| Name | Angela |
| Surname | Amoresano |
| Institution | University of Naples – Federico II |
| angela.amoresano@unina.it | |
| Address | Department of Chemical Sciences, Federico II University, Via Cintia 6, 80126, Naples, Italy |
| Resume | Download |
This chapter focuses on the development of new proteomic approaches based on classical biochemical procedures coupled with new mass spectrometry methods to study the phosphorylation, the most important and abundant PTMs in modulating protein activity and propagating signals within cellular pathways and networks. These phosphoproteome studies aim at comprehensive analysis of protein phosphorylation by identification of the phosphoproteins, exact localization of phosphorylated residues, and preferably quantification of the phosphorylation. Because of low stoichiometry, heterogeneity, and low abundance, enrichment of phosphopeptides is an important step of this analysis. The first section is focused on the development of new enrichment methods coupled to mass spectrometry. Thus, improved approach, based on simple chemical manipulations and mass spectrometric procedures, for the selective analysis of phosphoserine and phosphothreonine in protein mixtures, following conversion of the peptide phosphate moiety into DTT derivatives, is described. However the major aim of this work is devoted to the use of isotopically labelled DTT, thus allowing a simple and direct quantitative MS analysis. The final part of the work is focused on the development of a strategy to study phosphorylation without preliminary enrichment but using the high performance of a novel hybrid mass spectrometer linear ion trap.
mRNA localization is a conserved post-transcriptional process crucial for a variety of systems. Although several mechanisms have been identified, emerging evidence suggests that most transcripts reach the protein functional site by moving along cytoskeleton elements. We demonstrated previously that mRNA for mitochondrial ribosomal proteins are asymmetrically distributed in the cytoplasm, and that localization in the proximity of mitochondria is mediated by the 3'-UTR. Here we show by biochemical analysis that these mRNA transcripts are associated with the cytoskeleton through the microtubule network. Cytoskeleton association is functional for their intracellular localization near the mitochondrion, and the 3'-UTR is involved in this cytoskeleton-dependent localization. To identify the minimal elements required for localization, we generated DNA constructs containing, downstream from the GFP gene, deletion mutants of mitochondrial ribosomal protein S12 3'-UTR, and expressed them in HeLa cells. RT-PCR analysis showed that the localization signals responsible for mRNA localization are located in the first 154 nucleotides. RNA pull-down assays, mass spectrometry, and RNP immunoprecipitation assay experiments, demonstrated that mitochondrial ribosomal protein S12 3'-UTR interacts specifically with TRAP1 (tumor necrosis factor receptor-associated protein1), hnRNPM4 (heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoprotein M4), Hsp70 and Hsp60 (heat shock proteins 70 and 60), and alpha-tubulin in vitro and in vivo.
It is now well established that plasma membranes, such as the myelin sheath, are made of different microdomains with different lipid and protein composition. Lipid rafts are made mainly of sphingolipids and cholesterol, whereas the non-raft regions are made mainly of phosphoglycerides. Most myelin proteins may distribute themselves in raft and non-raft microdomains but the driving force that gives rise to their different distribution is not known yet. In this paper, we have studied the distribution of protein zero (P0), the most representative protein of PNS myelin, in the membrane microdomains. To this end, we have purified P0 from both non-raft (soluble P0, P0-S) and raft (P0-R) regions of PNS. Purified proteins were analyzed by two-dimensional gel electrophoresis and identified and characterized by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry. A detailed structural description of the two P0 forms is given in terms of amino acid sequence, post-translational modifications, and composition of associated lipids. Our findings suggest that structural differences between the two proteins, mainly related to the glycogroups, might be responsible for their different localization.
Listeria monocytogenes is a notably invasive bacterium associated with life-threatening food-borne disease in humans. Several surface proteins have been shown to be essential in the adhesion of L. monocytogenes, and in the subsequent invasion of phagocytes. Because the control of the invasion of host cells by Listeria could potentially hinder its spread in the infected host, we have examined the effects of a protease treatment on the ability of L. monocytogenes to form biofilms and to invade tissues. We have chosen serratiopeptidase (SPEP), an extracellular metalloprotease produced by Serratia marcescens that is already widely used as an anti-inflammatory agent, and has been shown to modulate adhesin expression and to induce antibiotic sensitivity in other bacteria. Treatment of L. monocytogenes with sublethal concentrations of SPEP reduced their ability to form biofilms and to invade host cells. Zymograms of the treated cells revealed that Ami4b autolysin, internalinB, and ActA were sharply reduced. These cell-surface proteins are known to function as ligands in the interaction between these bacteria and their host cells, and our data suggest that treatment with this natural enzyme may provide a useful tool in the prevention of the initial adhesion of L. monocytogenes to the human gut.
Pectin methylesterase (PME) from kiwi fruit (Actinidia deliciosa) is a glycoprotein, showing an apparent molecular mass of 50 kDa upon size exclusion chromatography and SDS-PAGE. The primary structure, elucidated by direct sequencing of the protein, comprises 321 amino acid residues providing a molecular mass of 35 kDa. The protein has an acetylated Thr residue at the amino terminus and five N-glycosylation consensus sequences, four of which are actually glycosylated. A careful investigation of the oligosaccharide structures demonstrated that PME glycans belong to complex type oligosaccharides essentially consisting of xylosylated polyfucosylated biantennary structures. Alignment with known mature plant PME sequences indicates that the postulated active site residues are conserved. Kiwi PME activity is inhibited following the interaction with the proteinaceous inhibitor PMEI, isolated from the same source. Gel-filtration experiments show that kiwi PME/PMEI complex is stable in a large pH range and dissociates only at pH 10.0. Modeling of the interaction with the inhibitor was performed by using the crystal structure of the complex between kiwi PMEI and tomato PME as a template. The model shows that the binding site is the same reported for tomato PME. However, additional salt link interactions are found to connect the external loops of kiwi PME to PMEI. This finding may explain the higher pH stability of the complex formed by the two kiwi proteins respect to that formed by PMEI and tomato PME.
