Identification and characterization of new protein chemoattractants in the frog skin secretome

The kinematics and functional significance of chemosensory tongue-flicking in northern water snakes (Nerodia sipedon) on land, in water, and in between

As organisms transition between different environments, they must do more than simply move through that transition and those environments. Changes in the environment must be detected via the senses. The types of sensory information and the mechanisms of collecting that information may also change as an individual moves through different environments. We use tongue-flicking in northern water snakes, Nerodia sipedon, to examine the mechanics of sensory behavior as snakes move from terrestrial to aquatic habitats. A combination of high-speed video and mesocosm experiment revealed that water snakes will alter the mechanics of tongue-flicking in the context of their environment. Tongue-flicks on land are distinctive, with multiple oscillations, large protrusion distance, and high velocities. Comparatively, tongue-flicks under water are much shorter events, with reduced protrusion and fewer oscillations. At the surface of the water, in the presence of potential anuran prey, water snakes will tap the tips of the tongue on the surface of the water, without undergoing the full oscillations observed on land or underwater. We attribute the differences in the aerial and underwater tongue-flicks to trade-offs in the physical and chemical properties of the environment. The surface tapping behavior we observed is likely snakes altering their behavior to maximize the encounter and collection of frog-specific chemical cues, which are known to travel on the water's surface. Given the ecological transitions and distinctive biogeographical patterns rooted in water snake ecology, there are likely more examples of changing sensory mechanics to be discovered upon further investigation. All our knowledge begins with the senses. (Immanuel Kant, Critique of Pure Reason, 1781).

What Is Parvalbumin for?

Parvalbumin (PA) is a small, acidic, mostly cytosolic Ca2+-binding protein of the EF-hand superfamily. Structural and physical properties of PA are well studied but recently two highly conserved structural motifs consisting of three amino acids each (clusters I and II), which contribute to the hydrophobic core of the EF-hand domains, have been revealed. Despite several decades of studies, physiological functions of PA are still poorly known. Since no target proteins have been revealed for PA so far, it is believed that PA acts as a slow calcium buffer. Numerous experiments on various muscle systems have shown that PA accelerates the relaxation of fast skeletal muscles. It has been found that oxidation of PA by reactive oxygen species (ROS) is conformation-dependent and one more physiological function of PA in fast muscles could be a protection of these cells from ROS. PA is thought to regulate calcium-dependent metabolic and electric processes within the population of gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) neurons. Genetic elimination of PA results in changes in GABAergic synaptic transmission. Mammalian oncomodulin (OM), the β isoform of PA, is expressed mostly in cochlear outer hair cells and in vestibular hair cells. OM knockout mice lose their hearing after 3–4 months. It was suggested that, in sensory cells, OM maintains auditory function, most likely affecting outer hair cells’ motility mechanisms.

Proteomics Analysis in Japanese Medaka Oryzias latipes Exposed to Humic Acid Revealed Suppression of Innate Immunity and Coagulation Proteins

Simple Summary

Humic acids are one of the main components of the natural organic matter in surface waters that give them brown color. These compounds are known to have positive effects on aquatic animals such as increased growth and stress resistance. At the same time, there is experimental evidence that humic acids, being natural xenobiotics, act as follows: they cause stress responses at the molecular level. Our aim was to study humic acid-related effects on fish by performing the proteomic analysis of the blood plasma from Japanese medaka exposed to humic acid in concentrations that can be found in natural waters. Results of the study showed that most of the plasma proteins in the exposed fish had a lower abundance compared to that of the intact fish; humic acid caused a reduction in circulating levels of complement components, coagulation factors, and their regulators.

Abstract

Humic acids (HA), one of the major components of dissolved organic matter, can interfere with different metabolic pathways in aquatic animals, causing various biological effects. This study aimed to provide a molecular basis for HA-related responses in fish by analyzing changes in the blood plasma proteome following short-term exposure to environmentally relevant HA concentrations using the Japanese medaka Oryzias latipes Hd-rR strain as a model organism. Proteomics data were obtained by high-performance liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry analysis employing a label-free quantification approach. HA caused dysregulation of proteins involved in various biological processes, including protein folding, signaling, transport, metabolism, regulation, immune response, and coagulation. The majority of the differentially abundant proteins were down-regulated, including those involved in humoral immunity and coagulation. HA caused the decrease of the complement cascade and membrane attack complex proteins abundance, as well as proteins participating in activation and regulation of secondary hemostasis. The most pronounced suppression was observed at the highest tested HA concentration.

