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Zhang YH, Zhao L, Fu SH, Wang ZS, Zhang JX. Male pheromones and their reception by females are co-adapted to affect mating success in two subspecies of brown rats. Curr Zool 2021; 67:371-382. [PMID: 34671704 PMCID: PMC8521721 DOI: 10.1093/cz/zoaa066] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/09/2020] [Accepted: 10/12/2020] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
Pheromonal communication plays a key role in the sociosexual behavior of rodents. The coadaptation between pheromones and chemosensory systems has been well illustrated in insects but poorly investigated in rodents and other mammals. We aimed to investigate whether coadaptation between male pheromones and female reception might have occurred in brown rats Rattus norvegicus. We recently reported that major urinary protein (MUP) pheromones are associated with male mating success in a brown rat subspecies, R. n. humiliatus (Rnh). Here, we discovered that MUPs were less polymorphic and occurred at much lower concentrations in males of a parapatric subspecies, R. n. caraco (Rnc), than in Rnh males, and found no association between pheromones and paternity success. Moreover, the observation of Rnc males that experienced chronic dyadic encounters and established dominance–submission relationships revealed that the dominant males achieved greater mating success than the subordinate males, but their MUP levels did not differ by social status. These findings suggest that male mating success in Rnc rats is related to social rank rather than to pheromone levels and that low concentration of MUPs might not be a reliable signal for mate choice in Rnc rats, which is different from the findings obtained in Rnh rats. In addition, compared with Rnh females, Rnc females exhibited reduced expression of pheromone receptor genes, and a lower number of vomeronasal receptor neurons were activated by MUP pheromones, which imply that the female chemosensory reception of pheromones might be structurally and functionally coadapted with male pheromone signals in brown rats.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yao-Hua Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Integrated Management of Pest Insects and Rodents in Agriculture, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
| | - Lei Zhao
- State Key Laboratory of Integrated Management of Pest Insects and Rodents in Agriculture, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China.,CAS Center for Excellence in Biotic Interactions, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Shi-Hui Fu
- State Key Laboratory of Integrated Management of Pest Insects and Rodents in Agriculture, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China.,College of Life Science, Hebei University, Hebei Province, Baoding 071002, China
| | - Zhen-Shan Wang
- College of Life Science, Hebei University, Hebei Province, Baoding 071002, China
| | - Jian-Xu Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Integrated Management of Pest Insects and Rodents in Agriculture, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China.,CAS Center for Excellence in Biotic Interactions, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
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2
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Stopková R, Otčenášková T, Matějková T, Kuntová B, Stopka P. Biological Roles of Lipocalins in Chemical Communication, Reproduction, and Regulation of Microbiota. Front Physiol 2021; 12:740006. [PMID: 34594242 PMCID: PMC8476925 DOI: 10.3389/fphys.2021.740006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/12/2021] [Accepted: 08/18/2021] [Indexed: 01/13/2023] Open
Abstract
Major evolutionary transitions were always accompanied by genetic remodelling of phenotypic traits. For example, the vertebrate transition from water to land was accompanied by rapid evolution of olfactory receptors and by the expansion of genes encoding lipocalins, which - due to their transporting functions - represent an important interface between the external and internal organic world of an individual and also within an individual. Similarly, some lipocalin genes were lost along other genes when this transition went in the opposite direction leading, for example, to cetaceans. In terrestrial vertebrates, lipocalins are involved in the transport of lipophilic substances, chemical signalling, odour reception, antimicrobial defence and background odour clearance during ventilation. Many ancestral lipocalins have clear physiological functions across the vertebrate taxa while many other have - due to pleiotropic effects of their genes - multiple or complementary functions within the body homeostasis and development. The aim of this review is to deconstruct the physiological functions of lipocalins in light of current OMICs techniques. We concentrated on major findings in the house mouse in comparison to other model taxa (e.g., voles, humans, and birds) in which all or most coding genes within their genomes were repeatedly sequenced and their annotations are sufficiently informative.
