Targeted Mass Spectrometry-Based Assays for Relative Quantification of 30 Brain-Related Proteins and Their Clinical Applications

Identification of brain-enriched proteins in CSF as biomarkers of relapsing remitting multiple sclerosis

BACKGROUND

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a clinically and biologically heterogenous disease with currently unpredictable progression and relapse. After the development and success of neurofilament as a cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) biomarker, there is reinvigorated interest in identifying other markers of or contributors to disease. The objective of this study is to probe the predictive potential of a panel of brain-enriched proteins on MS disease progression and subtype.

METHODS

This study includes 40 individuals with MS and 14 headache controls. The MS cohort consists of 20 relapsing remitting (RR) and 20 primary progressive (PP) patients. The CSF of all individuals was analyzed for 63 brain enriched proteins using a method of liquid-chromatography tandem mass spectrometry. Wilcoxon rank sum test, Kruskal-Wallis one-way ANOVA, logistic regression, and Pearson correlation were used to refine the list of candidates by comparing relative protein concentrations as well as relation to known imaging and molecular biomarkers.

RESULTS

We report 30 proteins with some relevance to disease, clinical subtype, or severity. Strikingly, we observed widespread protein depletion in the disease CSF as compared to control. We identified numerous markers of relapsing disease, including KLK6 (kallikrein 6, OR = 0.367, p < 0.05), which may be driven by active disease as defined by MRI enhancing lesions. Other oligodendrocyte-enriched proteins also appeared at reduced levels in relapsing disease, namely CNDP1 (carnosine dipeptidase 1), LINGO1 (leucine rich repeat and Immunoglobin-like domain-containing protein 1), MAG (myelin associated glycoprotein), and MOG (myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein). Finally, we identified three proteins-CNDP1, APLP1 (amyloid beta precursor like protein 1), and OLFM1 (olfactomedin 1)-that were statistically different in relapsing vs. progressive disease raising the potential for use as an early biomarker to discriminate clinical subtype.

CONCLUSIONS

We illustrate the utility of targeted mass spectrometry in generating potential targets for future biomarker studies and highlight reductions in brain-enriched proteins as markers of the relapsing remitting disease stage.

Identification and Quantification of Human Relaxin Proteins by Immunoaffinity-Mass Spectrometry

The human relaxins belong to the Insulin/IGF/Relaxin superfamily of peptide hormones, and their physiological function is primarily associated with reproduction. In this study, we focused on a prostate tissue-specific relaxin RLN1 (REL1_HUMAN protein) and a broader tissue specificity RLN2 (REL2_HUMAN protein). Due to their structural similarity, REL1 and REL2 proteins were collectively named a 'human relaxin protein' in previous studies and were exclusively measured by immunoassays. We hypothesized that the highly selective and sensitive immunoaffinity-selected reaction monitoring (IA-SRM) assays would reveal the identity and abundance of the endogenous REL1 and REL2 in biological samples and facilitate the evaluation of these proteins for diagnostic applications. High levels of RLN1 and RLN2 transcripts were found in prostate and breast cancer cell lines by RT-PCR. However, no endogenous prorelaxin-1 or mature REL1 were detected by IA-SRM in cell lines, seminal plasma, or blood serum. The IA-SRM assay of REL2 demonstrated its undetectable levels (<9.4 pg/mL) in healthy control female and male sera and relatively high levels of REL2 in maternal sera across different gestational weeks (median 331 pg/mL; N = 120). IA-SRM assays uncovered potential cross-reactivity and nonspecific binding for relaxin immunoassays. The developed IA-SRM assays will facilitate the investigation of the physiological and pathological roles of REL1 and REL2 proteins.

Development and application of a multiple reaction monitoring method for the simultaneous quantification of sodium channels Nav 1.1, Nav 1.2, and Nav 1.6 in solubilized membrane proteins from stable HEK293 cell lines, rodents, and human brain tissues

RATIONALE

Nav 1.1, 1.2, and 1.6 are transmembrane proteins acting as voltage-gated sodium channels implicated in various forms of epilepsy. There is a need for knowing their actual concentration in target tissues during drug development.

