Search

The emergence of new methods for reprogramming of adult somatic cells into induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSC) led to the development of new approaches in drug discovery and regenerative medicine. Investigation of the molecular mechanisms underlying the self-renewal, expansion and differentiation of human iPSC (hiPSC) should lead to improvements in the manufacture of safe and reliable cell therapy products. The goal of our study was qualitative and quantitative proteomic characterizations of hiPSC by means of electrospray ionization (ESI)-MSe and MALDI-TOF/TOF mass spectrometry (MS). Proteomes of hiPSCs of different somatic origins: fibroblasts and peripheral blood CD34+ cells, reprogrammed by the same technique, were compared with the original somatic cells and hESC. Quantitative proteomic comparison revealed approximately 220 proteins commonly up-regulated in all three pluripotent stem cell lines compared to the primary cells. Expression of 21 proteins previously reported as pluripotency markers was up-regulated in both hiPSCs (8 were confirmed by Western blot). A number of novel candidate marker proteins with the highest fold-change difference between hiPSCs/hESC and somatic cells discovered by MS were confirmed by Western blot. A panel of 22 candidate marker proteins of hiPSC was developed and expression of these proteins was confirmed in 8 additional hiPSC lines.

The major objective of personalized medicine is to select optimized drug therapies and to a large degree such mission is determined by the expression profiles of cytochrome(s) P450 (CYP). Accordingly, a proteomic case study in personalized medicine is provided by the superfamily of cytochromes P450. Our knowledge about CYP isozyme expression on a protein level is very limited and based exclusively on DNA/mRNA derived data. Such information is not sufficient because transcription and translation events do not lead to correlated levels of expressed proteins. Here we report expression profiles of CYPs in human liver obtained by mass spectrometry (MS)-based proteomic approach. We analyzed 32 samples of human liver microsomes (HLM) of different sexes, ages and ethnicity along with samples of recombinant human CYPs. We have experimentally confirmed that each CYP isozyme can be effectively differentiated by their unique isozyme-specific tryptic peptide(s). Trypsin digestion patterns for almost 30 human CYP isozymes were established. Those findings should assist in selecting tryptic peptides suitable for MS-based quantitation. The data obtained demonstrate remarkable differences in CYP expression profiles. CYP2E1, CYP2C8 and CYP4A11 were the only isozymes found in all HLM samples. Female and pediatric HLM samples revealed much more diverse spectrum of expressed CYPs isozymes compared to male HLM. We have confirmed expression of a number of "rare" CYP (CYP2J2, CYP4B1, CYP4V2, CYP4F3, CYP4F11, CYP8B1, CYP19A1, CYP24A1 and CYP27A1) and obtained first direct experimental data showing expression of such CYPs as CYP2F1, CYP2S1, CYP2W1, CYP4A22, CYP4X1, and CYP26A1 on a protein level.

Background Influenza vaccination is the primary method for preventing influenza and its severe complications. An accurate rapid method to determine hemagglutinin (HA) concentration would facilitate reference antigen preparation and consequently expedite availability of seasonal as well as pandemic vaccines. Objective The goal of this study was to develop a label-free mass spectrometry (MS) based method that enables simultaneous identification and quantification of HA, neuraminidase (NA), and other viral proteins and protein contaminations in influenza vaccine or virus preparations. Methods The method presented is based on LC ⁄MSE analysis of vaccine or virus preparations tryptic digests spiked with a known amount of protein standard from which a universal response factor is generated and applied to calculate the concentration of proteins identified in the mixture. Results We show that, with the use of an appropriate internal standard, the label-free MS-based protein quantification method is applicable for simultaneous identification and absolute quantification of HA and identification and relative quantification of other influenza proteins as well as protein impurities in influenza vaccines and virus preparations. We show that different subtype recombinant HA is preferred internal standard that provides the most accurate results in absolute quantification of HAs and other influenza proteins. We applied this method to measure the absolute quantity of HA as well as relative quantities of other viral proteins and impurities in preparations of whole virus and monovalent vaccine, providing data to demonstrate strain-dependent differences in the amount of NA.

