Project description:Toxoplasma gondii is an obligate intracellular parasite which can cause toxoplasmosis. Surface and secreted proteins of T. gondii play important roles in infection and immunity, and also are antigen targets in immunological diagnosis and vaccine development. However, it is difficult to investigate identities and antigenicities of surface and secreted proteins due to limitation of surface protein extraction methods. In this study, a total of 785 potential surface and secreted proteins of T. gondii RH tachyzoites were identified using a method combination of biotin labeling, avidin chromatography isolation, and high flux proteomics (LC-MS/MS). Among the highly-expressed 65 proteins, 43 proteins (66%) were originally annotated as surface or secreted proteins in the released T. gondii genomes, which proved the method combination to be a credible strategy. Furthermore, the transcriptomic responses and cytokine secretions induced by the isolated proteins, the live T. gondii RH tachyzoites infection, and the live pathogenic E. coli infection, in the human peripheral blood monocyte THP-1 cell lines, were comparatively analyzed to reveal antigenicities and immunobiological properties of T. gondii surface and secreted proteins. The transciptomic profiles induced by the isolated proteins were similar to those induced by the live bacterium infection, but were different from those induced by the live parasite infection. Contrary to the low cytokine secretion induced by the live parasite infection, the isolated proteins induced significant cytokine and chemokines secretion. Especially, the secretions of several chemokines induced by the isolated proteins were even higher than those induced by the live bacterium infection. These data suggested that T. gondii surface and secreted proteins were effective antigens, while the live parasite could evade the host innate immunity. This study comprehensively revealed the identities and antigenicities of T. gondii surface and secreted proteins, which laid foundation for further screening new T. gondii antigens, developing immunological diagnosis methods, and studying host immune response to T. gondii infection.
Project description:Proteins are secreted from cells to send information to neighboring cells or distant tissues. Because of the highly integrated nature of energy balance systems, there has been particular interest in myokines and adipokines. These are challenging to study through proteomics because serum or plasma contain highly abundant proteins that limit the detection of proteins with lower abundance. We show here that extracellular fluid (EF) from muscle and fat tissues of mice show a different protein composition than either serum or tissues. Mass spectrometry analyses of EFs from mice with physiological perturbations, like exercise or cold exposure, allowed quantification of many potentially novel myokines and adipokines. Using this approach, we identify prosaposin as a secreted product of muscle and fat. Prosaposin expression stimulates thermogenic gene expression and induces mitochondrial respiration in primary fat cells. These studies together illustrate the utility of EF isolation as a discovery tool for adipokines and myokines.
Project description:Salt stress is one of the major abiotic stresses affecting the yield of ginseng (Panax ginseng C. A. Meyer). The objective of this study was to identify proteins of ginseng, which is responsive in salt stress. In this direction, ginseng plants of different growth stages (3, 4 and 5 years), were grown in the hydroponic conditions and exposed to 5 ds/m salt concentration. The secreted proteins, collected from the water, at 0, 24, 72 and 120 hours after exposure were used for the proteome analysis using shotgun approaches. Through the shotgun proteomics, a total of 155 and 88 secreted proteins were identified by searching in two RNA-sequencing (RNA-seq) database, respectively.
Project description:Background. Bacillus subtilis is a favorable host for the production of industrially relevant proteins because of its capacity of secreting proteins into the medium to high levels, its GRAS (Generally Recognized As Safe) status, its genetic accessibility and its capacity to grow in large fermentations. However, production of heterologous proteins still faces limitations. Results. This study aimed at the identification of bottlenecks in secretory protein production by analyzing the response of B. subtilis at the transcriptome level to overproduction of eight secretory proteins of endogenous and heterologous origin and with different subcellular or extracellular destination: secreted proteins (NprE and XynA of B. subtilis, Usp45 of Lactococcus lactis, TEM-1beta -lactamase of Escherichia coli), membrane proteins (LmrA of L. lactis and XylP of Lactobacillus pentosus) and lipoproteins (MntA and YcdH of B. subtilis). Responses specific for proteins with a common localization as well as more general stress responses were observed. The latter include upregulation of genes encoding intracellular stress proteins (groES/EL, CtsR regulated genes). Specific responses include upregulation of the liaIHGFSR operon under Usp45 and TEM-1 beta-lactamase overproduction; cssRS, htrA and htrB under all secreted proteins overproduction; sigW and SigW-regulated genes mainly under membrane proteins overproduction; and ykrL (encoding an HtpX homologue) specifically under membrane proteins overproduction. Conclusions. The results give better insights into B. subtilis responses to protein overproduction stress and provide potential targets for genetic engineering in order to further improve B. subtilis as a protein production host. Samples for transcriptome analyses were induced at the exponential-growth phase (OD600 = 0.7) with 0.1% subtilin (subtilin containing supernatant of subtilin producing B. subtilis strain ATCC 6633). Cells were harvested 30 min after induction. Three or four independent cultures of each strain (target strains and controls) were used, and cells were sampled for microarray experiment.
