Discovery and verification of urinary peptides in type 2 diabetes mellitus with kidney injury

Lysosome-related proteins may have changes in the urinary exosomes of patients with acute gout attack

BACKGROUND

The autophagy-lysosome is intricately linked to the development of gout. At present, the diagnosis and monitoring of gout are mainly invasive tests, which cannot predict the occurrence of gout in the acute phase, and bring new pain to patients. This study focuses on the changes of lysosome-related proteins in urinary exosomes of patients with acute gout attack to explore the potential noninvasive biomarkers clinical application value.

METHODS

Urine samples were collected from the subject and exosomes were extracted. To explore the differentially expressed proteins in urinary exosomes among acute gout patients (AD group), intermittent gout patients (ID group) and normal controls (NC group) by DIA mass spectrometry. Urinary exosomal lysosome associated proteins were analyzed and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves of differentially expressed proteins were drawn to evaluate their clinical value in monitoring acute gout attack.

RESULTS

A total of 1896 proteins were detected between AD group and ID group, of which 121 proteins were differentially expressed (FC > 1.5 and p < 0.05). There were three lysosomal-related proteins differentially expressed in urinary exosomes between AD group and ID group. Compared with the ID group, the expression of Cathepsin Z (CTSZ) and AP-1 complex subunit beta-1 (AP1B1) was increased, while the expression of Lysosome-associated membrane glycoprotein 2 (LAMP2) was decreased in AD group. The ROC analysis showed that CTSZ, AP1B1 and LAMP2 had a strong ability to predict acute gout attack, with AUC of 0.826, 0.847 and 0.882, respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

There are many specific protein changes in the urinary exosomes of patients with acute gout attack. The urinary exosomes of patients with acute gout attack may exhibit alterations in lysosome-related proteins, particularly CTSZ, AP1B1, and LAMP2, which may become potential biomarkers for monitoring acute gout attack.

Differential expression of ferroptosis-related proteins in urinary exosomes: potential indicators for monitoring acute gout attack

Background

Gout is the most prevalent form of inflammatory arthritis, characterized by significant pain during acute episodes. Current diagnostic and monitoring techniques are invasive and fail to predict the onset of acute attacks. Recent studies have implicated ferroptosis-related proteins in the pathogenesis of inflammation and gout; however, their clinical relevance in gout patients remains largely unexplored. This study aimed to evaluate the expression of these proteins in urinary exosomes from gout patients and to investigate their potential as noninvasive biomarkers.

Methods

Utilizing data-independent acquisition (DIA) mass spectrometry and advanced bioinformatics techniques, we assessed the expression of ferroptosis-related proteins in the urinary exosomes of three groups: acute gout patients (AD group), intermittent gout patients (ID group), and normal controls (NC group). We constructed receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves to determine the clinical utility of these proteins in monitoring acute gout attacks.

Results

Our analysis of urinary exosome proteomics identified 13 ferroptosis-related proteins. Notably, in comparison to the ID group, the proteins ACSL4, VDAC2, GPX4, and GSS were significantly upregulated in the AD group. ROC curve analysis revealed that the presence of ACSL4, VDAC2, and GPX4 in urinary exosomes possesses substantial predictive value for acute gout attacks.

Conclusion

In patients with gout, numerous protein alterations occur within urinary exosomes. Specifically, changes in ferroptosis-related proteins such as ACSL4, VDAC2, GPX4, and GSS may serve as promising biomarkers for the monitoring of acute gout attacks.

Recent progress in mass spectrometry-based urinary proteomics

Serum or plasma is frequently utilized in biomedical research; however, its application is impeded by the requirement for invasive sample collection. The non-invasive nature of urine collection makes it an attractive alternative for disease characterization and biomarker discovery. Mass spectrometry-based protein profiling of urine has led to the discovery of several disease-associated biomarkers. Proteomic analysis of urine has not only been applied to disorders of the kidney and urinary bladder but also to conditions affecting distant organs because proteins excreted in the urine originate from multiple organs. This review provides a progress update on urinary proteomics carried out over the past decade. Studies summarized in this review have expanded the catalog of proteins detected in the urine in a variety of clinical conditions. The wide range of applications of urine analysis-from characterizing diseases to discovering predictive, diagnostic and prognostic markers-continues to drive investigations of the urinary proteome.

Urinary Protein-Biomarkers Reliably Indicate Very Early Kidney Damage in Children With Alport Syndrome Independently of Albuminuria and Inflammation

Introduction

Alport syndrome (AS) is a hereditary type IV collagen disease. It starts shortly after birth, without clinical symptoms, and progresses to end-stage kidney disease early in life. The earlier therapy starts, the more effectively end-stage kidney disease can be delayed. Clearly then, to ensure preemptive therapy, early diagnosis is an essential prerequisite.