The nitration of protein tyrosine residues represents an important posttranslational modification during development, oxidative stress, and biological aging. The major challenge in the proteomic analysis of nitroproteins is the need to discriminate modified proteins, usually occurring at substoichiometric levels, from the large amount of nonmodified proteins. Moreover, precise localization of the nitration site is often required to fully describe the biological process. Identification of the specific targets of protein oxidation was previously accomplished using immunoprecipitation techniques followed by immunochemical detection. Here, we report a totally new approach involving dansyl chloride labeling of the nitration sites which relies on the enormous potential of MS(n) analysis. The tryptic digest from the entire protein mixture is directly analyzed by MS on a linear ion trap mass spectrometer. Discrimination between nitro- and unmodified peptide is based on two selectivity criteria obtained by combining a precursor ion scan and a MS3 analysis. The novel labeling procedure was successfully applied to the identification of 3-nitrotyrosine residues in complex protein mixtures.
Nitration of protein tyrosine residues is very often regarded as a molecular signal of peroxynitrite formation during development, oxidative stress, and aging. However, protein nitration might also have biological functions comparable to protein phosphorylation, mainly in redox signaling and in signal transduction. The major challenge in the proteomic analysis of nitroproteins is the need to discriminate modified proteins, usually occurring at substoichiometric levels from the large amount of nonmodified proteins. Moreover, precise localization of the nitration site is often required to fully describe the biological process. Existing methodologies essentially rely on immunochemical techniques either using 2D-PAGE fractionation in combination with western blot analyses or exploiting immunoaffinity procedures to selectively capture nitrated proteins. Here we report a totally new approach involving dansyl chloride labeling of the nitration sites that rely on the enormous potential of MSn analysis. The tryptic digest from the entire protein mixture is directly analyzed by MS on a linear ion trap mass spectrometer. Discrimination between nitro- and unmodified peptide is based on two selectivity criteria obtained by combining a precursor ion scan and an MS3 analysis. This new procedure was successfully applied to the identification of 3-nitrotyrosine residues in complex protein mixtures.
The prototypic long pentraxin PTX3 is a unique fluid-phase pattern recognition receptor that plays a nonredundant role in innate immunity and female fertility. The PTX3 C-terminal domain is required for C1q recognition and complement activation and contains a single N-glycosylation site on Asn 220. In the present study, we characterized the structure of the human PTX3 glycosidic moiety and investigated its relevance in C1q interaction and activation of the complement classical pathway. By specific endo and exoglycosidases digestion and direct mass spectrometric analysis, we found that both recombinant and naturally occurring PTX3 were N-linked to fucosylated and sialylated complex-type sugars. Interestingly, glycans showed heterogeneity mainly in the relative amount of bi, tri, and tetrantennary structures depending on the cell type and inflammatory stimulus. Enzymatic removal of sialic acid or the entire glycosidic moiety equally enhanced PTX3 binding to C1q compared to that in the native protein, thus indicating that glycosylation substantially contributes to modulate PTX3/C1q interaction and that sialic acid is the main determinant of this contribution. BIAcore kinetic measurements returned decreasing K(off) values as sugars were removed, pointing to a stabilization of the PTX3/C1q complex. No major rearrangement of PTX3 quaternary structure was observed after desialylation or deglycosylation as established by size exclusion chromatography. Consistent with C1q binding, PTX3 desialylation enhanced the activation of the classical complement pathway, as assessed by C4 and C3 deposition. In conclusion, our results provided evidence of an involvement of the PTX3 sugar moiety in C1q recognition and complement activation.
Indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) is a ubiquitous molecule playing regulatory roles in many living organisms. To elucidate the physiological changes induced by IAA treatment, we used Escherichia coli K-12 as a model system. By microarray analysis we found that 16 genes showed an altered expression level in IAA-treated cells. One-third of these genes encode cell envelope components, or proteins involved in bacterial adaptation to unfavourable environmental conditions. We thus investigated the effect of IAA treatment on some of the structural components of the envelope that may be involved in cellular response to stresses. This showed that IAA-treated cells had increased the production of trehalose, lipopolysaccharide (LPS), exopolysaccharide (EPS) and biofilm. We demonstrated further that IAA triggers an increased tolerance to several stress conditions (heat and cold shock, UV-irradiation, osmotic and acid shock and oxidative stress) and different toxic compounds (antibiotics, detergents and dyes) and this correlates with higher levels of the heat shock protein DnaK. We suggest that IAA triggers an increased level of alert and protection against external adverse conditions by coordinately enhancing different cellular defence systems.
Immunohistochemical and biochemical investigations showed that significant protein nitration occurs in human gliomas, especially in grade IV glioblastomas at the level of astrocytes and oligodendrocytes and neurones. Enhanced alpha-tubulin immunoreactivity was co-present in the same elements in the glioblastomas. Proteomic methodologies were employed to identify a nitrated protein band at 55 kDa as alpha-tubulin. Peptide mass fingerprinting procedures demonstrated that tubulin is nitrated at Tyr224 in grade IV tumour samples but is unmodified in grade I samples and in non-cancerous brain tissue. These results provide the first characterisation of endogenously nitrated tubulin from human tumour samples.