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A tail of two voltages: Proteomic comparison of the three electric organs of the electric eel.

ABSTRACT: The electric eel (Electrophorus electricus) is unusual among electric fishes because it has three pairs of electric organs that serve multiple biological functions: For navigation and communication, it emits continuous pulses of weak electric discharge (<1 V), but for predation and defense, it intermittently emits lethal strong electric discharges (10 to 600 V). We hypothesized that these two electrogenic outputs have different energetic demands reflected by differences in their proteome and phosphoproteome. We report the use of isotope-assisted quantitative mass spectrometry to test this hypothesis. We observed novel phosphorylation sites in sodium transporters and identified a potassium channel with unique differences in protein concentration among the electric organs. In addition, we found transcription factors and protein kinases that show differential abundance in the strong versus weak electric organs. Our findings support the hypothesis that proteomic differences among electric organs underlie differences in energetic needs, reflecting a trade-off between generating weak voltages continuously and strong voltages intermittently.

SUBMITTER: Traeger LL

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5498108 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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A tail of two voltages: Proteomic comparison of the three electric organs of the electric eel.

Traeger Lindsay L LL Sabat Grzegorz G Barrett-Wilt Gregory A GA Wells Gregg B GB Sussman Michael R MR

Science advances 20170705 7

The electric eel (<i>Electrophorus electricus</i>) is unusual among electric fishes because it has three pairs of electric organs that serve multiple biological functions: For navigation and communication, it emits continuous pulses of weak electric discharge (<1 V), but for predation and defense, it intermittently emits lethal strong electric discharges (10 to 600 V). We hypothesized that these two electrogenic outputs have different energetic demands reflected by differences in their proteome ...[more]

PMID: 28695212

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Project description:Electric-double-layer (EDL) gating can induce large capacitance densities (∼1-10 μF cm-2) in two-dimensional (2D) semiconductors; however, several properties of the electrolyte limit performance. One property is the electrochemical activity which limits the gate voltage (VG) that can be applied and therefore the maximum extent to which carriers can be modulated. A second property is electrolyte thickness, which sets the response speed of the EDL gate and therefore the time scale over which the channel can be doped. Typical thicknesses are on the order of micrometers, but thinner electrolytes (nanometers) are needed for very-large-scale-integration (VLSI) in terms of both physical thickness and the speed that accompanies scaling. In this study, finite element modeling of an EDL-gated field-effect transistor (FET) is used to self-consistently couple ion transport in the electrolyte to carrier transport in the semiconductor, in which density of states, and therefore quantum capacitance, is included. The model reveals that 50 to 65% of the applied potential drops across the semiconductor, leaving 35 to 50% to drop across the two EDLs. Accounting for the potential drop in the channel suggests that higher carrier densities can be achieved at larger applied VG without concern for inducing electrochemical reactions. This insight is tested experimentally via Hall measurements of graphene FETs for which VG is extended from ±3 to ±6 V. Doubling the gate voltage increases the sheet carrier density by an additional 2.3 × 1013 cm-2 for electrons and 1.4 × 1013 cm-2 for holes without inducing electrochemistry. To address the need for thickness scaling, the thickness of the solid polymer electrolyte, poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO):CsClO4, is decreased from 1 μm to 10 nm and used to EDL gate graphene FETs. Sheet carrier density measurements on graphene Hall bars prove that the carrier densities remain constant throughout the measured thickness range (10 nm-1 μm). The results indicate promise for overcoming the physical and electrical limitations to VLSI while taking advantage of the ultrahigh carrier densities induced by EDL gating.

Project description:PurposeAsthenozoospermia is a common cause of human male infertility characterized by reduced sperm motility. The molecular mechanism that impairs sperm motility is not fully understood. This study proposed to identify novel biomarkers by focusing on sperm tail proteomic analysis of asthenozoospermic patients.MethodsSperm were isolated from normozoospermic and asthenozoospermic semen samples. Tail fractions were obtained by sonication followed by Percoll gradient. The proteins were extracted by solubilization and subjected to two-dimensional gel electrophoresis (2-DE); then, the spots were analyzed using Image Master 2D Platinum software. The significantly increased/decreased amounts of proteins in the two groups were exploited by matrix-assisted laser desorption-ionization time-of-flight/time-of-flight (MALDI-TOF-TOF) mass spectrometry.ResultsThree hundred ninety protein spots were detected in both groups. Twenty-one protein spots that had significantly altered amounts (p < 0.05) were excised and exploited using MALDI-TOF-TOF mass spectrometry. They led to the identification of the following 14 unique proteins: Tubulin beta 2B; glutathione S-transferase Mu 3; keratin, type II cytoskeletal 1; outer dense fiber protein 2; voltage-dependent anion-selective channel protein 2; A-kinase anchor protein 4; cytochrome c oxidase subunit 6B; sperm protein associated with the nucleus on the X chromosome B; phospholipid hydroperoxide glutathione peroxidase-mitochondrial; isoaspartyl peptidase/L-asparaginase; heat shock-related 70 kDa protein 2; stress-70 protein, mitochondrial; glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase, testis-specific and clusterin.ConclusionFourteen proteins present in different amounts in asthenozoospermic sperm tail samples were identified, four of which are reported here for the first time. These proteins might be used as markers for the better diagnosis of sperm dysfunctions, targets for male contraceptive development, and to predict embryo quality.

Dataset Information

A tail of two voltages: Proteomic comparison of the three electric organs of the electric eel.

Publications

A tail of two voltages: Proteomic comparison of the three electric organs of the electric eel.

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