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Affiliation(s)
- Romana Stopková
- Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, Charles University, BIOCEV, Prague, Czechia
| | - Tereza Otčenášková
- Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, Charles University, BIOCEV, Prague, Czechia
| | - Tereza Matějková
- Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, Charles University, BIOCEV, Prague, Czechia
| | - Barbora Kuntová
- Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, Charles University, BIOCEV, Prague, Czechia
| | - Pavel Stopka
- Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, Charles University, BIOCEV, Prague, Czechia
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3
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Loxley GM, Hooks DO, Antonopoulos A, Dell A, Haslam SM, Linklater WL, Hurst JL, Beynon RJ. Vulpeculin: a novel and abundant lipocalin in the urine of the common brushtail possum, Trichosurus vulpecula. Open Biol 2020; 10:200218. [PMID: 33022194 PMCID: PMC7653361 DOI: 10.1098/rsob.200218] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Lipocalins are a family of secreted proteins. They are capable of binding small lipophilic compounds and have been extensively studied for their role in chemosignalling in rodent urine. Urine of the common brushtail possum (Trichosurus vulpecula) contains a prominent glycoprotein of 20 kDa, expressed in both sexes. We have isolated this protein and determined its primary sequence by mass spectrometry, including the use of metabolic labelling to resolve the leucine/isoleucine isobaric ambiguity. The protein sequence was identified as a lipocalin, and phylogenetic analysis grouped the protein with other marsupial lipocalin sequences in a phylogenetic clade distinct from established cross-species lipocalin sub-families. The pattern of expression in possum urine and the similarity in sequence and structure to other lipocalins suggests this protein may have a role in brushtail possum chemosignalling.
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Affiliation(s)
- Grace M Loxley
- Centre for Proteome Research, Institute of Systems, Molecular and Integrative Biology, University of Liverpool, Liverpool L69 7ZB, UK
| | - David O Hooks
- Centre for Biodiversity and Restoration Ecology, School of Biological Sciences, Victoria University of Wellington, Wellington 6140, New Zealand
| | | | - Anne Dell
- Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ, UK
| | - Stuart M Haslam
- Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ, UK
| | - Wayne L Linklater
- Department of Environmental Studies, California State University, Sacramento, CA 95819, USA
| | - Jane L Hurst
- Mammalian Behaviour and Evolution Group, Institute of Infection, Veterinary and Ecological Sciences, University of Liverpool, Leahurst Campus, Neston CH64 7TE, UK
| | - Robert J Beynon
- Centre for Proteome Research, Institute of Systems, Molecular and Integrative Biology, University of Liverpool, Liverpool L69 7ZB, UK
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4
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Lee W, Khan A, Curley JP. Major urinary protein levels are associated with social status and context in mouse social hierarchies. Proc Biol Sci 2018; 284:rspb.2017.1570. [PMID: 28931741 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2017.1570] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/12/2017] [Accepted: 08/16/2017] [Indexed: 01/18/2023] Open
Abstract
We have previously shown that male mice living in groups of 12 males establish and maintain stable linear social hierarchies with each individual having a defined social rank. However, it is not clear which social cues mice use to signal and recognize their relative social status within their hierarchy. In this study, we investigate how individual social status both in pairs and in groups affects the levels of major urinary proteins (MUPs) and specifically MUP20 in urine. We housed groups of adult outbred CD1 male mice in a complex social environment for three weeks and collected urine samples from all individuals repeatedly. We found that dominant males produce more MUPs than subordinates when housed in pairs and that the production of MUPs and MUP20 is significantly higher in alpha males compared with all other individuals in a social hierarchy. Furthermore, we found that hepatic mRNA expression of Mup3 and Mup20 is significantly higher in alpha males than in subordinate males. We also show that alpha males have lower urinary creatinine levels consistent with these males urinating more than others living in hierarchies. These differences emerged within one week of animals being housed together in social hierarchies. This study demonstrates that as males transition to become alpha males, they undergo physiological changes that contribute to communication of their social status that may have implications for the energetic demands of maintaining dominance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Won Lee