METHODS

Unique peptides for Nav 1.1, Nav 1.2, and Nav 1.6 were selected as quantotropic peptides for each protein and used for their quantification in membranes from stably transfected HEK293 cells and rodent and human brain samples using ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry.

RESULTS

Nav 1.1, 1.2, and 1.6 protein expressions in three stably individually transfected HEK293 cell lines were found to be 2.1 ± 0.2, 6.4 ± 1.2, and 4.0 ± 0.6 fmol/μg membrane protein, respectively. In brains, Nav 1.2 showed the highest expression, with approximately three times higher (P < 0.003) in rodents than in humans at 3.05 ± 0.57, with 3.35 ± 0.56 in mouse and rat brains and 1.09 ± 0.27 fmol/μg in human brain. Both Nav 1.1 and 1.6 expressions were much lower in the brains, with approximately 40% less expression in human Nav 1.1 than rodent Nav 1.1 at 0.49 ± 0.1 (mouse), 0.43 ± 0.3 (rat), and 0.28 ± 0.04 (humans); whereas Nav 1.6 had approximately 60% less expression in humans than rodents at 0.27 ± 0.09 (mouse), 0.26 ± 0.06 (rat), and 0.11 ± 0.02 (humans) fmol/μg membrane proteins.

CONCLUSIONS

Multiple reaction monitoring was used to quantify sodium channels Nav 1.1, 1.2, and 1.6 expressed in stably transfected HEK293 cells and brain tissues from mice, rats, and humans. We found significant differences in the expression of these channels in mouse, rat, and human brains. Nav expression ranking among the three species was Nav 1.2 ≫ Nav 1.1 > Nav 1.6, with the human brain expressing much lower concentrations overall compared to rodent brain.

Diagnostic and progression biomarkers in cerebrospinal fluid of Alzheimer's disease patients

In this commentary, we address a paper published by Johnson et al. by assessing the robustness of their method to discover diagnostic biomarkers in Alzheimer's disease (AD). In addition, we examine how these newly discovered and previously discovered biomarkers, can play a role in assisting patients with AD and those at risk for developing AD, with an emphasis on the translational hurdles that accompany such discoveries.

Redefining serological diagnostics with immunoaffinity proteomics

Serological diagnostics is generally defined as the detection of specific human immunoglobulins developed against viral, bacterial, or parasitic diseases. Serological tests facilitate the detection of past infections, evaluate immune status, and provide prognostic information. Serological assays were traditionally implemented as indirect immunoassays, and their design has not changed for decades. The advantages of straightforward setup and manufacturing, analytical sensitivity and specificity, affordability, and high-throughput measurements were accompanied by limitations such as semi-quantitative measurements, lack of universal reference standards, potential cross-reactivity, and challenges with multiplexing the complete panel of human immunoglobulin isotypes and subclasses. Redesign of conventional serological tests to include multiplex quantification of immunoglobulin isotypes and subclasses, utilize universal reference standards, and minimize cross-reactivity and non-specific binding will facilitate the development of assays with higher diagnostic specificity. Improved serological assays with higher diagnostic specificity will enable screenings of asymptomatic populations and may provide earlier detection of infectious diseases, autoimmune disorders, and cancer. In this review, we present the major clinical needs for serological diagnostics, overview conventional immunoassay detection techniques, present the emerging immunoassay detection technologies, and discuss in detail the advantages and limitations of mass spectrometry and immunoaffinity proteomics for serological diagnostics. Finally, we explore the design of novel immunoaffinity-proteomic assays to evaluate cell-mediated immunity and advance the sequencing of clinically relevant immunoglobulins.

Cerebrospinal fluid camk2a levels at baseline predict long-term progression in multiple sclerosis

BACKGROUND

Multiple sclerosis (MS) remains a highly unpredictable disease. Many hope that fluid biomarkers may contribute to better stratification of disease, aiding the personalisation of treatment decisions, ultimately improving patient outcomes.

