Improving proteome coverage for HS578T breast cancer cell-line due to efficient interfering removal

Background: In spite of the wide use, low proteome coverage and fuzzy patterns are the most important deterrents for the clinical applications of gel-based proteomic studies. So herein, we tried to increase the 2-dimentional proteome coverage of Hs578T breast cancer cells via investigating the efficacy of the three common techniques, usually used for interfering removal. Methods: Hs578T cells were incubated in a lysis solution to obtain raw cell extracts. Cellular soups of each extraction were then pooled, homogenized, and aliquoted to be further treated by three different protein-specific purification methods including acetone, acetone-methanol, and trichloroacetic acid (TCA)-acetone, each in triplicates. All the purified protein pellets were then dissolved in a standard rehydration buffer solution, loaded into the 17-cm immobilized pH gradient (IPG) strips, and separated according to their isoelectric points. Proteins were then separated once more according to their molecular weights in an O'Farrell separation system. Finally, by the visualization of the protein spots on the 2-dimentional profiles, quality and quantity of these 2-dimentional proteome patterns were then analyzed using the ImageMaster software. Findings: The obtained proteome recovery yields and total protein counts for acetone, acetone-methanol, and trichloroacetic acid-acetone methods were 0.100 ± 0.001, 0.070 ± 0.002, and 0.120 ± 0.005 ng/cell, and 1299 ± 9, 1698 ± 14 and 1973 ± 17, respectively. The results represent data obtained from three independent experiments. Conclusion: Trichloroacetic acid-acetone purification not only represented the highest recovery yield, suitable for expensive assays, but also showed the most suitable proteome coverage. So, the method is recommended for the comparative proteomic studies. However, the acetone-methanol procedure is more recommended for serological proteome analysis (SERPA); since it represents stronger protein spots which are more fitted to the immunoblotting procedure. © 2018, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences(IUMS). All rights reserved

Improving proteome coverage for HS578T breast cancer cell-line due to efficient interfering removal

Background: In spite of the wide use, low proteome coverage and fuzzy patterns are the most important deterrents for the clinical applications of gel-based proteomic studies. So herein, we tried to increase the 2-dimentional proteome coverage of Hs578T breast cancer cells via investigating the efficacy of the three common techniques, usually used for interfering removal. Methods: Hs578T cells were incubated in a lysis solution to obtain raw cell extracts. Cellular soups of each extraction were then pooled, homogenized, and aliquoted to be further treated by three different protein-specific purification methods including acetone, acetone-methanol, and trichloroacetic acid (TCA)-acetone, each in triplicates. All the purified protein pellets were then dissolved in a standard rehydration buffer solution, loaded into the 17-cm immobilized pH gradient (IPG) strips, and separated according to their isoelectric points. Proteins were then separated once more according to their molecular weights in an O'Farrell separation system. Finally, by the visualization of the protein spots on the 2-dimentional profiles, quality and quantity of these 2-dimentional proteome patterns were then analyzed using the ImageMaster software. Findings: The obtained proteome recovery yields and total protein counts for acetone, acetone-methanol, and trichloroacetic acid-acetone methods were 0.100 ± 0.001, 0.070 ± 0.002, and 0.120 ± 0.005 ng/cell, and 1299 ± 9, 1698 ± 14 and 1973 ± 17, respectively. The results represent data obtained from three independent experiments. Conclusion: Trichloroacetic acid-acetone purification not only represented the highest recovery yield, suitable for expensive assays, but also showed the most suitable proteome coverage. So, the method is recommended for the comparative proteomic studies. However, the acetone-methanol procedure is more recommended for serological proteome analysis (SERPA); since it represents stronger protein spots which are more fitted to the immunoblotting procedure. © 2018, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences(IUMS). All rights reserved

An overview of Betacoronaviruses-associated severe respiratory syndromes, focusing on sex-type-specific immune responses