- Department of Psychology, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
| | - Amber Khan
- The Sophie Davis School of Medicine, The City University of New York, New York, NY, USA
| | - James P Curley
- Department of Psychology, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA .,Center for Integrative Animal Behavior, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA.,Department of Psychology, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA
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5
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Yang H, Zhang W, Lu S, Lu G, Zhang H, Zhuang Y, Wang Y, Dong M, Zhang Y, Zhou X, Wang P, Yu L, Wang F, Chen L. Mup-knockout mice generated through CRISPR/Cas9-mediated deletion for use in urinary protein analysis. Acta Biochim Biophys Sin (Shanghai) 2016; 48:468-73. [PMID: 26851484 DOI: 10.1093/abbs/gmw003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/28/2015] [Accepted: 12/30/2015] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Major urinary proteins (MUPs) are the most abundant protein species in mouse urine, accounting for more than 90% of total protein content. Twenty-one Mup genes and 21 pseudogenes are clustered in a region of around 2 megabase pairs (Mbp) on chromosome 4. A Mup-knockout mouse model would greatly facilitate researches in the field of proteomic analysis of mouse urine. Here, we report the successful knockout of the Mup gene cluster of 2.2 Mbp using the CRISPR/Cas9 system. Homozygous Mup-knockout mice survived to adulthood and exhibited no obvious defects. The patterns of the proteomes of non-MUP urinary proteins in homozygous Mup-knockout mice were similar to those of wild-type mice judged by sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. The sensitivity of enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay to detect non-MUP urinary protein was significantly enhanced in Mup-knockout mice. In short, we have developed a Mup-knockout mouse model. This mouse model will be useful for the research of urinary biomarker testing that may have relevance for humans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Haixia Yang
- College of Life Sciences, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China National Institute of Biological Sciences, Beijing, Beijing 102206, China
| | - Wei Zhang
- National Institute of Biological Sciences, Beijing, Beijing 102206, China
| | - Shan Lu
- National Institute of Biological Sciences, Beijing, Beijing 102206, China
| | - Guangqing Lu
- National Institute of Biological Sciences, Beijing, Beijing 102206, China
| | - Hongjuan Zhang
- National Institute of Biological Sciences, Beijing, Beijing 102206, China
| | - Yinghua Zhuang
- National Institute of Biological Sciences, Beijing, Beijing 102206, China
| | - Yue Wang
- National Institute of Biological Sciences, Beijing, Beijing 102206, China
| | - Mengqiu Dong
- National Institute of Biological Sciences, Beijing, Beijing 102206, China
| | - Yu Zhang
- National Institute of Biological Sciences, Beijing, Beijing 102206, China
| | | | - Peng Wang
- Beijing Ditan Hospital, Beijing 100015, China
| | - Lei Yu
- Beijing Tongren Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing 100730, China
| | - Fengchao Wang
- National Institute of Biological Sciences, Beijing, Beijing 102206, China
| | - Liang Chen
- National Institute of Biological Sciences, Beijing, Beijing 102206, China National Institute of Biological Sciences, Collaborative Innovation Center for Cancer Medicine, Beijing 102206, China
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6
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Smadja CM, Loire E, Caminade P, Thoma M, Latour Y, Roux C, Thoss M, Penn DJ, Ganem G, Boursot P. Seeking signatures of reinforcement at the genetic level: a hitchhiking mapping and candidate gene approach in the house mouse. Mol Ecol 2015; 24:4222-4237. [PMID: 26132782 DOI: 10.1111/mec.13301] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/02/2015] [Revised: 06/12/2015] [Accepted: 06/17/2015] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Reinforcement is the process by which prezygotic isolation is strengthened as a response to selection against hybridization. Most empirical support for reinforcement comes from the observation of its possible phenotypic signature: an accentuated degree of prezygotic isolation in the hybrid zone as compared to allopatry. Here, we implemented a novel approach to this question