Protein Composition and Biomedical Potential of the Skin Secretion of Hylarana erythraea (Schlegel, 1837) (Anura: Ranidae) from Langkawi Archipelago, Kedah, Peninsular Malaysia

The skin secretion of amphibians is known for its high content of bioactive compounds. These bioactive compounds are essential for the advancement of biomedical industries. Four wild green paddy frogs, Hylarana erythraea, were collected from various habitat types within the Langkawi Archipelago. These frogs' skin secretions were collected, extracted, and analysed for their protein compounds together with biomedical potentials using liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS). The total protein concentration of H. erythraea skin secretions was determined as 0.269 mg/mL. Based on the UniProt (Anura) database, we identified 29 proteins. These proteins were categorised as antimicrobial (AMP) (38%), followed by hormone (17%), enzyme (17%), unreviewed proteins (17%), structural proteins (7%), and regulatory proteins (4%). The AMPs identified were from the family of esculentin-1, esculentin-2, brevinin-1, and frenatin-4, while the hormones belonged to the cholecystokinin group. The enzymes detected were adenylate cyclase 9, the suppressor of tumorigenicity 14 protein homolog, and the HGF activator. The structural proteins belonged to toe pad keratin 2 and Krt5.7 proteins, while the single regulatory protein is CCR4-NOT transcription complex subunit 6-like. These proteins have a wide range of biomedical importance, such as wound healings, facilitate digestions, anti-tumours, and anti-cancer effect.

Development and validation of protein biomarkers of health in grizzly bears

Large carnivores play critical roles in the maintenance and function of natural ecosystems; however, the populations of many of these species are in decline across the globe. Therefore, there is an urgent need to develop novel techniques that can be used as sensitive conservation tools to detect new threats to the health of individual animals well in advance of population-level effects. Our study aimed to determine the expression of proteins related to energetics, reproduction and stress in the skin of grizzly bears (Ursus arctos) using a liquid chromatography and multiple reaction monitoring mass spectrometry assay. We hypothesized that a suite of target proteins could be measured using this technique and that the expression of these proteins would be associated with biological (sex, age, sample location on body) and environmental (geographic area, season, sample year) variables. Small skin biopsies were collected from free-ranging grizzly bears in Alberta, Canada, from 2013 to 2019 (n = 136 samples from 111 individuals). Over 700 proteins were detected in the skin of grizzly bears, 19 of which were chosen as targets because of their established roles in physiological function. Generalized linear mixed model analysis was used for each target protein. Results indicate that sample year influenced the majority of proteins, suggesting that physiological changes may be driven in part by responses to changes in the environment. Season influenced the expression of proteins related to energetics, reproduction and stress, all of which were lower during fall compared to early spring. The expression of proteins related to energetics and stress varied by geographic area, while the majority of proteins that were affected by biological attributes (age class, sex and age class by sex interaction) were related to reproduction and stress. This study provides a novel method by which scientists and managers can further assess and monitor physiological function in wildlife.

Identification and characterization of parvalbumin-like protein in Trichophyton violaceum

Parvalbumins play crucial physiological roles in neuromuscular systems of vertebrates, such as cell-cycle, development of neurons, contraction of muscles, and regulation of intracellular calcium. To perform these neuromuscular functions, parvalbumin may be in associated with other proteins including calbindin, carbonic anhydrase, and cytochrome oxidase. Humans may show an IgE-specific hypersensitivity to parvalbumins after consumption of some distinct fish species. While this protein is abundant in fish muscles, literature review of publications related to fish parvalbumins, do not point to the presence of parvalbumins in eukaryotic microbes. In this study, we propose that distantly related parvalbumins may be found in some non-fish species. Bioinformatics studies such as multiple sequence alignment (MSA), phylogenetic analysis as well as molecular-based experiments indicate that, at least two parvalbumins sequences (UniProt IDs: A0A178F775 and A0A178F7E4) with EF-hand domains and Ca²⁺-binding sites could be identified in Trichophyton violaceum, a pathogenic fungal species. It was determined that both genes consisted of a single exon and encoded for parvalbumin proteins possessing conserved amino acid motifs. Antigenicity prediction revealed antigenic sites located in both sides of the Ca²⁺-binding site of the first EF-hand domain. Our phylogenetic analysis revealed that one of parvalbumins (UniProt ID: 0A178F775) can be evolved to other parvalbumins in T. violaceum (UniProt ID: A0A178F7E4) and fish species through evolutionary phenomenon. To confirm our in-silico findings, we designed three primer pairs to detect one of the T. violaceum parvalbumins (UniProt ID: A0A178F7E4) by polymerase chain reaction (PCR); one primer pair showed a strong and specific band in agarose gel electrophoresis. To evaluate the specificity of the method, the primers were tested on extracted DNA from Trichophyton rubrum and T. mentagrophytes. The results demonstrated that the evaluated parvalbumin gene (UniProt ID: A0A178F7E4) was T. violaceum-specific and this pathogenic fungus can be differentiated from T. rubrum and T. mentagrophytes through identification of parvalbumin genes. Further studies are necessary to unravel the biochemical and physiological functions of parvalbumins in T. violaceum.

