Phosphopeptide screening using nanocrystalline titanium dioxide films as affinity matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization targets in mass spectrometry.

The use of nanocrystalline titanium dioxide films as affinity targets for the selective isolation and enrichment of phosphopeptides with subsequent analysis by matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization (MALDI) mass spectrometry is described. A strong affinity of phosphopeptides to anatase titanium dioxide surfaces is observed, and a standard protocol for the selective isolation and enrichment of phosphopeptides on titanium dioxide films using a proteolytic digest of alpha- and beta-casein was developed. All washing and elution procedures using these films can be processed directly on the MALDI target, thereby avoiding sample contamination and losses. In addition, the enrichment of the phosphopeptides was improved due to a considerable enlargement of the surface. Several film substrates compatible with routine inlet systems of mass spectrometers, as conductive glass, aluminum, and silicon, have been manufactured and tested. A biological application was examined by the human fibrinogen-thrombin system. For a quantification and comparison of different expression levels of phosphoproteins in biological systems, the peptides were labeled with S-methyl thioimidate reagents. The capability of this method for high-throughput applications make the use of mesoporous titanium dioxide films as an affinity MALDI target a promising tool in phosphoproteomics. A combination of an amidation protocol showed that a quantification of phosphorylated peptides can easily be performed using TiO(2) films.

Mass spectrometry-assisted protease substrate screening.

Since sequencing of the human genome was completed, more than 500 genes have been annotated as proteases. Exploring the physiological role of each protease requires the identification of their natural substrates. However, the endogenous substrates of many of the human proteases are as yet unknown. Here we describe a new assay that addresses this problem. The assay, which easily can be automated, is based on the incubation of immobilized protein fractions, which may contain the natural substrate, with a defined protease. After concentrating the proteolytically released peptides by reversed-phase chromatography they are analyzed by tandem mass spectrometry and the substrates identified by database searching. The proof of principle in this study is demonstrated by incubating immobilized human plasma proteins with thrombin and by identifying by tandem mass spectrometry the fibrinopeptides, released by the action of thrombin from their natural substrate fibrinogen, in the reaction mixture.

Renal cathepsin G and angiotensin II generation.

BACKGROUND: Alternative pathways of angiotensin II biosynthesis play a significant role in the renin-angiotensin system. In this study porcine renal tissue was investigated for angiotensin II-generating enzymes. METHODS AND RESULTS: Protein extracts from porcine renal tissue were fractionated by liquid chromatography and tested for their angiotensin II-generating activity by the mass-spectrometry-assisted enzyme screening system (MES) and the active fractions were purified to near homogeneity. In one of these active fractions, inhibitable by an angiotensin-converting enzyme specific inhibitor, purified by anion-exchange chromatography, followed by hydroxyapatite chromatography, lectin affinity chromatography, size-exclusion chromatography and two-dimensional electrophoresis, angiotensin-converting enzyme was identified by a tryptic peptide matrix-assisted-laser-desorption/ionization (MALDI) mass fingerprint analysis. In a second active fraction, which was inhibited by chymostatin and antipain, yielded by anion-exchange chromatography, followed by hydroxyapatite chromatography, lectin affinity chromatography, chymostatin-antipain chromatography and one-dimensional electrophoresis, cathepsin G was identified by electro-spray ionization (ESI)-ion-trap mass spectrometry. The angiotensin-generating activities of the fraction containing angiotensin-converting enzyme and the fraction containing cathepsin G were in the same order of magnitude, thus showing that the contribution of cathepsin G towards the production of angiotensin II is significant. CONCLUSION: This is the first time that cathepsin G has been identified in mammalian renal tissue.

Principle and applications of the protein-purification-parameter screening system.

For the purification of a target protein, liquid chromatography is the method of choice, if its activity has to be maintained. The selection of optimum parameters will improve in proportion to the number of individual parameters varied in initial experiments. Here a fast screening method is described, which utilizes automated parallel chromatographic experiments in the batch mode in 96-well plates. The principle of this protein-purification-parameter screening (PPS) system is demonstrated with a mixture of four proteins. An application of PPS for the determination of a purification step of an angiotensin-II-generating enzyme from a crude tissue extract is shown.