Project description:Background. Bacillus subtilis is a favorable host for the production of industrially relevant proteins because of its capacity of secreting proteins into the medium to high levels, its GRAS (Generally Recognized As Safe) status, its genetic accessibility and its capacity to grow in large fermentations. However, production of heterologous proteins still faces limitations. Results. This study aimed at the identification of bottlenecks in secretory protein production by analyzing the response of B. subtilis at the transcriptome level to overproduction of eight secretory proteins of endogenous and heterologous origin and with different subcellular or extracellular destination: secreted proteins (NprE and XynA of B. subtilis, Usp45 of Lactococcus lactis, TEM-1beta -lactamase of Escherichia coli), membrane proteins (LmrA of L. lactis and XylP of Lactobacillus pentosus) and lipoproteins (MntA and YcdH of B. subtilis). Responses specific for proteins with a common localization as well as more general stress responses were observed. The latter include upregulation of genes encoding intracellular stress proteins (groES/EL, CtsR regulated genes). Specific responses include upregulation of the liaIHGFSR operon under Usp45 and TEM-1 beta-lactamase overproduction; cssRS, htrA and htrB under all secreted proteins overproduction; sigW and SigW-regulated genes mainly under membrane proteins overproduction; and ykrL (encoding an HtpX homologue) specifically under membrane proteins overproduction. Conclusions. The results give better insights into B. subtilis responses to protein overproduction stress and provide potential targets for genetic engineering in order to further improve B. subtilis as a protein production host.
Project description:The present study describes a novel xenograft-based biomarker discovery platform and proves its usefulness in the discovery of novel serum markers for prostate cancer (PCa). By immunizing immuno-competent mice with serum from nude mice bearing PCa xenografts, an antibody response against xenograft-derived antigens was elicited. By probing protein microarrays with serum from immunized mice, several PCa-derived antigens were identified, of which a subset was successfully retrieved in serum from mice bearing PCa xenografts and validated in human serum samples of PCa patients. In conclusion, this novel method allows for the identification of low abundant cancer-derived serum proteins, circumventing dynamic range and host-response issues in standard patient cohort proteomics comparisons. To perform a large-scale identification of antibodies generated against human PCa-derived proteins in the serum of immunized mice, sera from mice immunized with either depleted serum, full serum or both from PC346 and PC339-bearing mice as well as preimmune serum and serum from mice immunized with normal mouse serum were incubated onto ProtoArrays. These ProtoArrays contain approximately 8,000 partial and full-length human proteins, expressed as N-terminal glutathione S-transferase (GST) fusion proteins. To detect antibodies bound to spotted proteins, ProtoArrays were developed using a fluorescent labeled secondary antibody. Before being used for immunization, serum from xenografted mice was not treated (full) or depleted for most abundant proteins (depleted). Two arrays were hybridized with pre-immune serum and one array with serum from an immune competent mouse that was immunized with serum from a nude mouse. Six arrays were performed using serum from immune competent mice that were immunized with serum from xenograft-bearing nude mice.
Project description:Background: During the analysis of ripening related gene expression in tomato fruit, we observed a bias towards certain classes of messenger RNA based upon the type of buffer used in the initial step of the extraction procedure. We postulated that there was a functional association of the separated transcripts. To test this hypothesis, we carried out extractions from the same tissue sample where only the buffer varied. Transcripts were hybridised to Affymetrix oligo arrays and the data was analysed according to the predicted cellular component of the encoded proteins. Results: The use of an extraction buffer that lacked high levels of caeotropic agents resulted in a reduction of mRNAs encoding proteins that were either secreted or were predicted to be routed through the endomembrane system and hence could have been bound to the endoplasmic reticulum in polyribosomes. Extraction of the cell debris immediately following the initial buffer based extraction and subsequent micro array analysis revealed that the expected transcripts could be recovered. This demonstrated that the buffer was separating the mRNAs based on the cellular component of the encoded proteins. Analysis of selected transcripts by northern hybridisation again supported this theory. Conclusions: Some traditional buffers used for fruit RNA extraction selectively deplete for transcripts encoding proteins that are membrane-associated or secreted. This can be explained if polyribosomes that are bound to the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) are not effectively disrupted when the extraction buffer lacks either detergent or organic solvents. These findings have important implications with respect to experimental bias, as well as opportunities for message enrichment and protein characterisation. GeneChip analyses were performed to analyse the effect of using different extraction protocols on Solanum lycopersicum pericarp.
Project description:We used the secretome protein enrichment with click sugars (SPECS) method to purify the secreted glycosylated proteins and performed quantitative proteomics to identify the secreted proteins that were regulated by ADAM12S.
Project description:To determine secreted proteins that involved in adaptation of nutrient sources and response to nutrient stresses, we analyzed transcriptomes of Pochonia chlamydosporia strain 170 under three different nutrient conditions, CD (nutrient rich medium) that was predicted to repress parasitism, MM (nutrient-poor liquid minimal medium) that was predicted de-repress genes associated with parasitism, and MM-eggs(minimal medium with root-knot nematode eggs) that was prepared to induce parasitism.
Project description:Background: During the analysis of ripening related gene expression in tomato fruit, we observed a bias towards certain classes of messenger RNA based upon the type of buffer used in the initial step of the extraction procedure. We postulated that there was a functional association of the separated transcripts. To test this hypothesis, we carried out extractions from the same tissue sample where only the buffer varied. Transcripts were hybridised to Affymetrix oligo arrays and the data was analysed according to the predicted cellular component of the encoded proteins. Results: The use of an extraction buffer that lacked high levels of caeotropic agents resulted in a reduction of mRNAs encoding proteins that were either secreted or were predicted to be routed through the endomembrane system and hence could have been bound to the endoplasmic reticulum in polyribosomes. Extraction of the cell debris immediately following the initial buffer based extraction and subsequent micro array analysis revealed that the expected transcripts could be recovered. This demonstrated that the buffer was separating the mRNAs based on the cellular component of the encoded proteins. Analysis of selected transcripts by northern hybridisation again supported this theory. Conclusions: Some traditional buffers used for fruit RNA extraction selectively deplete for transcripts encoding proteins that are membrane-associated or secreted. This can be explained if polyribosomes that are bound to the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) are not effectively disrupted when the extraction buffer lacks either detergent or organic solvents. These findings have important implications with respect to experimental bias, as well as opportunities for message enrichment and protein characterisation.