Proteomic Analysis of Human Dermal Fibroblast Conditioned Medium (DFCM)

Growth factors and extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins are involved in wound healing. Human dermal fibroblasts secrete wound-healing mediators in culture medium known as dermal fibroblast conditioned medium (DFCM). However, the composition and concentration of the secreted proteins differ with culture conditions and environmental factors. We cultured human skin fibroblasts in vitro using serum-free keratinocyte-specific media (EpiLife™ Medium [KM1] and defined keratinocyte serum-free medium [KM2]) and serum-free fibroblast-specific medium (FM) to obtain DFCM-KM1, DFCM-KM2 and DFCM-FM, respectively. We identified and compared their proteomic profiles using bicinchoninic acid assay (BCA), 1-dimensional sodium dodecyl sulphate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (1D SDS-PAGE), enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), matrix-assisted laser desorption ionisation-time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF/TOF MS/MS) and liquid chromatography MS (LC-MS/MS). DFCM-KM1 and DFCM-KM2 had higher protein concentrations than DFCM-FM but not statistically significant. MALDI-TOF/TOF MS identified the presence of fibronectin, serotransferrin, serpin and serum albumin. LC-MS/MS and bioinformatics analysis identified 59, 46 and 58 secreted proteins in DFCM-KM1, DFCM-KM2 and DFCM-FM, respectively. The most significant biological processes identified in gene ontology were cellular process, metabolic process, growth and biological regulation. STRING® analysis showed that most secretory proteins in the DFCMs were associated with biological processes (e.g. wound healing and ECM organisation), molecular function (e.g. ECM binding) and cellular component (e.g. extracellular space). ELISA confirmed the presence of fibronectin and collagen in the DFCMs. In conclusion, DFCM secretory proteins are involved in cell adhesion, attachment, proliferation and migration, which were demonstrated to have potential wound-healing effects by in vitro and in vivo studies.

An integrative omics perspective for the analysis of chemical signals in ecological interactions

All living organisms emit, detect, and respond to chemical stimuli, thus creating an almost limitless number of interactions by means of chemical signals.

An Optimized Approach to Recover Secreted Proteins from Fibroblast Conditioned-Media for Secretomic Analysis

The proteins secreted by a particular type of cell, the secretome, play important roles in the regulation of many physiological processes via paracrine/autocrine mechanisms, and they are of increasing interest to help understanding rare diseases and to identify potential biomarkers and therapeutic targets. To facilitate ongoing research involving secreted proteins, we revisited cell culture protocols and whole secreted protein enrichment protocols. A reliable method for culturing and precipitating secreted protein from patient-derived fibroblast conditioned-medium was established. The method is based on the optimization of cell confluency and incubation time conditions. The well-established carrier-based TCA-DOC protein precipitation method was consistently found to give higher protein recovery yield. According to our results, we therefore propose that protein enrichment should be performed by TCA-DOC precipitation method after 48 h at 95% of confluence in a serum-deprived culture medium. Given the importance of secreted proteins as a source to elucidate the pathogenesis of rare diseases, especially neurological disorders, this approach may help to discover novel candidate biomarkers with potential clinical significance.

Proteomic identification of hair cell repair proteins in the model sea anemone Nematostella vectensis

Sea anemones have an extraordinary capability to repair damaged hair bundles, even after severe trauma. A group of secreted proteins, named repair proteins (RPs), found in mucus covering sea anemones significantly assists the repair of damaged hair bundle mechanoreceptors both in the sea anemone Haliplanella luciae and the blind cavefish Astyanax hubbsi. The polypeptide constituents of RPs must be identified in order to gain insight into the molecular mechanisms by which repair of hair bundles is accomplished. In this study, several polypeptides of RPs were isolated from mucus using blue native PAGE and then sequenced using LC-MS/MS. Thirty-seven known polypeptides were identified, including Hsp70s, as well as many polypeptide subunits of the 20S proteasome. Other identified polypeptides included those involved in cellular stress responses, protein folding, and protein degradation. Specific inhibitors of Hsp70s and the 20S proteasome were employed in experiments to test their involvement in hair bundle repair. The results of those experiments suggested that repair requires biologically active Hsp70s and 20S proteasomes. A model is proposed that considers the function of extracellular Hsp70s and 20S proteasomes in the repair of damaged hair cells.

