosol and not in alkaloidal vesicles. Analysis of latex proteins by conventional two-dimensional electrophoresis indicates that the two MLP bands are composed of several distinct polypeptides with similar relative molecular weights. The pIs of these molecules range from 6.0 to 3.5. The role(s) of MLPs in laticifer metabolism has not been determined.     

Proteomic analysis of the lake trout (Salvelinus namaycush) heart and blood: The beginning of a comprehensive lake trout protein database

Lake trout (Salvelinus namaycush) are a top-predator species in the Laurentian Great Lakes that are often used as bioindicators of chemical stressors in the ecosystem. Although many studies are done using these fish to determine concentrations of stressors like legacy persistent, bioaccumulative and toxic chemicals, there are currently no proteomic studies on the biological effects these stressors have on the ecosystem. This lack of proteomic studies on Great Lakes lake trout is because there is currently no complete, comprehensive protein database for this species. Here, we employed proteomics approaches to develop a lake trout protein database that could aid in future research on this fish, in particular exposomics and adductomics. The current study utilized heart tissue and blood from two lake trout. Our previous work using lake trout liver revealed 4194 potential protein hits in the NCBI databases and 3811 potential protein hits in the UniProtKB databases. In the current study, using the NCBI databases we identified 838 proteins for the heart and 580 proteins for the blood tissues in the biological replicate 1 (BR1) and 1180 potential protein hits for the heart and 561 potential protein hits for the blood in BR2. Similar results were obtained using the UniProtKB databases. This study builds on our previous work by continuing to build the first comprehensive lake trout protein database and provides insight into protein homology through evolutionary relationships. This data is available via the PRIDE partner repository with the dataset identifier PXD023970.     

植物激素相关核酸和蛋白质二级数据库的构建与应用

以NCBI维护的一级数据库为数据源建立植物激素相关核酸和蛋白质二级数据库。将该二级数据库设计为基因、蛋白质和文献三部分, 编写软件从上述数据源中采集数据, 并以XML作为中间格式保存, 通过解析提交到二级数据库中并集成部分生物信息学工具软件, 初步实现了数据检索、统计分析、基于Web的本地化BLAST同源序列检索、序列的自动拼接以及蛋白质结构和功能位点的分析等功能。该二级数据库的构建为植物激素作用分子机理研究提供了高针对性的植物激素数据源和生物信息学辅助工具。     

Defining the protein repertoire of microneme secretory organelles in the apicomplexan parasite Eimeria tenella

The apicomplexan pathogen Eimeria causes coccidiosis, an intestinal disease of chickens, which has a major welfare and economic impact on the poultry industry. There is an urgent need to identify molecules that are rational targets for drug design and novel vaccines against coccidiosis. Apicomplexan secretory organelles, including micronemes and rhoptries, are essential for invasion of the host intestinal epithelium and establishment of parasitism. However, relatively little is known about the precise molecular function of these organelles, partly because few organelle proteins have been characterized. In this study, proteomics tools have been harnessed to define the protein repertoire of micronemes. Purified microneme proteins from Eimeria tenella sporozoites were excised from two-dimensional (2-D) gels and analyzed using matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization-time of flight-mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF-MS) and chemically assisted fragmentation (CAF)-MALDI with de novo sequencing. Peptide mass profiles were searched against the NCBI non-redundant (nr) database and against Eimeria-specific databases using the Mascot search algorithm, resulting in the identification of 37 of 96 spots excised from the 2-D gels. In addition, we have found CAF-MALDI to be a useful adjunct for identifying proteins, without the need for tandem MS. This global approach to protein characterization will be vital to gain greater understanding of the processes involved in apicomplexan host cell invasion.     

Analysis of the pumpkin phloem proteome provides insights into angiosperm sieve tube function