by seeking for the signature of reinforcement at the genetic level. In the house mouse, selection against hybrids and enhanced olfactory-based assortative mate preferences are observed in a hybrid zone between the two European subspecies Mus musculus musculus and M. m. domesticus, suggesting a possible recent reinforcement event. To test for the genetic signature of reinforcing selection and identify genes involved in sexual isolation, we adopted a hitchhiking mapping approach targeting genomic regions containing candidate genes for assortative mating in mice. We densely scanned these genomic regions in hybrid zone and allopatric samples using a large number of fast evolving microsatellite loci that allow the detection of recent selection events. We found a handful of loci showing the expected pattern of significant reduction in variability in populations close to the hybrid zone, showing assortative odour preference in mate choice experiments as compared to populations further away and displaying no such preference. These loci lie close to genes that we pinpoint as testable candidates for further investigation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carole M Smadja
- Institut des Sciences de l'Evolution UMR 5554 (Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique CNRS, Institut pour la Recherche et le Développement IRD, Université de Montpellier), cc065 Université de Montpellier, Campus Triolet, 34095 Montpellier, France
| | - Etienne Loire
- Institut des Sciences de l'Evolution UMR 5554 (Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique CNRS, Institut pour la Recherche et le Développement IRD, Université de Montpellier), cc065 Université de Montpellier, Campus Triolet, 34095 Montpellier, France
| | - Pierre Caminade
- Institut des Sciences de l'Evolution UMR 5554 (Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique CNRS, Institut pour la Recherche et le Développement IRD, Université de Montpellier), cc065 Université de Montpellier, Campus Triolet, 34095 Montpellier, France
| | - Marios Thoma
- Institut des Sciences de l'Evolution UMR 5554 (Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique CNRS, Institut pour la Recherche et le Développement IRD, Université de Montpellier), cc065 Université de Montpellier, Campus Triolet, 34095 Montpellier, France
| | - Yasmin Latour
- Institut des Sciences de l'Evolution UMR 5554 (Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique CNRS, Institut pour la Recherche et le Développement IRD, Université de Montpellier), cc065 Université de Montpellier, Campus Triolet, 34095 Montpellier, France
| | - Camille Roux
- Institut des Sciences de l'Evolution UMR 5554 (Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique CNRS, Institut pour la Recherche et le Développement IRD, Université de Montpellier), cc065 Université de Montpellier, Campus Triolet, 34095 Montpellier, France
| | - Michaela Thoss
- University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Konrad Lorenz Institute of Ethology, Department of Integrative Biology and Evolution, Vienna, Austria
| | - Dustin J Penn
- University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Konrad Lorenz Institute of Ethology, Department of Integrative Biology and Evolution, Vienna, Austria
| | - Guila Ganem
- Institut des Sciences de l'Evolution UMR 5554 (Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique CNRS, Institut pour la Recherche et le Développement IRD, Université de Montpellier), cc065 Université de Montpellier, Campus Triolet, 34095 Montpellier, France
| | - Pierre Boursot
- Institut des Sciences de l'Evolution UMR 5554 (Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique CNRS, Institut pour la Recherche et le Développement IRD, Université de Montpellier), cc065 Université de Montpellier, Campus Triolet, 34095 Montpellier, France
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7
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Abstract
Chemical communication is widely used among various organisms to obtain essential information from their environment required for life. Although a large variety of molecules have been shown to act as chemical cues, the molecular and neural basis underlying the behaviors elicited by these molecules has been revealed for only a limited number of molecules. Here, we review the current knowledge regarding the signaling molecules whose flow from receptor to specific behavior has been characterized. Discussing the molecules utilized by mice, insects, and the worm, we focus on how each organism has optimized its reception system to suit its living style. We also highlight how the production of these signaling molecules is regulated, an area in which considerable progress has been recently made.