OBJECTIVE

The objective of this study was to evaluate the predictive value of CSF brain-specific proteins from early in the disease course of MS on long term clinical outcomes.

METHODS

In this study, 34 MS patients had their CSF collected and stored within 5 years of disease onset and were then followed clinically for at least 15 years. CSF concentrations of 64 brain-specific proteins were analyzed in the 34 patient CSF, as well as 19 age and sex-matched controls, using a targeted liquid-chromatography tandem mass spectrometry approach.

RESULTS

We identified six CSF brain-specific proteins that significantly differentiated MS from controls (p < 0.05) and nine proteins that could predict disease course over the next decade. CAMK2A emerged as a biomarker candidate that could discriminate between MS and controls and could predict long-term disease progression.

CONCLUSION

Targeted approaches to identify and quantify biomarkers associated with MS in the CSF may inform on long term MS outcomes. CAMK2A may be one of several candidates, warranting further exploration.

Germ cell-specific proteins AKAP4 and ASPX facilitate identification of rare spermatozoa in non-obstructive azoospermia

Non-obstructive azoospermia (NOA), the most severe form of male infertility, could be treated with intra-cytoplasmic sperm injection, providing spermatozoa were retrieved with the microdissection testicular sperm extraction (mTESE). We hypothesized that testis- and germ cell-specific proteins would facilitate flow cytometry-assisted identification of rare spermatozoa in semen cell pellets of NOA patients, thus enabling non-invasive diagnostics prior to mTESE. Data mining, targeted proteomics, and immunofluorescent microscopy identified and verified a panel of highly testis-specific proteins expressed at the continuum of germ cell differentiation. Late germ cell-specific proteins AKAP4_HUMAN and ASPX_HUMAN (ACRV1 gene) revealed exclusive localization in spermatozoa tails and acrosomes, respectively. A multiplex imaging flow cytometry assay facilitated fast and unambiguous identification of rare but morphologically intact AKAP4⁺/ASPX⁺/Hoechst⁺ spermatozoa within debris-laden semen pellets of NOA patients. While the previously suggested markers for spermatozoa retrieval suffered from low diagnostic specificity, the multi-step gating strategy and visualization of AKAP4⁺/ASPX⁺/Hoechst⁺ cells with elongated tails and acrosome-capped nuclei facilitated fast and unambiguous identification of the mature intact spermatozoa. AKAP4⁺/ASPX⁺/Hoechst⁺ assay may emerge as a non-invasive test to predict retrieval of morphologically intact spermatozoa by mTESE, thus improving diagnostics and treatment of severe forms of male infertility.

Rational Design and Development of SARS-CoV-2 Serological Diagnostics by Immunoprecipitation-Targeted Proteomics

Current design of serological tests utilizes conservative immunoassay approaches and is focused on fast and convenient assay development, throughput, straightforward measurements, and affordability. Limitations of common serological assays include semiquantitative measurements, cross-reactivity, lack of reference standards, and no differentiation between human immunoglobulin subclasses. In this study, we suggested that a combination of immunoaffinity enrichments with targeted proteomics would enable rational design and development of serological assays of infectious diseases, such as COVID-19. Immunoprecipitation-targeted proteomic assays allowed for sensitive and specific measurements of NCAP_SARS2 protein with a limit of detection of 313 pg/mL in serum and enabled differential quantification of anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibody isotypes (IgG, IgA, IgM, IgD, and IgE) and individual subclasses (IgG1-4 and IgA1-2) in plasma and saliva. Simultaneous evaluation of the numerous antigen–antibody subclass combinations revealed a receptor-binding domain (RBD)-IgG1 as a combination with the highest diagnostic performance. Further validation revealed that anti-RBD IgG1, IgG3, IgM, and IgA1 levels were significantly elevated in convalescent plasma, while IgG2, IgG4, and IgA2 were not informative. Anti-RBD IgG1 levels in convalescent (2138 ng/mL) vs negative (95 ng/mL) plasma revealed 385 ng/mL as a cutoff to detect COVID-19 convalescent plasma. Immunoprecipitation-targeted proteomic assays will facilitate improvement and standardization of the existing serological tests, enable rational design of novel tests, and offer tools for the comprehensive investigation of immunoglobulin subclass cooperation in immune response.