Increasing evidence suggests that proteins present in the angiosperm sieve tube system play an important role in the long distance signaling system of plants. To identify the nature of these putatively non-cell-autonomous proteins, we adopted a large scale proteomics approach to analyze pumpkin phloem exudates. Phloem proteins were fractionated by fast protein liquid chromatography using both anion and cation exchange columns and then either in-solution or in-gel digested following further separation by SDS-PAGE. A total of 345 LC-MS/MS data sets were analyzed using a combination of Mascot and X!Tandem against the NCBI non-redundant green plant database and an extensive Cucurbit maxima expressed sequence tag database. In this analysis, 1,209 different consensi were obtained of which 1,121 could be annotated from GenBank and BLAST search analyses against three plant species, Arabidopsis thaliana, rice (Oryza sativa), and poplar (Populus trichocarpa). Gene ontology (GO) enrichment analyses identified sets of phloem proteins that function in RNA binding, mRNA translation, ubiquitin-mediated proteolysis, and macromolecular and vesicle trafficking. Our findings indicate that protein synthesis and turnover, processes that were thought to be absent in enucleate sieve elements, likely occur within the angiosperm phloem translocation stream. In addition, our GO analysis identified a set of phloem proteins that are associated with the GO term "embryonic development ending in seed dormancy"; this finding raises the intriguing question as to whether the phloem may exert some level of control over seed development. The universal significance of the phloem proteome was highlighted by conservation of the phloem proteome in species as diverse as monocots (rice), eudicots (Arabidopsis and pumpkin), and trees (poplar). These results are discussed from the perspective of the role played by the phloem proteome as an integral component of the whole plant communication system.     

巴西橡胶树(Hevea brasiliensis)微管相关蛋白全长cDNA克隆及表达分析

从巴西橡胶树Hevea brasiliensis差减cDNA文库中分离到微管相关蛋白（Microtubule-associated protein,MAPs）基因片段,根据该基因片段序列信息,设计特异引物,采用cDNA末端快速扩增技术RACE（Rapid Amplification ofcDNA Ends）进行差异片段的5＇和3＇端的扩增,获得了长度为788bp的全长cDNA,该基因在GenBank中的登录号为AY461412.序列分析表明该基因包含完整的开放阅读框,编码144个氨基酸,与微管相关蛋白基因家族具有很高的同源性,推测该基因是微管相关蛋白基因.半定量RT-PCR检测证实它在胶乳中的表达强于叶中,胁迫处理（伤害及乙烯处理）使其表达上调.     

DDBASE2.0: updated domain database with improved identification of structural domains

MOTIVATION: Although many methods are available for the identification of structural domains from protein three-dimensional structures, accurate definition of protein domains and the curation of such data for a large number of proteins are often possible only after manual intervention. The availability of domain definitions for protein structural entries is useful for the sequence analysis of aligned domains, structure comparison, fold recognition procedures and understanding protein folding, domain stability and flexibility. RESULTS: We have improved our method of domain identification starting from the concept of clustering secondary structural elements, but with an intention of reducing the number of discontinuous segments in identified domains. The results of our modified and automatic approach have been compared with the domain definitions from other databases. On a test data set of 55 proteins, this method acquires high agreement (88%) in the number of domains with the crystallographers' definition and resources such as SCOP, CATH, DALI, 3Dee and PDP databases. This method also obtains 98% overlap score with the other resources in the definition of domain boundaries of the 55 proteins. We have examined the domain arrangements of 4592 non-redundant protein chains using the improved method to include 5409 domains leading to an update of the structural domain database. AVAILABILITY: The latest version of the domain database and online domain identification methods are available from http://www.ncbs.res.in/~faculty/mini/ddbase/ddbase.html Supplementary information: http://www.ncbs.res.in/~faculty/mini/ddbase/supplementary/supplementary.html     

In Silico Characterization of Proteins: UniProt,InterPro and Integr8

Nucleic acid sequences from genome sequencing projects are submitted as raw data, from which biologists attempt to elucidate the function of the predicted gene products. The protein sequences are stored in public databases, such as the UniProt Knowledgebase (UniProtKB), where curators try to add predicted and experimental functional information. Protein function prediction can be done using sequence similarity searches, but an alternative approach is to use protein signatures, which classify proteins into families and domains. The major protein signature databases are available through the integrated InterPro database, which provides a classification of UniProtKB sequences. As well as characterization of proteins through protein families, many researchers are interested in analyzing the complete set of proteins from a genome (i.e. the proteome), and there are databases and resources that provide non-redundant proteome sets and analyses of proteins from organisms with completely sequenced genomes. This article reviews the tools and resources available on the web for single and large-scale protein characterization and whole proteome analysis.     