Methods

To provide early diagnosis, we searched for protein biomarkers (BMs) by mass spectrometry in dogs with AS stage 0. At this very early stage, we identified 74 candidate BMs. Of these, using commercial enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISAs), we evaluated 27 in dogs and 28 in children, 50 with AS and 104 healthy controls.

Results

Most BMs from blood appeared as fractions of multiple variants of the same protein, as shown by their chromatographic distribution before mass spectrometry. Blood samples showed only minor differences because ELISAs rarely detect disease-specific variants. However, in urine , several proteins, individually or in combination, were promising indicators of very early and preclinical kidney injury. The BMs with the highest sensitivity and specificity were collagen type XIII, hyaluronan binding protein 2 (HABP2), and complement C4 binding protein (C4BP).

Conclusion

We generated very strong candidate BMs by our approach of first examining preclinical AS in dogs and then validating these BMs in children at early stages of disease. These BMs might serve for screening purposes for AS before the onset of kidney damage and therefore allow preemptive therapy.

Pentoxifylline and berberine mitigate diclofenac-induced acute nephrotoxicity in male rats via modulation of inflammation and oxidative stress

Nephrotoxicity (NT) is a renal-specific situation caused by different toxins and drugs like non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). NSAIDs like diclofenac (DCF) lead to glomerular dysfunction. Pentoxifylline (PTX) and berberine (BER) have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. Thus, the objective of the present study was to investigate the ameliorative effect of PTX, BER and their combination against DCF-mediated acute NT. Induction of acute NT was done via DCF injection (150 mg/kg I.P, for 6 days) in rats. PTX 200 mg/kg, BER 200 mg/kg and their combination were administrated for 6 days prior to DCF injection and concurrently with DCF for additional 6 days. Acute NT was evaluated biochemically and histopathologically by measuring blood urea (BU), serum creatinine (SCr), kidney injury molecule-1(KIM-1), integrin (ITG), and vitronectin (VTN), interleukin (IL)-18, Neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL), glomerular filtration rate (GFR), superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione (GSH) and malondialdehyde (MDA) with the scoring of histopathological alterations. PTX, BER and their combination significantly (P < 0.05) attenuated biochemical and histopathological changes in DCF-mediated acute NT by amelioration of BU, SCr, KIM-1, ITG, VTN, IL-18, NGAL, GFR, SOD, GSH, MDA and scoring of histopathological alterations. The combined effects of PTX and BER produced more significant effects (P < 0.05) than either PTX or BER when used alone against DCF-induced acute NT. In conclusion, BER and BTX were found to have potential renoprotective effects against DCF-induced NT in rats by inhibiting inflammatory reactions and oxidative stress.

An Overview of the Posttranslational Modifications and Related Molecular Mechanisms in Diabetic Nephropathy

Diabetic nephropathy (DN), a common diabetic microvascular complication, is characterized by its complex pathogenesis, higher risk of mortality, and the lack of effective diagnosis and treatment methods. Many studies focus on the diagnosis and treatment of diabetes mellitus (DM) and have reported that the pathophysiology of DN is very complex, involving many molecules and abnormal cellular activities. Given the respective pivotal roles of NF-κB, Nrf2, and TGF-β in inflammation, oxidative stress, and fibrosis during DN, we first review the effect of posttranslational modifications on these vital molecules in DN. Then, we describe the relationship between these molecules and related abnormal cellular activities in DN. Finally, we discuss some potential directions for DN treatment and diagnosis. The information reviewed here may be significant in the design of further studies to identify valuable therapeutic targets for DN.

Value of Urine Peptides in Assessing Kidney and Cardiovascular Disease

Urinary peptides gained significant attention as potential biomarkers especially in the context of kidney and cardiovascular disease. In this manuscript the recent literature since 2015 on urinary peptide investigation in human kidney and cardiovascular disease is reviewed. The technology most commonly used in this context is capillary electrophoresis coupled mass spectrometry, in part owed to the large database available and the well-defined dataspace. Several studies based on over 1000 subjects are reported in the recent past, especially examining CKD273, a classifier for assessment of chronic kidney disease based on 273 urine peptides. Interestingly, the most abundant urinary peptides are generally collagen fragments, which may have gone undetected for some time as they are typically modified via proline hydroxylation. The data available suggest that urinary peptides specifically depict inflammation and fibrosis, and may serve as a non-invasive tool to assess fibrosis, which appears to be a key driver in kidney and cardiovascular disease. The recent successful completion of the first urinary peptide guided intervention trial, PRIORITY, is expected to further spur clinical application of urinary peptidomics, aiming especially at early detection of chronic diseases, prediction of progression, and prognosis of drug response.