The function of oscillatory tongue-flicks in snakes: insights from kinematics of tongue-flicking in the banded water snake (Nerodia fasciata)

Tongue-flicking is an important sensory behavior unique to squamate reptiles in which chemical stimuli gathered by the tongue are delivered the vomeronasal organ situated in the roof of the mouth. Because tongue-flick numbers can easily be quantified, this behavior has been widely used as a measure of vomeronasal sampling in snakes using related variables such as tongue-flick rate or tongue-flick/attack score. Surprisingly, the behavior itself and especially the function of the oscillatory tongue-flicks remains poorly understood. To describe the overall kinematics of tongue-flicking in the colubrid snake Nerodia fasciata and to test predictions on the function of oscillatory tongue-flicks, we filmed the tongue-flicks of 8 adult Nerodia fasciata using 4 synchronized high-speed cameras. Three-dimensional kinematic and performance variables were extracted from the videos in order to quantify tongue movements. Based on the kinematic analysis, we demonstrate the existence of 2 functional and behavioral tongue-flick categories. Tongue-flicks with oscillations meet all the criteria for being adapted to the collection of odorants; simple downward extensions appear better suited for the rapid pick up of nonvolatile chemical stimuli from the substrate or a food item. External stimuli such as tactile and/or vomeronasal stimulation can induce a shift between these categories.

Metal-specific structural changes in parvalbumin

Parvalbumin is a small protein of EF-hand family whose main role is considered to be metal buffering. Recent evidences indicate that parvalbumin also fulfills more complicated functions, which may be determined by the diversity in structural changes in response to the binding of different metal cations. In the present work the conformations of α and β isoforms of pike parvalbumin in the Ca(2+)- and Mg(2+)-loaded state were studied by intrinsic fluorescence, circular dichroism and bis-ANS extrinsic fluorescence. We have determined the structural region causing different spectral response on the binding of Mg(2+)- and Ca(2+) ions in pike β-parvalbumin. Our data reveal similarity of the metal-bound forms of α-parvalbumin. In contrast, those of β isoform differ significantly in the tyrosine spectral range. We also discuss the possible physiological consequences of the structural rearrangements accompanied Mg(2+)/Ca(2+) exchange in pike β-parvalbumin.

Chemical basis of prey recognition in thamnophiine snakes: the unexpected new roles of parvalbumins

Detecting and locating prey are key to predatory success within trophic chains. Predators use various signals through specialized visual, olfactory, auditory or tactile sensory systems to pinpoint their prey. Snakes chemically sense their prey through a highly developed auxiliary olfactory sense organ, the vomeronasal organ (VNO). In natricine snakes that are able to feed on land and water, the VNO plays a critical role in predatory behavior by detecting cues, known as vomodors, which are produced by their potential prey. However, the chemical nature of these cues remains unclear. Recently, we demonstrated that specific proteins–parvalbumins–present in the cutaneous mucus of the common frog (Rana temporaria) may be natural chemoattractive proteins for these snakes. Here, we show that parvalbumins and parvalbumin-like proteins, which are mainly intracellular, are physiologically present in the epidermal mucous cells and mucus of several frog and fish genera from both fresh and salt water. These proteins are located in many tissues and function as Ca²⁺ buffers. In addition, we clarified the intrinsic role of parvalbumins present in the cutaneous mucus of amphibians and fishes. We demonstrate that these Ca²⁺-binding proteins participate in innate bacterial defense mechanisms by means of calcium chelation. We show that these parvalbumins are chemoattractive for three different thamnophiine snakes, suggesting that these chemicals play a key role in their prey-recognition mechanism. Therefore, we suggest that recognition of parvalbumin-like proteins or other calcium-binding proteins by the VNO could be a generalized prey-recognition process in snakes. Detecting innate prey defense mechanism compounds may have driven the evolution of this predator-prey interaction.