Different Metabolomic and Proteomic Profiles of Cerebrospinal Fluid in Ventricular and Lumbar Compartments in Relation to Leptomeningeal Metastases

The different molecular profiles of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) between ventricular and lumbar compartments remain elusive, especially in the context of leptomeningeal metastasis (LM), which affects CSF flow. We evaluated CSF metabolomic and proteomic profiles based on the compartments and the diagnosis of spinal LM, proved by MRI from 20 paired ventricular and lumbar CSF samples of LM patients, including 12 spinal LM (+) samples. In metabolome analysis, 9512 low-mass ions (LMIs) were identified-7 LMIs were abundant in all lumbar versus paired ventricular CSF samples, and 3 LMIs were significantly abundant in all ventricular CSF. In comparisons between spinal LM (+) CSF and LM (-) CSF, 105 LMIs were discriminative for spinal LM (+) CSF. In proteome analysis, a total of 1536 proteins were measured. A total of 18 proteins, including complement C3, were more highly expressed in all lumbar CSF, compared with paired ventricular CSF, while 82 proteins, including coagulation factor V, were higher in the ventricular CSF. Of 37 discriminative proteins, including uteroglobin and complement component C8 gamma chain, 4 were higher in all spinal LM (+) CSF versus spinal LM (-) CSF. We further evaluated metabolic pathways associated with these discriminative proteins using the Gene Ontology database. We found that 16/17 spinal LM (+) pathways, including complement activation, were associated with lumbar discriminative proteins, whereas only 2 pathways were associated with ventricular-discriminative proteins. In conclusion, we determined that metabolite and protein profiles differed between paired lumbar and ventricular CSF samples. The protein profiles of spinal LM (+) CSF showed more similarity with the lumbar CSF than the ventricular CSF. Thus, we suggest that CSF LMIs and proteins could reflect LM disease activity and that LM-associated differences in CSF are more likely to be present in the lumbar compartment.

Mass spectrometry-based proteomics in basic and translational research of SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus and its emerging mutants

Molecular diagnostics of the coronavirus disease of 2019 (COVID-19) now mainly relies on the measurements of viral RNA by RT-PCR, or detection of anti-viral antibodies by immunoassays. In this review, we discussed the perspectives of mass spectrometry-based proteomics as an analytical technique to identify and quantify proteins of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), and to enable basic research and clinical studies on COVID-19. While RT-PCR and RNA sequencing are indisputably powerful techniques for the detection of SARS-CoV-2 and identification of the emerging mutations, proteomics may provide confirmatory diagnostic information and complimentary biological knowledge on protein abundance, post-translational modifications, protein-protein interactions, and the functional impact of the emerging mutations. Pending advances in sensitivity and throughput of mass spectrometry and liquid chromatography, shotgun and targeted proteomic assays may find their niche for the differential quantification of viral proteins in clinical and environmental samples. Targeted proteomic assays in combination with immunoaffinity enrichments also provide orthogonal tools to evaluate cross-reactivity of serology tests and facilitate development of tests with the nearly perfect diagnostic specificity, this enabling reliable testing of broader populations for the acquired immunity. The coronavirus pandemic of 2019-2021 is another reminder that the future global pandemics may be inevitable, but their impact could be mitigated with the novel tools and assays, such as mass spectrometry-based proteomics, to enable continuous monitoring of emerging viruses, and to facilitate rapid response to novel infectious diseases.

