Dataset Information

Protein surface mapping using diethylpyrocarbonate with mass spectrometric detection.

ABSTRACT: The reliability and information content of diethylpyrocarbonate (DEPC) as a covalent probe of protein surface structure has been improved when used appropriately with mass spectrometric detection. Using myoglobin, cytochrome c, and beta-2-microglobulin as model protein systems, we demonstrate for the first time that DEPC can modify Ser and Thr residues in addition to His and Tyr residues. This result expands the capability of DEPC as a structural probe because about 25% of the sequence of the average protein can now be covered using this covalent labeling reagent. In addition, we establish a new approach based on mass spectrometry to ensure the structural integrity of proteins during amino acid-specific covalent labeling reactions. This approach involves monitoring the extent of modification as a function of reagent concentration and allows any small-scale or local perturbations caused by the covalent label to be readily identified and avoided. Results indicate that these dose-response plots are much more reliable and generally applicable probes of possible protein structural changes than fluorescence or circular dichroism spectroscopies. These dose-response plots also provide a means of quantitatively comparing the reactivity of each modified residue. On the basis of comparisons to known X-ray crystal structures, we find that the solvent accessibility of the reactive atom in the side chain and the presence of a nearby charged residue most affect modification rates. Finally, this improved surface mapping method has been used to determine the effect of Cu(II) binding on the structure of beta-2-microglobulin. Results confirm that Cu(II) binds His31, but not any of the other three His residues, and changes the solvent accessibility of residues near His31 and near the N-terminus.

SUBMITTER: Mendoza VL

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4232213 | biostudies-literature | 2008 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Protein surface mapping using diethylpyrocarbonate with mass spectrometric detection.

Mendoza Vanessa Leah VL Vachet Richard W RW

Analytical chemistry 20080314 8

The reliability and information content of diethylpyrocarbonate (DEPC) as a covalent probe of protein surface structure has been improved when used appropriately with mass spectrometric detection. Using myoglobin, cytochrome c, and beta-2-microglobulin as model protein systems, we demonstrate for the first time that DEPC can modify Ser and Thr residues in addition to His and Tyr residues. This result expands the capability of DEPC as a structural probe because about 25% of the sequence of the av ...[more]

PMID: 18338903

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Project description:Covalent labeling and mass spectrometry are seeing increased use together as a way to obtain insight into the 3-dimensional structure of proteins and protein complexes. Several amino acid specific (e.g., diethylpyrocarbonate) and non-specific (e.g., hydroxyl radicals) labeling reagents are available for this purpose. Diethylpyrocarbonate (DEPC) is a promising labeling reagent because it can potentially probe up to 30% of the residues in the average protein and gives only one reaction product, thereby facilitating mass spectrometric analysis. It was recently reported, though, that DEPC modifications are labile for some amino acids. Here, we show that label loss is more significant and widespread than previously thought, especially for Ser, Thr, Tyr, and His residues, when relatively long protein digestion times are used. Such label loss ultimately decreases the amount of protein structural information that is obtainable with this reagent. We find, however, that the number of DEPC modified residues and, thus, protein structural information, can be significantly increased by decreasing the time between the covalent labeling reaction and the mass spectrometric analysis. This is most effectively accomplished using short (e.g., 2 h) proteolytic digestions with enzymes such as immobilized chymotrypsin or Glu-C rather than using methods (e.g., microwave or ultrasonic irradiation) that accelerate proteolysis in other ways. Using short digestion times, we show that the percentage of solvent accessible residues that can be modified by DEPC increases from 44% to 67% for cytochrome c, 35% to 81% for myoglobin, and 76% to 95% for ?-2-microglobulin. In effect, these increased numbers of modified residues improve the protein structural resolution available from this covalent labeling method. Compared with typical overnight digestion conditions, the short digestion times decrease the average distance between modified residues from 11 to 7 Å for myoglobin, 13 to 10 Å for cytochrome c, and 9 to 8 Å for ?-2-microglobulin.

Project description:Mapping of proteins involved in normal eye functions is a prerequisite to identify pathological changes during eye disease processes. We therefore analysed the proteome of human vitreous by applying in-depth proteomic screening technologies. For ethical reasons human vitreous samples were obtained by vitrectomy from "surrogate normal patients" with epiretinal gliosis that is considered to constitute only negligible pathological vitreoretinal changes. We applied different protein prefractionation strategies including liquid phase isoelectric focussing, 1D SDS gel electrophoresis and a combination of both and compared the number of identified proteins obtained by the respective method. Liquid phase isoelectric focussing followed by SDS gel electrophoresis increased the number of identified proteins by a factor of five compared to the analysis of crude unseparated human vitreous. Depending on the prefractionation method proteins were subjected to trypsin digestion either in-gel or in solution and the resulting peptides were analysed on a UPLC system coupled online to an LTQ Orbitrap XL mass spectrometer. The obtained mass spectra were searched against the SwissProt database using the Mascot search engine. Bioinformatics tools were used to annotate known biological functions to the detected proteins. Following this strategy we examined the vitreous proteomes of three individuals and identified 1111 unique proteins. Besides structural, transport and binding proteins, we detected 261 proteins with known enzymatic activity, 51 proteases, 35 protease inhibitors, 35 members of complement and coagulation cascades, 15 peptide hormones, 5 growth factors, 11 cytokines, 47 receptors, 30 proteins of visual perception, 91 proteins involved in apoptosis regulation and 265 proteins with signalling activity. This highly complex mixture strikingly differs from the human plasma proteome. Thus human vitreous fluid seems to be a unique body fluid. 262 unique proteins were detected which are present in all three patient samples indicating that these might represent the constitutive protein pattern of human vitreous. The presented catalogue of human vitreous proteins will enhance our understanding of physiological processes in the eye and provides the groundwork for future studies on pathological vitreous proteome changes.

Dataset Information

Protein surface mapping using diethylpyrocarbonate with mass spectrometric detection.

Publications

Protein surface mapping using diethylpyrocarbonate with mass spectrometric detection.

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