The renaissance of Ca2+-binding proteins in the nervous system: secretagogin takes center stage

Effective control of the Ca(2+) homeostasis in any living cell is paramount to coordinate some of the most essential physiological processes, including cell division, morphological differentiation, and intercellular communication. Therefore, effective homeostatic mechanisms have evolved to maintain the intracellular Ca(2+) concentration at physiologically adequate levels, as well as to regulate the spatial and temporal dynamics of Ca(2+)signaling at subcellular resolution. Members of the superfamily of EF-hand Ca(2+)-binding proteins are effective to either attenuate intracellular Ca(2+) transients as stochiometric buffers or function as Ca(2+) sensors whose conformational change upon Ca(2+) binding triggers protein-protein interactions, leading to cell state-specific intracellular signaling events. In the central nervous system, some EF-hand Ca(2+)-binding proteins are restricted to specific subtypes of neurons or glia, with their expression under developmental and/or metabolic control. Therefore, Ca(2+)-binding proteins are widely used as molecular markers of cell identity whilst also predicting excitability and neurotransmitter release profiles in response to electrical stimuli. Secretagogin is a novel member of the group of EF-hand Ca(2+)-binding proteins whose expression precedes that of many other Ca(2+)-binding proteins in postmitotic, migratory neurons in the embryonic nervous system. Secretagogin expression persists during neurogenesis in the adult brain, yet becomes confined to regionalized subsets of differentiated neurons in the adult central and peripheral nervous and neuroendocrine systems. Secretagogin may be implicated in the control of neuronal turnover and differentiation, particularly since it is re-expressed in neoplastic brain and endocrine tumors and modulates cell proliferation in vitro. Alternatively, and since secretagogin can bind to SNARE proteins, it might function as a Ca(2+) sensor/coincidence detector modulating vesicular exocytosis of neurotransmitters, neuropeptides or hormones. Thus, secretagogin emerges as a functionally multifaceted Ca(2+)-binding protein whose molecular characterization can unravel a new and fundamental dimension of Ca(2+)signaling under physiological and disease conditions in the nervous system and beyond.

A Ca(2+)-binding protein with numerous roles and uses: parvalbumin in molecular biology and physiology

Parvalbumins (PVs) are acidic, intracellular Ca(2+)-binding proteins of low molecular weight. They are associated with several Ca(2+)-mediated cellular activities and physiological processes. It has been suggested that PV might function as a "Ca2+ shuttle" transporting Ca2+ from troponin-C (TnC) to the sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) Ca2+ pump during muscle relaxation. Thus, PV may contribute to the performance of rapid, phasic movements by accelerating the contraction-relaxation cycle of fast-twitch muscle fibers. Interestingly, PVs promote the generation of power stroke in fish by speeding up the rate of relaxation and thus provide impetus to attain maximal sustainable speeds. However, immunological monitoring of diverse tissues demonstrated that PVs are also present in non-muscle cells. The axoplasmic transport and various intracellular secretory mechanisms including the endocrine secretions seem to be controlled by the Ca2+ regulation machinery. Any defect in the Ca2+ handling apparatus may cause several clinical problems; for instance, PV deficiency alters the neuronal activity, a key mechanism leading to epileptic seizures. Moreover, atypical relaxation of the heart results in diastolic dysfunction, which is a major cause of heart failure predominantly among the aged people. PV may offer a unique potential to correct defective relaxation in energetically compromised failing hearts through PV gene transfer. Consequently, PV gene transfer may present a new therapeutic approach to correct cellular disturbances in Ca2+ signaling pathways of diseased organs. Hence, PVs appear to be amazingly useful candidate proteins regulating a variety of cellular functions through action on Ca2+ flux management.

Recombinant expression and affinity purification of snake venom gland parvalbumin in Escherichia coli

Parvalbumins (PV) are small, acidic, water soluble and calcium-binding proteins generally present in muscular and nervous tissues. In the present study, we identified and characterized a cDNA clone encoding PV, named AplPV, from a snake (Agkistrodon piscivorus leucostoma) venom gland cDNA library. AplPV belongs to EF-hand proteins with six alpha-helices constituting three EF-hand domains. The deduced amino acid sequence of AplPV is 91% and 68% identical to the previously characterized PVs of Boa constrictor and Cyprinus carpio, respectively. The full-length cDNA was subcloned into the expression vector pGEX and transformed into Escherichia coli (E.coli) to produce recombinant protein. The bacterially expressed GST-AplPV fusion protein was highly expressed, and effectively purified by Glutathione-Sepharose affinity chromatography. A high concentration of thrombin protease specifically cleaved and removed the GST tag from fusion protein, and further purified by Benzamidine column for removal of thrombin protease. As a result, the 12 kDa AplPV recombinant protein alone was purified. To investigate the tissue-specific biological occurrence of AplPV, a polyclonal antibody (anti-AplPV-antibody) was raised against GST-AplPV fusion protein in rabbit. Western blot analysis revealed that immunoreactive bands were exhibited in both recombinant protein and samples of venom glands, but not in any crude venom. This specific occurrence indicates a specialized function of AplPV in snake venom glands.