Improvement of the Performance of Targeted LC–MS Assays through Enrichment of Histidine-Containing Peptides

Mass spectrometric-based quantification using targeted methods has matured during the past decade and is now commonly used in proteomics. However, the reliability of protein quantification in complex matrixes using selected reaction monitoring is often impaired by interfering signals arising from coelution of nontargeted components. Sample preparation methods resulting in the reduction of the number of peptides present in the mixture minimizes this effect. One solution consists in the selective capture of peptides containing infrequent amino acids. The enrichment of histidine-containing peptides via immobilized metal-ion affinity chromatography loaded with Cu²⁺ ions (IMAC-Cu) was applied in a quantitative workflow and found to be a simple and cost effective method for the reduction of sample complexity with high recovery and selectivity. When applied to a series of depleted human plasma digests, the method decreased nonspecific signals, resulting in a more precise and robust protein quantification. The method was also shown to be an alternative to HSA/IgG depletion during plasma protein analysis. This method, used in conjunction with recent improvements in the instrument’s peak capacity, addresses a bottleneck generally encountered in quantitative proteomics studies by providing the robustness and throughput required for the analysis of large sample series without compromising the number of proteins monitored

Improvement of the Performance of Targeted LC–MS Assays through Enrichment of Histidine-Containing Peptides

Mass spectrometric-based quantification using targeted methods has matured during the past decade and is now commonly used in proteomics. However, the reliability of protein quantification in complex matrixes using selected reaction monitoring is often impaired by interfering signals arising from coelution of nontargeted components. Sample preparation methods resulting in the reduction of the number of peptides present in the mixture minimizes this effect. One solution consists in the selective capture of peptides containing infrequent amino acids. The enrichment of histidine-containing peptides via immobilized metal-ion affinity chromatography loaded with Cu²⁺ ions (IMAC-Cu) was applied in a quantitative workflow and found to be a simple and cost effective method for the reduction of sample complexity with high recovery and selectivity. When applied to a series of depleted human plasma digests, the method decreased nonspecific signals, resulting in a more precise and robust protein quantification. The method was also shown to be an alternative to HSA/IgG depletion during plasma protein analysis. This method, used in conjunction with recent improvements in the instrument’s peak capacity, addresses a bottleneck generally encountered in quantitative proteomics studies by providing the robustness and throughput required for the analysis of large sample series without compromising the number of proteins monitored

Protein Quantification Using a Cleavable Reporter Peptide

Peptide and protein quantification based on isotope dilution and mass spectrometry analysis are widely employed for the measurement of biomarkers and in system biology applications. The accuracy and reliability of such quantitative assays depend on the quality of the stable-isotope labeled standards. Although the quantification using stable-isotope labeled peptides is precise, the accuracy of the results can be severely biased by the purity of the internal standards, their stability and formulation, and the determination of their concentration. Here we describe a rapid and cost-efficient method to recalibrate stable isotope labeled peptides in a single LC–MS analysis. The method is based on the equimolar release of a protein reference peptide (used as surrogate for the protein of interest) and a universal reporter peptide during the trypsinization of a concatenated polypeptide standard. The quality and accuracy of data generated with such concatenated polypeptide standards are highlighted by the quantification of two clinically important proteins in urine samples and compared with results obtained with conventional stable isotope labeled reference peptides. Furthermore, the application of the UCRP standards in complex samples is described

A Simple Protocol To Routinely Assess the Uniformity of Proteomics Analyses

Mass-spectrometry-based proteomic approaches are increasingly applied to biological and clinical studies. Initially used by specialized laboratories, the technology has matured and gained acceptance by the community, using various analytical processes and platforms. To facilitate data comparison and integration across laboratories, there is a need to harmonize analytical processes to ensure the generation of reliable proteomic data sets. This is especially critical in the context of large initiatives, such as the <i>Human Proteome Project</i> promoted by the Human Proteome Organization (HUPO). Quality control is a first step toward the harmonization of proteomics data sets. We have developed a procedure to routinely assess the uniformity of proteomics analyses. It relies on a simple protocol based on three proteins and two sets of isotopically labeled peptides, one being added prior to tryptic digestion and the second one prior to liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry (LC–MS) analysis. The proposed method evaluates in a single step both the sample preparation, by measuring the relative amounts of endogenous peptides and their isotopically labeled counterparts, and the LC–MS platform performance, by monitoring the main LC–MS attributes for reference peptides. The procedure is simple and easy to implement into routine workflows typically employed by the proteomics community

Longitudinal Urinary Protein Variability in Participants of the Space Flight Simulation Program

Urine is a valuable material for the diagnosis of renal pathologies and to investigate the effects of their treatment. However, the variability in protein abundance in the context of normal homeostasis remains a major challenge in urinary proteomics. In this study, the analysis of urine samples collected from healthy individuals, rigorously selected to take part in the <i>MARS-500</i> spaceflight simulation program, provided a unique opportunity to estimate normal concentration ranges for an extended set of urinary proteins. In order to systematically identify and reliably quantify peptides/proteins across a large sample cohort, a targeted mass spectrometry method was developed. The performance of parallel reaction monitoring (PRM) analyses was improved by implementing tight control of the monitoring windows during LC–MS/MS runs, using an on-the-fly correction routine. Matching the experimentally obtained MS/MS spectra with reference fragmentation patterns allowed dependable peptide identifications to be made. Following optimization and evaluation, the targeted method was applied to investigate protein abundance variability in 56 urine samples, collected from six volunteers participating in the <i>MARS-500</i> program. The intrapersonal protein concentration ranges were determined for each individual and showed unexpectedly high abundance variation, with an average difference of 1 order of magnitude