Influenza vaccines are effective in protecting against illness and death caused by this seasonal pathogen. Antibodies that block the function of either hemagglutinin (HA) or neuraminidase (NA) contribute to vaccine efficacy, however vaccine potency is based only on HA content. NA protein content in vaccines varies from season to season due to differences in the relative amounts of HA and NA in influenza A, H1N1 and H3N2, and influenza B viruses that are selected for each manufacturing campaign. This, as well as potential inherent differences in NA immunogenicity, may result in varying responses from year to year. Moreover, the antigenic stability of NA is likely to dictate whether similar antibody responses will be obtained to this antigen throughout the shelf-life of the vaccine. To address this factor, we subjected NAs of influenza A (subtypes N1 and N2) and B viruses to denaturing conditions to evaluate the stability of enzyme activity. Each NA type/subtype had unique sensitivity to denaturing conditions. The N2 enzyme activity was more thermostable than that of N1 or influenza B, while the NA activity of influenza B was most resistant to detergent. N1 enzyme activity was most resistant of the three NAs to freeze–thaw cycling. In these experiments, enzyme activity was indicative of the immunogenicity of NA, but was strain-dependent, with greater neuraminidase inhibiting (NI) antibody titers elicited following immunization with the 2009 H1N1 pandemic virus A/California/7/2009, than the previously circulating seasonal H1N1 strain, A/Brisbane/59/2007. Robust NI antibody titers against both N1 and N2 components were induced following vaccination of mice with a trivalent inactivated influenza vaccine. When stored under recommended conditions, the NA of both N1 and N2 subtypes remained immunogenic well after the vaccine expiry date.

Background Influenza vaccines are effective in protecting against illness and death caused by this seasonal pathogen. The potency of influenza vaccines is measured by single radial immunodiffusion (SRID) assay that quantifies antigenic forms of hemagglutinin (HA). Hydrostatic pressure results in loss of binding of influenza virus to red blood cells, but it is not known whether this infers loss of potency. Objectives Our goal was to determine the impact of pressure on HA antigenic structure. Methods Viruses included in the 2010–2011 trivalent influenza vaccine were subjected to increasing number of cycles at 35 000 psi in a barocycler, and the impact of this treatment measured by determining hemagglutination units (HAU) and potency. Potency was assessed by SRID and immunogenicity in mice. Results After 25 cycles of pressure, the potency measured by SRID assay was below the limit of quantification for the H1N1 and B viruses used in our study, while the H3N2 component retained some potency that was lost after 50 pressure cycles. Pressure treatment also resulted in loss of HAU, but this did not strictly correlate with the potency value. Curiously, loss of potency was abrogated when influenza A, but not B, antigens were exposed to pressure in chicken egg allantoic fluid. Protection against pressure appeared to be mediated by specific interactions because addition of bovine serum albumin did not have the same effect. Conclusions Our results show that pressure-induced loss of potency is strain dependent and suggests that pressure treatment may be useful for identifying vaccine formulations that improve HA stability.

The rapid and comprehensive separation, identification, and characterization of proteins from complex biological samples are formidable challenges that the growing field of proteomics faces. A robust and efficient digest of separated proteins is central to the development of any quantitative and/or qualitative proteomic approach. We describe here two unconventional approaches to a trypsin digestion of biological samples. One of those approaches integrates separation of proteins using RP-HPLC with on-target proteolytic digestion of the proteins for subsequent MALDI-MS analysis. This approach allows the combined information from peptide mass fingerprinting (PMF), MS/MS peptide fragment fingerprinting (PPF) and whole protein MS to increase confidence in protein identification and structural analysis of proteins. The other approach is based on the application of high-pressure cycling technology (PCT) for in-gel trypsin digest of 1D electrophoretically separated proteins. That approach was used in our laboratory to develop a label-free mass spectrometry based method for a relative quantification of proteins after SDS PAGE separation, including co-migrating proteins.

