Characterization of Disulfide-Linked Peptides Using Tandem Mass Spectrometry Coupled with Automated Data Analysis Software

Recent advances in mass spectrometry analysis of neuropeptides

Due to their involvement in numerous biochemical pathways, neuropeptides have been the focus of many recent research studies. Unfortunately, classic analytical methods, such as western blots and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays, are extremely limited in terms of global investigations, leading researchers to search for more advanced techniques capable of probing the entire neuropeptidome of an organism. With recent technological advances, mass spectrometry (MS) has provided methodology to gain global knowledge of a neuropeptidome on a spatial, temporal, and quantitative level. This review will cover key considerations for the analysis of neuropeptides by MS, including sample preparation strategies, instrumental advances for identification, structural characterization, and imaging; insightful functional studies; and newly developed absolute and relative quantitation strategies. While many discoveries have been made with MS, the methodology is still in its infancy. Many of the current challenges and areas that need development will also be highlighted in this review.

Cross-linking reactions in food proteins and proteomic approaches for their detection

Various protein cross-linking reactions leading to molecular polymerization and covalent aggregates have been described in processed foods. They are an undesired side effect of processes designed to reduce bacterial load, extend shelf life, and modify technological properties, as well as being an expected result of treatments designed to modify raw material texture and function. Although the formation of these products is known to affect the sensory and technological properties of foods, the corresponding cross-linking reactions and resulting protein polymers have not yet undergone detailed molecular characterization. This is essential for describing how their generation can be related to food processing conditions and quality parameters. Due to the complex structure of cross-linked species, bottom-up proteomic procedures developed to characterize various amino acid modifications associated with food processing conditions currently offer a limited molecular description of bridged peptide structures. Recent progress in cross-linking mass spectrometry for the topological characterization of protein complexes has facilitated the development of various proteomic methods and bioinformatic tools for unveiling bridged species, which can now also be used for the detailed molecular characterization of polymeric cross-linked products in processed foods. We here examine their benefits and limitations in terms of evaluating cross-linked food proteins and propose future scenarios for application in foodomics. They offer potential for understanding the protein cross-linking formation mechanisms in processed foods, and how the inherent beneficial properties of treated foodstuffs can be preserved or enhanced.

Peptidomics: A Review of Clinical Applications and Methodologies

Improvements in both liquid chromatography (LC) and mass spectrometry (MS) instrumentation have greatly enhanced proteomic and small molecule metabolomic analysis in recent years. Less focus has been on the improved capability to detect and quantify small bioactive peptides, even though the exact sequences of the peptide species produced can have important biological consequences. Endogenous bioactive peptide hormones, for example, are generated by the targeted and regulated cleavage of peptides from their prohormone sequence. This process may include organ specific variants, as proglucagon is converted to glucagon in the pancreas but glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) in the small intestine, with glucagon raising, whereas GLP-1, as an incretin, lowering blood glucose. Therefore, peptidomics workflows must preserve the structure of the processed peptide products to prevent the misidentification of ambiguous peptide species. The poor in vivo and in vitro stability of peptides in biological matrices is a major factor that needs to be considered when developing methods to study them. The bioinformatic analysis of peptidomics data sets requires the inclusion of specific post-translational modifications, which are critical for the function of many bioactive peptides. This review aims to discuss and contrast the various extraction, analytical, and bioinformatics approaches used for human peptidomics studies in a multitude of matrices.

Bombyx neuropeptide G protein-coupled receptor A14 and A15 are two functional G protein-coupled receptors for CCHamide neuropeptides

CCHamides are newly identified insect neuropeptides, which are widely occurring in most insects. However, our knowledge about their signaling characteristics and physiological roles is still limited. Here, we cloned two full-length cDNAs encoding putative CCHamide receptors, Bombyx neuropeptide GPCR A14 (BNGR-A14) and -A15 (BNGR-A15), from the brain of B. mori larvae. Characterization of signaling indicated that Bombyx CCHamide-1 and CCHamide-2 are specific endogenous ligands for BNGR-A15 and BNGR-A14, respectively. Further functional assays combined with specific inhibitors demonstrated that upon activation by CCHamide-2, BNGR-A14 elicited significant increases in CRE-driven luciferase activity, intracellular Ca²⁺ mobilization and ERK1/2 phosphorylation in a G_q inhibitor-sensitive manner, while BNGR-A15 was activated by CCHamide-1, thus leading to intracellular accumulation of cAMP, Ca²⁺ mobilization, and ERK1/2 phosphorylation in a G_s and G_q inhibitor-sensitive manner. Based on these findings, we designated the receptors BNGR-A15 and -A14 as Bommo-CCHaR-1 and -2, respectively. In addition, our results showed that CCHamides are considered to require intrachain disulfide bonds to activate their respective receptor in the physiological concentration range. Moreover, quantitative RT-PCR analysis revealed that CCHamide-1 is more likely to serve as a brain-gut peptide to regulate feeding behavior and growth through BNGR-A15, whereas the CCHamide-2 signaling system might play an important role in the control of multiple physiological processes. Our findings provide in-depth information on CCHamide-1 and -2-mediated signaling, facilitating further elucidation of their endocrinological roles in the regulation of fundamental physiological processes.

Determination of modification sites and relative quantitation in large protein conjugation via automated data processing

Protein conjugation is an effective way to impart different functionalities to the original protein. Conjugation using a native protein (a protein that does not contain special unnatural amino acid for conjugation) typically generates complex mixtures mainly due to the presence of multiple chemically similar competing conjugation sites. It is therefore a challenge to identify products, to optimize the reaction conditions, and to synthesize desired molecules. In order to guide this challenging process, quick and easy analytical methods are in great need for reaction monitoring. An analytical platform was developed for this purpose by using liquid chromatography/high resolution mass spectrometry (LC/HRMS) coupled with a custom-built software tool via Visual Basic for Applications in Excel (VBA). It allows for not only the determination of site-selective modification, but also the evaluation of the scope for possible modification sites. This vendor neutral VBA based software tool combined with enzymatic digestion, especially the SMART Digest™ method, and LC/HRMS would shorten the experimental time and data analysis from days to a few hours. Open-source VBA features a data fitting interface with the support for arbitrary functions and flexible global fits. Two conjugated proteins were used to demonstrate the capability of this VBA tool. Major conjugation sites are presented in a graphic format via its mass and ion intensity and chemists can visually estimate the ratio of modified vs unmodified proteins.

Hidden "Digestome": Current Analytical Approaches Provide Incomplete Peptide Inventories of Food Digests

Analyzing an in vitro gastroduodenal digest of whey proteins by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) coupled to high-resolution/high-sensitivity tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS), we sought to evaluate if state-of-art peptidomics provide comprehensive peptide coverage of food "digestomes". A multitude of small-sized peptides derived from both α-lactalbumin and β-lactoglobulin as well as disulfide cross-linked hetero-oligomers remained unassigned, even when the digests were compared before and after S-S reduction. The precipitation with 12% trichloroacetic acid demonstrated the occurrence of large-sized polypeptides that escaped the bioinformatic identification. The analysis of a HPLC-MS/MS run with different proteomic search engines generated dissimilar peptide subsets, thus emphasizing the demand of refined searching algorithms. Although the MS/MS fragmentation of monocharged ions with exclusion of non-peptide-interfering compounds enlarged the inventory of short peptides, the overall picture of the "digestome" was still incomplete. These findings raise relevant implications for the identification of possible food-derived bioactive peptides or allergenic determinants.