Large-scale analysis of posttranslational modifications in the hippocampus of patients with Alzheimer’s disease using pI shift and label-free quantification without enrichment

Pseudotargeted MS Method for the Sensitive Analysis of Protein Phosphorylation in Protein Complexes

In this study, we presented an enrichment-free approach for the sensitive analysis of protein phosphorylation in minute amounts of samples, such as purified protein complexes. This method takes advantage of the high sensitivity of parallel reaction monitoring (PRM). Specifically, low confident phosphopeptides identified from the data-dependent acquisition (DDA) data set were used to build a pseudotargeted list for PRM analysis to allow the identification of additional phosphopeptides with high confidence. The development of this targeted approach is very easy as the same sample and the same LC-system were used for the discovery and the targeted analysis phases. No sample fractionation or enrichment was required for the discovery phase which allowed this method to analyze minute amount of sample. We applied this pseudotargeted MS method to quantitatively examine phosphopeptides in affinity purified endogenous Shc1 protein complexes at four temporal stages of EGF signaling and identified 82 phospho-sites. To our knowledge, this is the highest number of phospho-sites identified from the protein complexes. This pseudotargeted MS method is highly sensitive in the identification of low abundance phosphopeptides and could be a powerful tool to study phosphorylation-regulated assembly of protein complex.

Proteomics and lipidomics in the human brain

Proteomics and lipidomics are powerful tools to the large-scale study of proteins and lipids, respectively. Several methods can be employed with particular benefits and limitations in the study of human brain. This is a review of the rationale use of current techniques with particular attention to limitations and pitfalls inherent to each one of the techniques, and more importantly, to their use in the study of post-mortem brain tissue. These aspects are cardinal to avoid false interpretations, errors and unreal expectancies. Other points are also stressed as exemplified in the analysis of human neurodegenerative diseases which are manifested by disease-, region-, and stage-specific modifications commonly in the context of aging. Information about certain altered protein clusters and proteins oxidatively damaged is summarized for Alzheimer and Parkinson diseases.

Ion mobility mass spectrometry provides novel insights into the expression and structure of gangliosides in the normal adult human hippocampus

General work-flow for ganglioside analysis by IM-MS.

Proteome-wide characterization of signalling interactions in the hippocampal CA4/DG subfield of patients with Alzheimer's disease

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is the most common form of dementia; however, mechanisms and biomarkers remain unclear. Here, we examined hippocampal CA4 and dentate gyrus subfields, which are less studied in the context of AD pathology, in post-mortem AD and control tissue to identify possible biomarkers. We performed mass spectrometry-based proteomic analysis combined with label-free quantification for identification of differentially expressed proteins. We identified 4,328 proteins, of which 113 showed more than 2-fold higher or lower expression in AD hippocampi than in control tissues. Five proteins were identified as putative AD biomarkers (MDH2, PCLO, TRRAP, YWHAZ, and MUC19 isoform 5) and were cross-validated by immunoblotting, selected reaction monitoring, and MALDI imaging. We also used a bioinformatics approach to examine upstream signalling interactions of the 113 regulated proteins. Five upstream signalling (IGF1, BDNF, ZAP70, MYC, and cyclosporin A) factors showed novel interactions in AD hippocampi. Taken together, these results demonstrate a novel platform that may provide new strategies for the early detection of AD and thus its diagnosis.

New methods based on capillary electrophoresis for in vitro evaluation of protein tau phosphorylation by glycogen synthase kinase 3-β

The hyperphosphorylation of tau protein is associated with the development of the neuronal pathology of Alzheimer's disease. As most conventional methods study only particular phosphorylation sites of tau, it is necessary to develop a simple and reliable assay to determine the phosphorylation of tau at multiple sites. Capillary electrophoresis (CE)-based enzymatic assays are not yet used to monitor tau phosphorylation. The present work aims to develop CE-based assays to evaluate tau phosphorylation by the glycogen synthase kinase 3-β (GSK3β). A novel pre-capillary CE assay was first developed. An in-capillary CE-based enzymatic assay was also used since this approach is known to be time- and cost- effective. The enzymatic reaction was monitored by quantifying the product adenosine 5'- diphosphate (ADP). The influence of two classes of glycosaminoglycan (GAG), namely heparin and heparan sulfate, on the phosphorylation reaction was also assessed. Results obtained by both CE approaches were comparable and in excellent agreement with those reported in the literature using conventional radiometric and immunoblotting methods. In fact, CE results confirmed the inductory effect of the sulfated sugars heparin and heparan sulfate on tau hyperphosphorylation, probably because of the exposition of new sites phosphorylatable by GSK3β. This study shows that simple (no-labeling), rapid (less than 30 min per assay), and eco-friendly (no-radioactivity) CE-based kinase assays can give insight into the abnormal phosphorylation of tau. They can be extended to screen different modulators of tau phosphorylation to highlight their function and to develop effective drugs for neurodegenerative disease treatments.