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Chemoenzymatic synthesis and modification of well-defined macrolactonic sophorolipid (SLML) analogues via a series of successive regioselective de-esterification/transesterification reactions is investigated. Of the lipases screened, Candida antartica lipase- B (Novozyme-435) successfully deacylated the C-6′ acetoxy group of natural and peracylated SLMLs. Subsequent transesterification with acylating agents (esters of fatty acids) was successful only with the C-6′ deacetylated natural SLML providing an avenue to well-defined analogues of varying amphilicity. The macrolactonic motif was essential for enzymatic recognition of the sophorose rings of these complex glycolipids. In the absence of the lactonic motif, the peracylated sophorose rings are not deacylated, rather the carboxyl end of the non-lactonic forms that was preferentially transesterified. All macrolactonic derivatives were characterized by IR, 1H, 13C, 1H-1H and 1H-13C NMR spectroscopy, as well as HRMS where applicable.

Proteomic profiling of accessible bodily fluids, such as plasma, has the potential to accelerate biomarker/biosignature development for human diseases. The HUPO Plasma Proteome Project pilot phase examined human plasma with distinct proteomic approaches across multiple laboratories worldwide. Through this effort, we confidently identified 3020 proteins, each requiring a minimum of two high-scoring MS/MS spectra. A critical step subsequent to protein identification is functional annotation, in particular with regard to organ systems and disease. Performing exhaustive literature searches, we have manually annotated a subset of these 3020 proteins that have cardiovascular-related functions on the basis of an existing body of published information. These cardiovascular-related proteins can be organized into eight groups: markers of inflammation and/or cardiovascular disease, vascular and coagulation, signaling, growth and differentiation, cytoskeletal, transcription factors, channels/receptors and heart failure and remodeling. In addition, analysis of the peptide per protein ratio for MS/MS identification reveals group-specific trends. These findings serve as a resource to interrogate the functions of plasma proteins, and moreover, the list of cardiovascular-related proteins in plasma constitutes a baseline proteomic blueprint for the future development of biosignatures for diseases such as myocardial ischemia and atherosclerosis.

Mass spectrometry (MS) and ion mobility with electrospray ionization (ESI) have the capability to measure and detect large noncovalent protein-ligand and protein-protein complexes. Using an ion mobility method of gas-phase electrophoretic mobility molecular analysis (GEMMA), protein particles representing a range of sizes can be separated by their electrophoretic mobility in air. Highly charged particles produced from a protein complex solution using electrospray can be manipulated to produce singly charged ions, which can be separated and quantified by their electrophoretic mobility. Results from ESI-GEMMA analysis from our laboratory and others were compared with other experimental and theoretically determined parameters, such as molecular mass and cryoelectron microscopy and X-ray crystal structure dimensions. There is a strong correlation between the electrophoretic mobility diameter determined from GEMMA analysis and the molecular mass for protein complexes up to 12 MDa, including the 93 kDa enolase dimer, the 480 kDa ferritin 24-mer complex, the 4.6 MDa cowpea chlorotic mottle virus (CCMV), and the 9 MDa MVP-vault assembly. ESI-GEMMA is used to differentiate a number of similarly sized vault complexes that are composed of different N-terminal protein tags on the MVP subunit. The average effective density of the proteins and protein complexes studied was 0.6 g/cm(3). Moreover, there is evidence that proteins and protein complexes collapse or become more compact in the gas phase in the absence of water.

Our recent studies have provided a proteomic blueprint of the 26S proteasome complexes in the heart, among which 20S proteasomes were found to contain cylinder-shaped structures consisting of both α and β subunits. These proteasomes exhibit a number of features unique to the myocardium, including striking differences in post-translational modifications (PTMs) of individual subunits and novel PTMs that have not been previously reported. To date, mechanisms contributing to the regulation of this myocardial proteolytic core system remain largely undefined; in particular, little is known regarding PTM-dependent regulation of cardiac proteasomes. In this investigation, we seek to elucidate the function and regulation of 20S proteasome complexes in the heart. Functionally viable murine cardiac 20S proteasomes were purified. Tandem mass spectrometry analyses, combined with native gel electrophoresis, immunoprecipitation, and immunoblotting, revealed the identification of 2 previously unrecognized functional partners in the endogenous intact cardiac 20S complexes: protein phosphatase 2A (PP2A), and protein kinase A (PKA). Furthermore, our results demonstrated that PP2A and PKA profoundly impact the proteolytic function of 20S proteasomes: phosphorylation of 20S complexes enhances the peptidase activity of individual subunits in a substrate-specific fashion. Moreover, inhibition of PP2A or the addition of PKA significantly modified both the serine- and threonine-phosphorylation profile of proteasomes; multiple individual subunits of 20S (eg, α1 and β2) were targets of PP2A and PKA. Taken together, these studies provide the first demonstration that the function of cardiac 20S proteasomes is modulated by associating partners and that phosphorylation may serve as a key mechanism for regulation.

Multiprotein complexes have been increasingly recognized as essential functional units for a variety of cellular processes, including the protein degradation system. Selective degradation of proteins in eukaryotes is primarily conducted by the ubiquitin proteasome system. The current knowledge base, pertaining to the proteasome complexes in mammalian cells, relies largely upon information gained in the yeast system, where the 26S proteasome is hypothesized to contain a 20S multiprotein core complex and one or two 19S regulatory complexes. To date, the molecular structure of the proteasome system, the proteomic composition of the entire 26S multiprotein complexes, and the specific designated function of individual components within this essential protein degradation system in the heart remain virtually unknown. A functional proteomic approach, employing multidimensional chromatography purification combined with liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry and protein chemistry, was utilized to explore the murine cardiac 26S proteasome system. This article presents an overview on the subject of protein degradation in mammalian cells. In addition, this review shares the limited information that has been garnered thus far pertaining to the molecular composition, function, and regulation of this important organelle in the cardiac cells.

Mass spectrometry and gas phase ion mobility [gas phase electrophoretic macromolecule analyzer (GEMMA)] with electrospray ionization were used to characterize the structure of the noncovalent 28-subunit 20S proteasome from Methanosarcina thermophila and rabbit. ESI-MS measurements with a quadrupole time-of-flight analyzer of the 192 kDa alpha7-ring and the intact 690 kDa alpha7beta7beta7alpha7 are consistent with their expected stoichiometries. Collisionally activated dissociation of the 20S gas phase complex yields loss of individual alpha-subunits only, and it is generally consistent with the known alpha7beta7beta7alpha7 architecture. The analysis of the binding of a reversible inhibitor to the 20S proteasome shows the expected stoichiometry of one inhibitor for each beta-subunit. Ion mobility measurements of the alpha7-ring and the alpha7beta7beta7alpha7 complex yield electrophoretic diameters of 10.9 and 15.1 nm, respectively; these dimensions are similar to those measured by crystallographic methods. Sequestration of multiple apo-myoglobin substrates by a lactacystin-inhibited 20S proteasome is demonstrated by GEMMA experiments. This study suggests that many elements of the gas phase structure of large protein complexes are preserved upon desolvation, and that methods such as mass spectrometry and ion mobility analysis can reveal structural details of the solution protein complex.