Protein database and quantitative analysis considerations when integrating genetics and proteomics to compare mouse strains

Decades of genetics research comparing mouse strains has identified many regions of the genome associated with quantitative traits. Microarrays have been used to identify which genes in those regions are differentially expressed and are therefore potentially causal; however, genetic variants that affect probe hybridization lead to many false conclusions. Here we used spectral counting to compare brain striata between two mouse strains. Using strain-specific protein databases, we concluded that proteomics was more robust to sequence differences than microarrays; however, some proteins were still significantly affected. To generate strain-specific databases, we used a complete database that contained all of the putative genetic isoforms for each protein. While the increased proteome coverage in the databases led to a 6.8% gain in peptide assignments compared to a nonredundant database, it also necessitated the development of a strategy for grouping similar proteins due to a large number of shared peptides. Of the 4563 identified proteins (2.1% FDR), there were 1807 quantifiable proteins/groups that exceeded minimum count cutoffs. With four pooled biological replicates per strain, we used quantile normalization, ComBat (a package that adjusts for batch effects), and edgeR (a package for differential expression analysis of count data) to identify 101 differentially expressed proteins/groups, 84 of which had a coding region within one of the genomic regions of interest identified by the Portland Alcohol Research Center.     

Comparison of protein and peptide prefractionation methods for the shotgun proteomic analysis of Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803

Proteome analysis by gel-free "shotgun" proteomics relies on the simplification of a peptide mixture before it is analyzed in a mass spectrometer. While separation on a reverse-phase (RP) liquid chromatographic column is widely employed, a variety of other methods have been used to fractionate both proteins and peptides before this step. We compared six different protein and peptide fractionation workflows, using Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803, a useful model cyanobacterium for potential exploitation to improve its production of hydrogen and other secondary metabolites. Pre-digestion protein separation was performed by strip-based isoelectric focusing, one-dimensional polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, or weak anion exchange chromatography, while pre-RP peptide separation was accomplished by isoelectric focusing (IEF) or strong cation exchange chromatography. Peptides were identified using electrospray ionization quadrupole time of flight-tandem mass spectrometry. Mass spectrometry (MS) and tandem mass spectra were analyzed using ProID software employing both a single organism database and the entire NCBI non-redundant database, and a total of 776 proteins were identified using a stringent set of selection criteria. Method comparisons were made on the basis of the results obtained (number and types of proteins identified), as well as ease of use and other practical aspects. IEF-IEF protein and peptide fractionation prior to RP gave the best overall performance.     

Expressed sequence tag analysis of the soybean rust pathogen Phakopsora pachyrhizi

Soybean rust is caused by the obligate fungal pathogen Phakopsora pachyrhizi Sydow. A unidirectional cDNA library was constructed using mRNA isolated from germinating P. pachyrhizi urediniospores to identify genes expressed at this physiological stage. Single pass sequence analysis of 908 clones revealed 488 unique expressed sequence tags (ESTs, unigenes) of which 107 appeared as multiple copies. BLASTX analysis identified 189 unigenes with significant similarities (Evalue<10(-5)) to sequences deposited in the NCBI non-redundant protein database. A search against the NCBI dbEST using the BLASTN algorithm revealed 32 ESTs with high or moderate similarities to plant and fungal sequences. Using the Expressed Gene Anatomy Classification, 31.7% of these ESTs were involved in primary metabolism, 14.3% in gene/protein expression, 7.4% in cell structure and growth, 6.9% in cell division, 4.8% in cell signaling/cell communication, and 4.8% in cell/organism defense. Approximately 29.6% of the identities were to hypothetical proteins and proteins with unknown function.     

植物激素相关核酸和蛋白质二级数据库的构建与应用

以NCBI维护的一级数据库为数据源建立植物激素相关核酸和蛋白质二级数据库。将该二级数据库设计为基因、蛋白质和文献三部分,编写软件从上述数据源中采集数据,并以XML作为中间格式保存,通过解析提交到二级数据库中并集成部分生物信息学工具软件,初步实现了数据检索、统计分析、基于Web的本地化BLAST同源序列检索、序列的自动拼接以及蛋白质结构和功能位点的分析等功能。该二级数据库的构建为植物激素作用分子机理研究提供了高针对性的植物激素数据源和生物信息学辅助工具。     

Towards completion of the Earth's proteome

New protein sequences are deposited in databases at an accelerating pace; however, many of these are homologous to known proteins and could be considered redundant. If all historical releases of the protein database are analysed using the original sequence-clustering procedure described here, the fraction of newly sequenced proteins that are redundant is increasing. We interpret this as an indication that the sequencing of the Earth's proteome--the complete set of proteins on Earth--is approaching completion. We estimate the approximate size of the Earth's proteome to be 5 million sequences, most of which will be identified during the next 5 years. As the Earth's proteome nears completion, cluster analysis of the protein database will become essential to identify under-explored taxa to which future sequencing efforts should be directed and to focus research on protein families without experimental characterization.