Emerging beta-coronaviruses (β-CoVs), including Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome CoV-1 (SARS-CoV-1), Middle East Respiratory Syndrome-CoV (MERS-CoV), and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome CoV-2 (SARS-CoV-2, the cause of COVID19) are responsible for acute respiratory illnesses in human. The epidemiological features of the SARS, MERS, and new COVID-19 have revealed sex-dependent variations in the infection, frequency, treatment, and fatality rates of these syndromes. Females are likely less susceptible to viral infections, perhaps due to their steroid hormone levels, the impact of X-linked genes, and the sex-based immune responses. Although mostly inactive, the X chromosome makes the female's immune system more robust. The extra immune-regulatory genes of the X chromosome are associated with lower levels of viral load and decreased infection rate. Moreover, a higher titer of the antibodies and their longer blood circulation half-life are involved in a more durable immune protection in females. The activation rate of the immune cells and the production of TLR7 and IFN are more prominent in females. Although the bi-allelic expression of the immune regulatory genes can sometimes lead to autoimmune reactions, the higher titer of TLR7 in females is further associated with a stronger anti-viral immune response. Considering these sex-related differences and the similarities between the SARS, MERS, and COVID-19, we will discuss them in immune responses against the β-CoVs-associated syndromes. We aim to provide information on sex-based disease susceptibility and response. A better understanding of the evasion strategies of pathogens and the host immune responses can provide worthful insights into immunotherapy, and vaccine development approaches. © 2021 Elsevier B.V

The evolution of two-dimensional gel electrophoresis - from proteomics to emerging alternative applications

Two-dimensional gel electrophoresis (2-DE) is a technique that has been widely applied in a variety of proteomics studies. It is capable of resolving complex protein mixtures into individual protein spots based on their isoelectric point and molecular weight, enabling large-scale analysis of protein expression patterns for deciphering their changes in different biological conditions. 2-DE is a powerful tool that empowers researchers to perform differential qualitative and quantitative proteome analysis and is particularly advantageous for characterizing protein isoforms and post-translationally modified proteins. Despite its popularity as the workhorse for proteomics in the past few decades, it has been gradually displaced by the more sophisticated and high-performance mass spectrometry-based methods. However, there are several variations of the 2-DE technique that have emerged as promising approaches that shine new light on specific niches that 2-DE could still contribute. In this review, we first provide an overview of the applications of 2-DE, its merits and pitfalls in the current proteomic research arena, followed by a discussion on several alternative approaches for potential future applications. © 2019 Elsevier B.V

Increasing proteome coverage for gel-based human tear proteome maps: Towards a more comprehensive profiling

In situations where the molecular mechanism of many ocular disorders is unknown, owing to the difficulties associated with sampling from ocular tissues, human tear film can be a promising medium in ophthalmic research. The present study demonstrates an in-depth gel-based proteome optimization survey to approach more appropriate and efficient systems in various situations such as normal and dry-eye syndromes. Therefore, systematic and statistical evaluations were performed on different preparation methods, including acetone, acetone-methanol, chloroform-methanol-water, trichloroacetic acid (TCA)-acetone, tri-n-butylphosphate-acetone-methanol precipitations and ammonium sulfate fractionation at three different percentages of saturations (50, 70 and 90). Methods were compared quantitatively on both one- and two-dimensional patterns. Some important parameters such as total protein recovery yield, densitometric analysis of some protein contaminants, banding patterns and total spot numbers along with statistical models for proper clustering were considered. Findings revealed noticeable impacts of preparation methods on all aspects of gel-based separations as well as recovery yield (ranging from 5.29±0.96 to 22.56±1.77μg/mm) and banding and pattern resolution. In addition to all these, the most important point is that the total protein spot number on the final two-dimensional patterns (varied from 528.00±19.00 to 657.00±21.52 for different methods) were also noticeably increased in comparison with previously published reports (maximum of 250 spots), which is essential for a more comprehensive analysis. Increasing the proteome coverage in the present study is supposed to originate from improved solubility and effective rehydration during the sample application and isoelectric focusing (IEF) procedure along with proper sample preparation. © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd

Diagnosis of Prostate Cancer, from Conventional Methods Towards the New Promising CTCs