Here we present a matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization tandem time-of-flight (MALDI-TOF/TOF)-based label-free relative protein quantification strategy that involves sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) separation of proteins followed by in-gel trypsin digestion. The main problem encountered in gel-based protein quantification is the difficulty in achieving complete and consistent proteolytic digestion. To solve this problem, we developed a high-pressure-assisted in-gel trypsin digestion method that is based on pressure cycling technology (PCT). The PCT approach performed at least as well as the conventional overnight in-gel trypsin digestion approach in parameters such as number of peaks detected, number of peptides identified, and sequence coverage, and the digestion time was reduced to 45 min. The gel/mass spectrometry (MS)-based label-free protein quantification method presented in this work proved the applicability of the signal response factor concept for relative protein quantification previously demonstrated by other groups using the liquid chromatography (LC)/MS platform. By normalizing the average signal intensities of the three most intense peptides of each protein with the average intensities of spiked synthetic catalase tryptic peptides, which we used as an internal standard, we observed spot-to-spot and lane-to-lane coefficients of variation of less than 10 and 20%, respectively. We also demonstrated that the method can be used for determining the relative quantities of proteins comigrating during electrophoretic separation.

Infection with influenza A (subtypes H1N1 and H3N2) or B viruses results in over half a million deaths worldwide every year. Frequent antigenic changes (drift) in two major viral surface proteins hemagglutinin (HA) and neuraminidase lead to the constant emergence of antigenically distinct virus strains against which there is sub-optimal immunity in the population. Consequently the suitability of the viral strains included in the trivalent influenza vaccine (TIV) has to be re-evaluated annually. While virus seeds selected for vaccine manufacture are very well characterized, there is no assay in place to identify the source of HA in the formulated trivalent vaccine. Our study describes a proteomics-based method to identify the HA strain (not just subtype) and more fully characterize the final vaccine product. Unique and shared tryptic peptides of HAs were predicted by in silico tryptic digest of different influenza A and B virus strains. Recombinant HA and whole virus preparations of selected strains were then digested to identify the peptides detected by MS. Both subtype and strain-specific peptides were observed. The feasibility of this method to accurately identify HA strains in an inactivated TIV was tested using a 2006/2007 formulation. Each of the three HAs in the vaccine was identified in addition to a number of other viral and non-viral proteins. In summary, MS is a powerful method that is both specific and inclusive; in a single analysis, HAs of individual virus strains can be identified and the composition of the TIV fully characterized.

Tryptic digestion of proteins continues to be a workhorse of proteomics. Traditional tryptic digestion requires several hours to generate an adequate protein digest. A number of enhanced accelerated digestion protocols have been developed in recent years. Nonetheless, a need still exists for new digestion strategies that meet the demands of proteomics for high-throughput and rapid detection and identification of proteins. We performed an evaluation of direct tryptic digestion of proteins on a MALDI target plate and the potential for integrating RP HPLC separation of protein with on-target tryptic digestion in order to achieve a rapid and effective identification of proteins in complex biological samples. To this end, we used a Tempo HPLC/MALDI target plate deposition hybrid instrument (ABI). The technique was evaluated using a number of soluble and membrane proteins and an MRC5 cell lysate. We demonstrated that direct deposition of proteins on a MALDI target plate after reverse-phase HPLC separation and subsequent tryptic digestion of the proteins on the target followed by MALDI TOF/TOF analysis provided substantial data (intact protein mass, peptide mass and peptide fragment mass) that allowed a rapid and unambiguous identification of proteins. The rapid protein separation and direct deposition of fractions on a MALDI target plate provided by the RP HPLC combined with off-line interfacing with the MALDI MS is a unique platform for rapid protein identification with improved sequence coverage. This simple and robust approach significantly reduces the sample handling and potential loss in large-scale proteomics experiments. This approach allows combination of peptide mass fingerprinting (PMF), MS/MS peptide fragment fingerprinting (PPF) and whole protein MS for both protein identification and structural analysis of proteins.