Proteomic analysis of the mouse brain following protein enrichment by preparative electrophoresis

Current status and advances in quantitative proteomic mass spectrometry

The accurate quantitation of proteins and peptides in complex biological systems is one of the most challenging areas of proteomics. Mass spectrometry-based approaches have forged significant in-roads allowing accurate and sensitive quantitation and the ability to multiplex vastly complex samples through the application of robust bioinformatic tools. These relative and absolute quantitative measures using label-free, tags, or stable isotope labelling have their own strengths and limitations. The continuous development of these methods is vital for increasing reproducibility in the rapidly expanding application of quantitative proteomics in biomarker discovery and validation. This paper provides a critical overview of the primary mass spectrometry-based quantitative approaches and the current status of quantitative proteomics in biomedical research.

Rapid label-free identification of estrogen-induced differential protein expression in vivo from mouse brain and uterine tissue

Protein abundance profiling from tissue using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry-based "shotgun" proteomics and label-free relative quantitation was evaluated for the investigation of estrogen-regulated protein expression in the mouse brain and uterus. Sample preparation involved a 30-min protein extraction in 8 M aqueous urea solution, followed by disulfide reduction, thiol alkylation, and trypsin digestion of the extracted proteins, and was performed on 3-4 mg of tissue to evaluate the suitability of this methodology to expedite the survey of cellular pathways that are affected in vivo by an experimental therapeutic intervention in an animal model. The label-free proteomic approach (spectral counting) was suitable to identify even subtle changes in cortical protein levels and revealed significant estrogen-induced upregulation of ATP synthase (both alpha- and beta-isoforms), aspartate aminotransferase 2, and mitochondrial malate dehydrogenase without any prior subcellular fractionation of the tissue or the use of multidimensional chromatographic separation. The methodology was also suitable to observe various up- and downregulated proteins in the uterine tissue of ovariectomized mice upon treatment with 17beta-estradiol. In addition to confirming a very significant decrease in the abundance of glutathione S-transferase recognized as a marker of estrogen's impact, our studies have also revealed potential new protein markers such as desmin and lumican that are critical components of cytoskeletal arrangement and, hence, regulation of their abundance could contribute to major morphological changes in the uterus occurring upon estrogenic stimulation.

Protein profiling by the combination of two independent mass spectrometry techniques

Protein profiling in the high-throughput mode is a most useful technique that allows formation of reference databases for cells and tissues and performance of comparative proteomics. In the proposed protocol protein extraction from tissues is followed by 2D gel electrophoresis (2DE) with subsequent in-gel digestion and identification of soluble proteins by two individual mass spectrometric techniques, tandem matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry (MALDI-MS) and nano-liquid chromatography (nano-LC)-MS/MS. The proposed combined use of these two MS approaches leads to a very high identification rate of well-separated protein spots from a gel. In the first step 2DE separates high-abundance proteins (those visualized by nonsensitive Coomassie blue staining) that are subsequently picked, digested and aliquoted for MS applications. Protein samples not identified by MALDI-MS or MS/MS (77% of all spots) are finally unambiguously identified by nano-LC-MS/MS (total identification rate 94%). This protocol can be completed in 6 weeks.