ABSTRACT
2-D peptide mapping is a novel technique for the relative quantification of membrane proteins (Scheurer S. et al., Proteomics 2005, in press). Using closely related metastatic and nonmetastatic teratocarcinoma cell lines as a model system, we have performed a comparative analysis of different biotinylation reagents, tryptic digestion procedures, and mass spectrometric techniques, with the aim to increase the number of proteins identified by 2-D peptide mapping. Our experience indicates that the LC-MALDI TOF/TOF technique is superior to LC-ESI MS/MS in terms of the number of proteins identified and confidence in protein identification. Furthermore, the best results were obtained by tryptic digestion of proteins eluted from a streptavidin column using a cleavable biotin derivative.
Subject(s)
Biotinylation/methods , Cell Membrane/metabolism , Mass Spectrometry/methods , Peptide Mapping/methods , Proteins/chemistry , Proteomics/methods , Trypsin/chemistry , Animals , Biotin/chemistry , Databases, Protein , Humans , Membrane Proteins/chemistry , Models, Biological , Models, Chemical , Molecular Probes/chemistry , Peptides/chemistry , Spectrometry, Mass, Electrospray Ionization , Spectrometry, Mass, Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption-Ionization/methods , StreptavidinABSTRACT
Membrane proteins play a central role in biological processes, but their separation and quantification using two-dimensional gel electrophoresis is often limited by their poor solubility and relatively low abundance. We now present a method for the simultaneous recovery, separation, identification, and relative quantification of membrane proteins, following their selective covalent modification with a cleavable biotin derivative. After cell lysis, biotinylated proteins are purified on streptavidin-coated resin and proteolytically digested. The resulting peptides are analyzed by high-pressure liquid chromatography and mass spectrometry, thus yielding a two-dimensional peptide map. Matrix assisted laser desorption/ionization-time of flight signal intensity of peptides, in the presence of internal standards, is used to quantify the relative abundance of membrane proteins from cells treated in different experimental conditions. As experimental examples, we present (i) an analysis of a BSA-spiked human embryonic kidney membrane protein extract, and (ii) an analysis of membrane proteins of human umbilical vein endothelial cells cultured in normoxic and hypoxic conditions. This last study allowed the recovery of the vascular endothelial-cadherin/actin/catenin complex, revealing an increased accumulation of beta-catenin at 2% O(2) concentration.
Subject(s)
Biotinylation , Endothelium, Vascular/chemistry , Kidney/chemistry , Membrane Proteins/isolation & purification , Peptide Mapping/methods , Biotinylation/methods , Blotting, Western , Cells, Cultured , Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid , Electrophoresis, Gel, Two-Dimensional , Endothelial Cells/chemistry , Endothelium, Vascular/cytology , Humans , Hypoxia , Kidney/embryology , Membrane Proteins/metabolism , Serum Albumin, Bovine , Software , Spectrometry, Mass, Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption-Ionization , Umbilical Veins/cytologyABSTRACT
The interaction between streptavidin and biotin is one of the most widely used tools in chemistry and biology. However, the release of biotinylated proteins from streptavidin resins remains a major problem, due to the extraordinary stability of this complex. We present a new protocol for the quantitative elution of biotinylated proteins from streptavidin Sepharose, featuring harsh elution conditions and competition with free biotin. The usefulness of the method was demonstrated by the quantitative recovery of biotinylated proteins from organ homogenates, obtained from mice perfused with a reactive ester derivative of biotin.
Subject(s)
Biotin/chemistry , Chromatography, Affinity , Proteins , Streptavidin/chemistry , Animals , Chromatography, Affinity/instrumentation , Chromatography, Affinity/methods , Mice , Proteins/chemistry , Proteins/isolation & purificationABSTRACT
Hypoxia is a characteristic feature of many human pathologies, including cancer. The sustained proliferation rate of tumor cells leads to alterations of the tumor microenvironment, that progressively becomes more acidic, nutrient-deprived, and hypoxic. The reduced partial pressure of oxygen triggers the onset of an adaptive response, aimed at increasing the local oxygen concentration by several complementary actions. Although directly exposed to the blood stream, endothelial cells lining the vascular lumen in tumors also can be exposed to hypoxia and therefore can contribute to the onset of the adaptive response that leads to tumor angiogenesis. Aiming at getting a detailed insight into the oxygen-dependent regulation of the transcriptional program of vascular endothelial cells and at identifying new relevant markers that may be used as targets for therapeutic intervention in tumor angiogenesis, we have performed a broad-range transcriptomic analysis, using the Affymetrix HG-U133A Gene Chips, of mRNA expression levels in human umbilical cord vein endothelial cells (HUVEC), exposed in vitro to hypoxia for different time periods. The transcriptomic analysis was complemented by a semiquantitative reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) analysis of mRNA levels and alternative splicing for some selected extracellular matrix protein genes, and by a proteomic analysis, using two-dimensional polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (2-D PAGE) and tandem mass spectrometry for protein separation and identification, of hypoxic and normoxic HUVEC whole-cell lysates and subcellular fractions. Our analysis confirmed previous findings on genes whose expression is regulated by oxygen concentration but also identified new genes (e.g., CXCR4, claudin 3, CD24, tetranectin, Del-1, procollagen lysyl hydroxylase 1 and 2) which are transcriptionally upregulated in hypoxic conditions.