Development of robust targeted proteomics assays for cerebrospinal fluid biomarkers in multiple sclerosis

Background

Verification of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) biomarkers for multiple sclerosis and other neurological diseases is a major challenge due to a large number of candidates, limited sample material availability, disease and biological heterogeneity, and the lack of standardized assays. Furthermore, verification studies are often based on a low number of proteins from a single discovery experiment in medium-sized cohorts, where antibodies and surrogate peptides may differ, thus only providing an indication of proteins affected by the disease and not revealing the bigger picture or concluding on the validity of the markers. We here present a standard approach for locating promising biomarker candidates based on existing knowledge, resulting in high-quality assays covering the main biological processes affected by multiple sclerosis for comparable measurements over time.

Methods

Biomarker candidates were located in CSF-PR (proteomics.uib.no/csf-pr), and further filtered based on estimated concentration in CSF and biological function. Peptide surrogates for internal standards were selected according to relevant criteria, parallel reaction monitoring (PRM) assays created, and extensive assay quality testing performed, i.e. intra- and inter-day variation, trypsin digestion status over time, and whether the peptides were able to separate multiple sclerosis patients and controls.

Results

Assays were developed for 25 proteins, represented by 72 peptides selected according to relevant guidelines and available literature and tested for assay peptide suitability. Stability testing revealed 64 peptides with low intra- and inter-day variations, with 44 also being stably digested after 16 h of trypsin digestion, and 37 furthermore showing a significant difference between multiple sclerosis and controls, thereby confirming literature findings. Calibration curves and the linear area of measurement have, so far, been determined for 17 of these peptides.

Conclusions

We present 37 high-quality PRM assays across 21 CSF-proteins found to be affected by multiple sclerosis, along with a recommended workflow for future development of new assays. The assays can directly be used by others, thus enabling better comparison between studies. Finally, the assays can robustly and stably monitor biological processes in multiple sclerosis patients over time, thus potentially aiding in diagnosis and prognosis, and ultimately in treatment decisions.

Mass Spectrometry-Based Assay for Targeting Fifty-Two Proteins of Brain Origin in Cerebrospinal Fluid

Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) is a circulatory fluid of the central nervous system and it can reflect the biochemical changes occurring in the brain. Although CSF retrieval through lumbar puncture is invasive, it remains the most commonly used fluid in exploring brain pathology as it is less complex and contains a higher concentration of brain-derived proteins than plasma (Reiber, H. Clin. Chim. Acta 2001, 310, 173-186; Macron et al. J. Proteome Res. 2018, 17, 4315-4319). We hypothesize that proteins produced by the brain will have diagnostic significance for brain pathologies. Hence, we expanded the previously in-house-developed 31-protein panel with more proteins classified as brain-specific by the Human Protein Atlas (HPA). Using the HPA, we selected 76 protein coding genes and screened CSF using liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) and narrowed the protein list to candidates identified endogenously in CSF. Next, we developed a parallel reaction monitoring (PRM) assay for the 21 new proteins and merged it with the 31-protein assay developed earlier. In the process, we evaluated different screening strategies and optimized MS collision energies and ion isolation windows to achieve the highest possible analyte signal resulting in the PRM assay with an average linear dynamic range of 4.3 × 10³. We also assessed the extent of Asn (N)-Gln (Q) deamidation, N-terminal pyro-Glu (E) conversion, and Met (M) oxidation and found that deamidation can be misassigned without high mass accuracy and high-resolution settings. We also assessed how many of these proteins could be reliably measured in 10 individual patient CSF samples. Our approach allows us to measure the relative levels of 52 brain-derived proteins in CSF by a single LC-MS method. This new assay may have important applications in discovering CSF biomarkers for various neurological diseases.