Prostate cancer is the second common cancer in men. Unluckily, as the result of the indolence of this cancer in its early stages, timely diagnosis of the disease is very difficult. Hence, in the case of this malignancy, health management and mass monitoring of the population is difficult for health organizations. Because of the incompetence of the conventional diagnostic techniques, many researches are trying to find novel biomarkers in order to develop preventive intervention, screening and targeted therapy. Circulating Tumor Cells (CTCs) are new biomarkers originating from primary and/or metastatic tumors, and circulate in the bloodstream. Molecular properties of these new biomarkers provide valuable information about the status of the tumor and can be useful in selection of an appropriate therapy. So far lots of methods have been developed for separating CTCs, such as microfluidics technology. Despite of the recent achievements, current methods suffer from several limitations which hinder effective isolation of all subpopulation of CTCs. Thus, finding an ideal method for separating all subsets of CTSs, is still unmet. Herein, conventional diagnostic methods which are used for detection of prostate cancer are introduced and necessities of new diagnostic techniques specially, does based on CTCs are discussed. This review shows that new emerging techniques and promising biomarkers like CTCs could be effectively applied for early detection of prostate cancer and increase the chance of the successful treatment

Opportunities and challenges of the tag-assisted protein purification techniques: Applications in the pharmaceutical industry

Tag-assisted protein purification is a method of choice for both academic researches and large-scale industrial demands. Application of the purification tags in the protein production process can help to save time and cost, but the design and application of tagged fusion proteins are challenging. An appropriate tagging strategy must provide sufficient expression yield and high purity for the final protein products while preserving their native structure and function. Thanks to the recent advances in the bioinformatics and emergence of high-throughput techniques (e.g. SEREX), many new tags are introduced to the market. A variety of interfering and non-interfering tags have currently broadened their application scope beyond the traditional use as a simple purification tool. They can take part in many biochemical and analytical features and act as solubility and protein expression enhancers, probe tracker for online visualization, detectors of post-translational modifications, and carrier-driven tags. Given the variability and growing number of the purification tags, here we reviewed the protein- and peptide-structured purification tags used in the affinity, ion-exchange, reverse phase, and immobilized metal ion affinity chromatographies. We highlighted the demand for purification tags in the pharmaceutical industry and discussed the impact of self-cleavable tags, aggregating tags, and nanotechnology on both the column-based and column-free purification techniques. © 202

Cytoprotective effects of antioxidant supplementation on mesenchymal stem cell therapy

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are earmarked as perfect candidates for cell therapy and tissue engineering due to their capacity to differentiate into different cell types. However, their potential for application in regenerative medicine declines when the levels of the reactive oxygen and nitrogen species (RONS) increase from the physiological levels, a phenomenon which is at least inevitable in ex vivo cultures and air-exposed damaged tissues. Increased levels of RONS can alter the patterns of osteogenic and adipogenic differentiation and inhibit proliferation, as well. Besides, oxidative stress enhances senescence and cell death, thus lowering the success rates of the MSC engraftment. Hence, in this review, we have selected some representatives of antioxidants and newly emerged nano antioxidants in three main categories, including chemical compounds, biometabolites, and protein precursors/proteins, which are proved to be effective in the treatment of MSCs. We will focus on how antioxidants can be applied to optimize the clinical usage of the MSCs and their associated signaling pathways. We have also reviewed several paralleled properties of some antioxidants and nano antioxidants which can be simultaneously used in real-time imaging, scaffolding techniques, and other applications in addition to their primary antioxidative function. © 2020 Wiley Periodicals, Inc

Cytoprotective effects of antioxidant supplementation on mesenchymal stem cell therapy

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are earmarked as perfect candidates for cell therapy and tissue engineering due to their capacity to differentiate into different cell types. However, their potential for application in regenerative medicine declines when the levels of the reactive oxygen and nitrogen species (RONS) increase from the physiological levels, a phenomenon which is at least inevitable in ex vivo cultures and air-exposed damaged tissues. Increased levels of RONS can alter the patterns of osteogenic and adipogenic differentiation and inhibit proliferation, as well. Besides, oxidative stress enhances senescence and cell death, thus lowering the success rates of the MSC engraftment. Hence, in this review, we have selected some representatives of antioxidants and newly emerged nano antioxidants in three main categories, including chemical compounds, biometabolites, and protein precursors/proteins, which are proved to be effective in the treatment of MSCs. We will focus on how antioxidants can be applied to optimize the clinical usage of the MSCs and their associated signaling pathways. We have also reviewed several paralleled properties of some antioxidants and nano antioxidants which can be simultaneously used in real-time imaging, scaffolding techniques, and other applications in addition to their primary antioxidative function. © 2020 Wiley Periodicals, Inc