Chemoproteomics Reveals Unexpected Lysine/Arginine-Specific Cleavage of Peptide Chains as a Potential Protein Degradation Machinery

A modification-centric assessment tool for the performance of chemoproteomic probes

Chemoproteomics has emerged as a key technology to expand the functional space in complex proteomes for probing fundamental biology and for discovering new small-molecule-based therapies. Here we report a modification-centric computational tool termed pChem to provide a streamlined pipeline for unbiased performance assessment of chemoproteomic probes. The pipeline starts with an experimental setting for isotopically coding probe-derived modifications that can be automatically recognized by pChem, with masses accurately calculated and sites precisely localized. pChem exports on-demand reports by scoring the profiling efficiency, modification homogeneity and proteome-wide residue selectivity of a tested probe. The performance and robustness of pChem were benchmarked by applying it to eighteen bioorthogonal probes. These analyses reveal that the formation of unexpected probe-derived modifications can be driven by endogenous reactive metabolites (for example, bioactive aldehydes and glutathione). pChem is a powerful and user-friendly tool that aims to facilitate the development of probes for the ever-growing field of chemoproteomics.

Profiling of post-translational modifications by chemical and computational proteomics

Post-translational modifications (PTMs) diversify the molecular structures of proteins and play essential roles in regulating their functions. Abnormal PTM status has been linked to a variety of developmental disorders and human diseases, highlighting the importance of studying PTMs in understanding physiological processes and discovering novel nodes and links with therapeutic intervention potential. Classical biochemical methods are suitable for studying PTMs on individual proteins; however, global profiling of PTMs in proteomes remains a challenging task. In this feature article, we start with a brief review of the traditional affinity-based strategies and shift the emphasis to summarizing recent progress in the development and application of chemical and computational proteomic strategies to delineate the global landscapes of functional PTMs. Finally, we discuss current challenges in PTM detection and provide future perspectives on how the field can be further advanced.

Quantitative Profiling of Protein-Derived Electrophilic Cofactors in Bacterial Cells with a Hydrazine-Derived Probe

Post-translational modification of proteins can form electrophilic cofactors that serve as a catalytic center. The derived electrophilic cofactors greatly expand protein activities and functions. However, there are few studies concerning how to profile the electrophiles in bacteria. Herein, we utilized a clickable probe called propargyl hydrazine to profile the protein-derived electrophilic cofactors in Escherichia coli (E. coli) cells. Since the cofactors are mostly carbonyl groups, the hydrazine-based probe can specifically react with the cofactors to form a Schiff base. The labeled proteins were then pulled down for mass spectrometry (MS) analysis. Fourteen proteins were shown to undergo enrichment by the probe and competitive binding by its analogue, propyl hydrazine. The identified proteins were further analyzed with targeted proteomics based on parallel reaction monitoring (PRM). Using this strategy, we obtained a global portrait of protein electrophiles in bacterial cells, among which the proteins of speD and panD were previously reported to derive pyruvoyl group as an electrophilic center while lpp can retain N-terminal formyl methionine. This quantitative chemical proteomics strategy can be used to find out protein electrophiles in bacteria and holds great potential to further characterize the protein functions.

The Chemistry of Protein Oxidation in Food

Oxidation is one of the deterioration reactions of proteins in food, the importance of which is comparable to others such as Maillard, lipation, or protein-phenol reactions. While research on protein oxidation has led to a precise understanding of the processes and consequences in physiological systems, knowledge about the specific effects of protein oxidation in food or the role of "oxidized" dietary protein for the human body is comparatively scarce. Food protein oxidation can occur during the whole processing axis, from primary production to intestinal digestion. The present review summarizes the current knowledge and mechanisms of food protein oxidation from a chemical, technological, and nutritional-physiological viewpoint and gives a comprehensive classification of the individual reactions. Different analytical approaches are compared, and the relationship between oxidation of food proteins and oxidative stress in vivo is critically evaluated.

Proteome-Wide Analysis of Cysteine S-Sulfenylation Using a Benzothiazine-Based Probe

Oxidation of a protein cysteinyl thiol (Cys-SH) to S-sulfenic acid (Cys-SOH) by a reactive oxygen species (e.g., hydrogen peroxide), which is termed protein S-sulfenylation, is a reversible post-translational modification that plays a crucial role in redox regulation of protein function in various biological processes. Due to its intrinsically labile nature, protein S-sulfenylation cannot be directly detected or analyzed. Chemoselective probing has been the method of choice for analyzing S-sulfenylated proteins either in vitro or in situ, as it allows stabilization and direct detection of this transient oxidative intermediate. However, it remains challenging to globally pinpoint the specific S-sulfenylated cysteine sites on complex proteomes and to quantify their dynamic changes upon oxidative stress. This unit describes how a benzothiazine-based chemoselective probe called BTD and mass spectrometry based chemoproteomics can be used to globally and site-specifically identify and quantify protein S-sulfenylation. © 2018 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.