Identification of TEX101-associated Proteins Through Proteomic Measurement of Human Spermatozoa Homozygous for the Missense Variant rs35033974

TEX101 is a germ-cell-specific protein and a validated biomarker of male infertility. Mouse TEX101 was found essential for male fertility and was suggested to function as a cell surface chaperone involved in maturation of proteins required for sperm migration and sperm-oocyte interaction. However, the precise functional role of human TEX101 is not known and cannot be studied in vitro due to the lack of human germ cell lines. Here, we genotyped 386 men for a common missense variant rs35033974 of TEX101 and identified 52 heterozygous and 4 homozygous men. We then discovered by targeted proteomics that the variant allele rs35033974 was associated with the near-complete degradation (>97%) of the corresponding G99V TEX101 form and suggested that spermatozoa of homozygous men could serve as a knockdown model to study TEX101 function in humans. Differential proteomic profiling with label-free quantification measured 8,046 proteins in spermatozoa of eight men and identified eight cell-surface and nine secreted testis-specific proteins significantly down-regulated in four patients homozygous for rs35033974. Substantially reduced levels of testis-specific cell-surface proteins potentially involved in sperm migration and sperm-oocyte interaction (including LY6K and ADAM29) were confirmed by targeted proteomics and Western blotting assays. Because recent population-scale genomic data revealed homozygous fathers with biological children, rs35033974 is not a monogenic factor of male infertility in humans. However, median TEX101 levels in seminal plasma were found fivefold lower (p = 0.0005) in heterozygous than in wild-type men of European ancestry. We conclude that spermatozoa of rs35033974 homozygous men have substantially reduced levels of TEX101 and could be used as a model to elucidate the precise TEX101 function, which will advance biology of human reproduction.

Discovery of a Human Testis-specific Protein Complex TEX101-DPEP3 and Selection of Its Disrupting Antibodies

TEX101 is a testis-specific protein expressed exclusively in male germ cells and is a validated biomarker of male infertility. Studies in mice suggest that TEX101 is a cell-surface chaperone which regulates, through protein-protein interactions, the maturation of proteins involved in spermatozoa transit and oocyte binding. Male TEX101-null mice are sterile. Here, we identified by co-immunoprecipitation-mass spectrometry the interactome of human TEX101 in testicular tissues and spermatozoa. The testis-specific cell-surface dipeptidase 3 (DPEP3) emerged as the top hit. We further validated the TEX101-DPEP3 complex by using hybrid immunoassays. Combinations of antibodies recognizing different epitopes of TEX101 and DPEP3 facilitated development of a simple immunoassay to screen for disruptors of TEX101-DPEP3 complex. As a proof-of-a-concept, we demonstrated that anti-TEX101 antibody T4 disrupted the native TEX101-DPEP3 complex. Disrupting antibodies may be used to study the human TEX101-DPEP3 complex, and to develop modulators for male fertility.

Neuronal pentraxin receptor-1 is a new cerebrospinal fluid biomarker of Alzheimer's disease progression

Background: Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most common type of dementia, with progressive onset of clinical symptoms. The main pathological hallmarks are brain deposits of extracellular amyloid beta plaques and intracellular neurofibrillary tangles (NFT). Cerebrospinal fluid reflects pathological changes in the brain; amyloid beta 1-42 is a marker of amyloid plaques, while total and phosphorylated tau are markers of NFT formation. Additional biomarkers associated with disease pathogenesis are needed, for better prognosis, more specific diagnosis, prediction of disease severity and progression and for improved patient classification in clinical trials. The aim of the present study was to evaluate brain-specific proteins as potential biomarkers of progression of AD. Methods: Overall, 30 candidate proteins were quantified in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) samples from patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and mild, moderate and severe AD dementia (n=101) using mass spectrometry-based selected reaction monitoring assays. ELISA was used for neuronal pentraxin receptor-1 (NPTXR) confirmation. Results: The best discrimination between MCI and more advanced AD stages (moderate and severe dementia) was observed for protein NPTXR (area under the curve, AUC=0.799). A statistically different abundance of this protein was observed between the two groups, with severe AD patients having progressively lower levels (p<0.05). ELISA confirmed lower levels in AD, in a separate cohort that included controls, MCI and AD patients. Conclusions: We conclude that NPTXR protein in CSF is a novel potential biomarker of AD progression and could have important utility in assessing treatment success in clinical trials.