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Affiliation(s)
- S Ihara
- Department of Applied Biological Chemistry, Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo 113-8657, Japan; ERATO Touhara Chemosensory Signal Project, JST, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo 113-8657, Japan
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8
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Sharrow SD, Edmonds KA, Goodman MA, Novotny MV, Stone MJ. Thermodynamic consequences of disrupting a water-mediated hydrogen bond network in a protein:pheromone complex. Protein Sci 2005; 14:249-56. [PMID: 15608125 PMCID: PMC2253314 DOI: 10.1110/ps.04912605] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/08/2004] [Revised: 09/05/2004] [Accepted: 09/22/2004] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
Abstract
The mouse pheromones (+/-)-2-sec-butyl-4,5-dihydrothiazole (SBT) and 6-hydroxy-6-methyl-3-heptanone (HMH) bind into an occluded hydrophobic cavity in the mouse major urinary protein (MUP-1). Although the ligands are structurally unrelated, in both cases binding is accompanied by formation of a similar buried, water-mediated hydrogen bond network between the ligand and several backbone and side chain groups on the protein. To investigate the energetic contribution of this hydrogen bond network to ligand binding, we have applied isothermal titration calorimetry to measure the binding thermodynamics using several MUP mutants and ligand analogs. Mutation of Tyr-120 to Phe, which disrupts a hydrogen bond from the phenolic hydroxyl group of Tyr-120 to one of the bound water molecules, results in a substantial loss of favorable binding enthalpy, which is partially compensated by a favorable change in binding entropy. A similar thermodynamic effect was observed when the hydrogen bonded nitrogen atom of the heterocyclic ligand was replaced by a methyne group. Several other modifications of the protein or ligand had smaller effects on the binding thermodynamics. The data provide supporting evidence for the role of the hydrogen bond network in stabilizing the complex.
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Affiliation(s)
- Scott D Sharrow
- Institute for Pheromone Research and Department of Chemistry, Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana 47405-0001, USA
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Chu R, Zhang W, Lim H, Yeldandi AV, Herring C, Brumfield L, Reddy JK, Davison M. Profiling of acyl-CoA oxidase-deficient and peroxisome proliferator Wy14,643-treated mouse liver protein by surface-enhanced laser desorption/ionization ProteinChip Biology System. Gene Expr 2002; 10:165-77. [PMID: 12174850 PMCID: PMC5977516 DOI: 10.3727/000000002783992460] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 12/13/2001] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
Peroxisome proliferators induce hepatic peroxisome proliferation and hepatocellular carcinomas in rodents. These chemicals increase the expression of the peroxisomal beta-oxidation pathway and the cytochrome P-450 4A family, which metabolizes lipids, including fatty acids. Mice lacking fatty acyl-CoA oxidase (AOX-/-), the first enzyme of the peroxisomal beta-oxidation system, exhibit extensive microvesicular steatohepatitis, leading to hepatocellular regeneration and massive peroxisome proliferation. To investigate proteins involved in peroxisome proliferation, we adopted a novel surface-enhanced laser desorption/ionization (SELDI) ProteinChip technology to compare the protein profiles of control (wild-type), AOX-/-, and wild-type mice treated with peroxisome proliferator, Wy-14,643. The results indicated that the protein profiles of AOX-/- mice were similar to the wild-type mice treated with Wy14,643, but significantly different from the nontreated wild-type mice. Using four different ProteinChip Arrays, a total of 40 protein peaks showed more than twofold changes. Among these differentially expressed peaks, a downregulated peak was identified as the major urinary protein in both AOX-/- and Wyl4,643-treated mice by SELDI. The identification of MUP was further confirmed by two-dimensional electrophoresis and liquid chromatography coupled tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS-MS). This SELDI method offers several technical advantages for detection of differentially expressed proteins, including ease and speed of screening, no need for chromatographic processing, and small sample size.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ruiyin Chu
- Department of Functional Genomics, Aventis Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Bridgewater, NJ 08807, USA.
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