Clarifications on the Intended Use of USP <61> Microbiological Examination of Nonsterile Products: Microbial Enumeration Tests.

In the execution of its legislated responsibilities, the United States Food and Drug Administration commonly refers to standard test methods detailed in the United States Pharmacopeia (USP). Microbiological test methods (contained in general chapters) are listed in chapters <51> to <80> with details regarded as enforceable where referenced as a test method. USP <61> "Microbiological Examination of Nonsterile Products: Microbial Enumeration Tests" is a globally harmonized chapter that has been successfully employed for the enumeration of microorganisms recoverable from nonsterile finished drug products. The content of USP <61> is not always scientifically principled nor emphatically understood by all pharmaceutical microbiologists. Consequently, misunderstanding and misapplication of USP <61> may result in analyses and assessments of microbiological quality that are flawed or erroneous. In this article, clarification is provided to assist the pharmaceutical microbiologist in the appropriate and intended use of USP <61>, including provision of details not always commonly known or understood.

The human plasma proteome: a nonredundant list developed by combination of four separate sources.

We have merged four different views of the human plasma proteome, based on different methodologies, into a single nonredundant list of 1175 distinct gene products. The methodologies used were 1) literature search for proteins reported to occur in plasma or serum; 2) multidimensional chromatography of proteins followed by two-dimensional electrophoresis and mass spectroscopy (MS) identification of resolved proteins; 3) tryptic digestion and multidimensional chromatography of peptides followed by MS identification; and 4) tryptic digestion and multidimensional chromatography of peptides from low-molecular-mass plasma components followed by MS identification. Of 1,175 nonredundant gene products, 195 were included in more than one of the four input datasets. Only 46 appeared in all four. Predictions of signal sequence and transmembrane domain occurrence, as well as Genome Ontology annotation assignments, allowed characterization of the nonredundant list and comparison of the data sources. The "nonproteomic" literature (468 input proteins) is strongly biased toward signal sequence-containing extracellular proteins, while the three proteomics methods showed a much higher representation of cellular proteins, including nuclear, cytoplasmic, and kinesin complex proteins. Cytokines and protein hormones were almost completely absent from the proteomics data (presumably due to low abundance), while categories like DNA-binding proteins were almost entirely absent from the literature data (perhaps unexpected and therefore not sought). Most major categories of proteins in the human proteome are represented in plasma, with the distribution at successively deeper layers shifting from mostly extracellular to a distribution more like the whole (primarily cellular) proteome. The resulting nonredundant list confirms the presence of a number of interesting candidate marker proteins in plasma and serum.

Characterization of the low molecular weight human serum proteome.

Serum potentially carries an archive of important histological information whose determination could serve to improve early disease detection. The analysis of serum, however, is analytically challenging due to the high dynamic concentration range of constituent protein/peptide species, necessitating extensive fractionation prior to mass spectrometric analyses. The low molecular weight (LMW) serum proteome is that protein/peptide fraction from which high molecular weight proteins, such as albumin, immunoglobulins, transferrin, and lipoproteins, have been removed. This LMW fraction is made up of several classes of physiologically important proteins such as cytokines, chemokines, peptide hormones, as well as proteolytic fragments of larger proteins. Centrifugal ultrafiltration of serum was used to remove the large constituent proteins resulting in the enrichment of the LMW proteins/peptides. Because albumin is known to bind and transport small molecules and peptides within the circulatory system, the centrifugal ultrafiltration was conducted under solvent conditions effecting the disruption of protein-protein interactions. The LMW serum proteome sample was digested with trypsin, fractionated by strong cation exchange chromatography, and analyzed by microcapillary reversed-phase liquid chromatography coupled on-line with electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry. Analysis of the tandem mass spectra resulted in the identification of over 340 human serum proteins; however, not a single peptide from serum albumin was observed. The large number of proteins identified demonstrates the efficacy of this method for the removal of large abundant proteins and the enrichment of the LMW serum proteome.