Peptides Quantification by Liquid Chromatography with Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption/Ionization and Selected Reaction Monitoring Detection

We present a novel analytical platform for peptides quantitative assays in biological matrices based on microscale liquid chromatography fractionation and matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometric detection using the selected reaction monitoring (SRM) mode. The MALDI source was equipped with a high frequency Nd:YAG laser (1000 Hz) and mounted on a triple quadrupole/linear ion trap mass spectrometer (MALDI-QqQ_LIT). Compared to conventional LC–ESI-SRM/MS, the separated analytes are “time-frozen” onto the MALDI plate in fractions, and navigation through the LC chromatogram makes it possible to perform SRM experiments as well as enhanced product ion spectra acquisition for confirmatory analyses without time constraints. The LC spots were analyzed using different rastering speeds ranging from 0.25 to 4 mm/sec with the shortest analysis time of 425 ms/spot. Since the LC runs can be multiplexed and do not need a comprehensive investigation, the present platform offers a valuable alternative to LC–ESI-SRM/MS for high throughput proteomic analyses. In addition, the derivatization of the N-terminal α-amino group by sulfonation was found to be key for the fragmentation of singly charged peptides under low collision energy regime. Under such conditions, <i>y</i>-ion series were observed in the MS/MS spectra, and thus the design of SRM experiments was greatly simplified. The quantitative performance of the platform was compared to that of LC–ESI-SRM/MS by spiking yeast tryptic peptides in human plasma digests. Both platforms exhibited similar sensitivities, accuracy (within ±20%) and precision (under 20%) in the relative quantification mode. As a proof of principle, the relative and absolute quantification of proteins associated with glycolysis, glyoxylate and tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycles over a growth time course of <i>Saccharomyces cerevisiae</i> on glucose media was successfully performed using isotopic dilution

Biochemical and Physical Characterisation of Urinary Nanovesicles following CHAPS Treatment

<div><p>Urinary exosomes represent a precious source of potential biomarkers for disease biology. Currently, the methods for vesicle isolation are severely restricted by the tendency of vesicle entrapment, <em>e.g.</em> by the abundant Tamm-Horsfall protein (THP) polymers. Treatment by reducing agents such as dithiothreitol (DTT) releases entrapped vesicles, thus increasing the final yield. However, this harsh treatment can cause remodelling of all those proteins which feature extra-vesicular domains stabilized by internal disulfide bridges and have detrimental effects on their biological activity. In order to optimize exosomal yield, we explore two vesicle treatment protocols - dithiothreitol (DTT) and 3-[(3-cholamidopropyl)dimethylammonio]-1-propanesulfonic (CHAPS) - applied to the differential centrifugation protocol for exosomal vesicle isolation. The results show that CHAPS treatment does not affect vesicle morphology or exosomal marker distribution, thus eliminating most of THP interference. Moreover, the recovery and preservation of catalytic activity of two trans-membrane proteases, dipeptidyl peptidase IV and nephrilysin, was examined and found to be clearly superior after CHAPS treatment compared to DTT. Finally, proteomic profiling by mass spectrometry (MS) revealed that 76.2% of proteins recovered by CHAPS are common to those seen for DTT treatment, which illustrates underlining similarities between the two approaches. In conclusion, we provide a major improvement to currently-utilized urinary vesicle isolation strategies to allow recovery of urinary vesicles without the deleterious interference of abundant urinary proteins, while preserving typical protein folding and, consequently, the precious biological activity of urinary proteins which serve as valuable biomarkers.</p> </div

TEM analysis.

<p>Transmission electron micrographs of <b>P18</b> (Panel A) and <b>P200</b> (Panel B) at 10,000× and 5,000× magnifications, respectively. High-magnification (50,000×) of CHAPS- (Panels C-F) and DTT-treated (Panels G-I) vesicle preparations are represented.</p

Protein identification in DTT and CHAPS supernatant.

<p>Partial list of proteins not previously reported in urinary exosomes and in 200,000 g supernatants.</p>a<p>Unique peptides on the total number of peptides.</p

Protein identification comparisons.

<p>Venn diagram showing the distribution of the number of identified proteins presents in SN 200,000 g after CHAPS and DTT treatments. Protein identifications from the current study were compared to two other studies which were carried out using high-resolution mass spectrometers in gels on 200,000 g pellets after DTT treatment (Gonzales et al. 2008) <a href="http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0037279#pone.0037279-Gonzales1" target="_blank">[5]</a> and 200,000 g supernatants (Kentsis et al. 2009) <a href="http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0037279#pone.0037279-Kentsis1" target="_blank">[23]</a>.</p