Proteomic alterations of HDL in youth with type 1 diabetes and their associations with glycemic control: a case-control study

Background

Patients with type 1 diabetes (T1DM) typically have normal or even elevated plasma high density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol concentrations; however, HDL protein composition can be altered without a change in cholesterol content. Alteration of the HDL proteome can result in dysfunctional HDL particles with reduced ability to protect against cardiovascular disease (CVD). The objective of this study was to compare the HDL proteomes of youth with T1DM and healthy controls (HC) and to evaluate the influence of glycemic control on HDL protein composition.

Methods

This was a cross-sectional case–control study. Blood samples were obtained from patients with T1DM and HC. HDL was isolated from plasma by size-exclusion chromatography and further purified using a lipid binding resin. The HDL proteome was analyzed by mass spectrometry using label-free SWATH peptide quantification.

Results

Samples from 26 patients with T1DM and 13 HC were analyzed and 78 HDL-bound proteins were measured. Youth with T1DM had significantly increased amounts of complement factor H related protein 2 (FHR2; adjusted P < 0.05), compared to HC. When patients were analyzed based on glucose control, several trends emerged. Some proteins were altered in T1DM and not influenced by glycemic control (e.g. FHR2) while others were partially or completely corrected with optimal glucose control (e.g. alpha-1-beta glycoprotein, A1BG). In a subgroup of poorly controlled T1DM patients, inter alpha trypsin inhibitor 4 (ITIH4) was dramatically elevated (P < 0.0001) and this was partially reversed in patients with optimal glucose control. Some proteins including complement component C3 (CO3) and albumin (ALB) were significantly different only in T1DM patients with optimal glucose control, suggesting a possible effect of exogenous insulin.

Conclusions

Youth with T1DM have proteomic alterations of their HDL compared to HC, despite similar concentration of HDL cholesterol. The influence of these compositional changes on HDL function are not yet known. Future efforts should focus on investigating the role of these HDL associated proteins in regard to HDL function and their role in CVD risk in patients with T1DM.

Trial registration NCT02275091

Electronic supplementary material

The online version of this article (10.1186/s12933-019-0846-9) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Identification of Urinary CD44 and Prosaposin as Specific Biomarkers of Urinary Tract Infections in Children With Neurogenic Bladders

PURPOSE

Distinguishing urinary tract infection (UTI) from urinary tract colonization (UTC) in children with neurogenic bladders who require clean intermittent catheterization (CIC) is challenging. Our objective was to identify urinary proteins to distinguish UTI from UTC in CIC-dependent children that have potential to serve as objective markers of UTI.

EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN

A total of 10 CIC-dependent children were included in the mass spectrometry analysis (UTI = 5, UTC = 5). Quantitative profiling of urine proteins with isobaric protein labeling was performed using tandem mass spectrometry. Candidate markers were normalized using a collective mixture of proteins from all samples. Relative quantitative abundance of proteins across all samples were compared. Proteins with >50% change in the average abundance were identified as proteins of interest, which were then measured using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) in an additional 40 samples (no growth = 10, UTC = 15, UTI = 15).

RESULTS

Mass spectrometry revealed 8 differentially expressed proteins. Of these, apolipoprotein D, alpha-amylase 2B, non-secretory ribonuclease, CD44 antigen, and prosaposin were measurable by ELISA. Concentrations of both CD44 and prosaposin were significantly higher in UTI, with area under the curves (AUCs) of 0.72 and 0.78, respectively.

CONCLUSION

Urinary CD44 and prosaposin are candidate markers that may assist with the diagnosis of UTI in CIC-dependent children.

Analysis of Urine Composition in Type II Diabetic Mice after Intervention Therapy Using Holothurian Polypeptides

Hydrolysates and peptide fractions (PF) obtained from sea cucumber with commercial enzyme were studied on the hyperglycemic and renal protective effects on db/db rats using urine metabolomics. Compared with the control group the polypeptides from the two species could significantly reduce the urine glucose and urea. We also tried to address the compositions of highly expressed urinary proteins using a proteomics approach. They were serum albumins, AMBP proteins, negative trypsin, elastase, and urinary protein, GAPDH, a receptor of urokinase-type plasminogen activator (uPAR), and Ig kappa chain C region. We used the electronic nose to quickly detect changes in the volatile substances in mice urine after holothurian polypeptides (HPP) fed, and the results show it can identify the difference between treatment groups with the control group without overlapping. The protein express mechanism of HPP treating diabetes was discussed, and we suggested these two peptides with the hypoglycemic and renal protective activity might be utilized as nutraceuticals.