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Brine soaking is one of the most important steps in the production of Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, since it determines the amount of salt in the final product. Reduction in salt in Parmigiano Reggiano cheese might be important for improving its nutritional profile, but it could affect the manufacturing processes by altering proteolysis and consequently the product quality. In this study, for the first time, salt reduction was explored at the industrial level on real cheese samples manufactured in a local dairy. In particular, 20 wheels were produced with conventional (18 days, 10 wheels) and shorter (12 days, 10 wheels) brining steps. In every group, wheels were studied at two different ripening times, 15 and 30 months. A shorter brining time resulted in an average 12% decrease in salt content. A full characterization of free amino acids and peptides was performed by LC-MS on all samples. Free amino acids and peptides, as expected, increased with ripening, due to proteolysis, with samples having low salt content showing a slightly faster increase when compared to standard ones, hinting to a slightly accelerated proteolytic process. Nonetheless, low-salt and conventional cheeses shared similar sensory profiles at both ripening times.

This study focused on loin quality in Italian heavy pigs intended for the production of PDOs (Protected Designation of Origin) products, and investigated the pre-slaughter factors which negatively affect the quality of fresh meat. Data were collected on 44 shipments (loads) of pigs. Shipments were carried out under commercial conditions. Several pre-slaughter parameters were recorded within the entire process (on-farm, during transport, and at the slaughterhouse). On a subset of pigs (10 animals from every load, N = 440), serum cortisol and creatine kinase were measured and loin samples were analyzed for pH, instrumental color, drip loss, cooking loss, shear force, and sensory quality. Cluster analysis of the instrumentally-assessed meat quality parameters allowed the categorization of the shipments into two clusters: lower quality (LQ) and higher quality (HQ). Our results showed that the factors with significant differences between the two clusters were journey duration, ambient temperature, distance traveled, and irregular behaviors (slipping, falling, and overlapping) at unloading (all greater in LQ, p < 0.05). The pre-slaughter conditions associated with lower loin quality were ambient temperatures above 22 °C, distance traveled above 26 km, travel duration between 38-66 min, more than 5.9% of animals showing irregular behaviors at unloading.

This study aimed at identifying possible pre-slaughter indicators and/or indexes to be used to predict pig stress response and meat quality variation. Data were collected on 44 shipments (loads) of Italian heavy pigs. For each shipment, several pre-slaughter parameters were recorded on farm, during transport, and at the slaughterhouse. Blood and meat samples were taken from 10 pigs from every of the 44 loads included in the study (N = 440). Blood samples were used to assess cortisol and creatine kinase levels, whereas meat samples were used to assess meat quality (pH, instrumental color, tenderness, water-holding capacity, and sensory analysis). Cluster analysis of blood parameters allowed the categorization of the shipments into two main clusters: Lower Stress (LS) and Higher Stress (HS). The variables/indexes statistically differing between the two clusters were: average vehicle speed during transport, welfare index at slaughter (i.e., "slaughter score"), overall transport and slaughter welfare index (TSWI), distance travelled, and behaviors (slips, falls, overlaps) during unloading, which appeared to be the best descriptors of the welfare conditions experienced by Italian heavy pigs during pre-slaughter handling. No consistent effects of the stress level experienced on meat quality was detected, which warrants the need for further studies conducted under more variable pre-slaughter conditions, with the aim of simplifying and improving the TSWI., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest.

We propose the application of a new label-free optical technique based on photonic nanostructures to real-time monitor the amyloid-beta 1-42 (Aβ(1-42)) fibrillization, including the early stages of the aggregation process, which are related to the onset of the Alzheimer's Disease (AD). The aggregation of Aβ peptides into amyloid fibrils has commonly been associated with neuronal death, which culminates in the clinical features of the incurable degenerative AD. Recent studies revealed that cell toxicity is determined by the formation of soluble oligomeric forms of Aβ peptides in the early stages of aggregation. At this phase, classical amyloid detection techniques lack in sensitivity. Upon a chemical passivation of the sensing surface by means of polyethylene glycol, the proposed approach allows an accurate, real-time monitoring of the refractive index variation of the solution, wherein Aβ(1-42) peptides are aggregating. This measurement is directly related to the aggregation state of the peptide throughout oligomerization and subsequent fibrillization. Our findings open new perspectives in the understanding of the dynamics of amyloid formation, and validate this approach as a new and powerful method to screen aggregation at early stages., (Copyright © 2013 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.)

Neisseria heparin binding antigen (NHBA), also known as GNA2132 (genome-derived Neisseria antigen 2132), is a surface-exposed lipoprotein from Neisseria meningitidis that was originally identified by reverse vaccinology. It is one the three main antigens of a multicomponent vaccine against serogroup B meningitis (4CMenB), which has just completed phase III clinical trials in infants. In contrast to the other two main vaccine components, little is known about the origin of the immunogenicity of this antigen, and about its ability to induce a strong cross-bactericidal response in animals and humans. To characterize NHBA in terms of its structural/immunogenic properties, we have analyzed its sequence and identified a C-terminal region that is highly conserved in all strains. We demonstrate experimentally that this region is independently folded, and solved its three-dimensional structure by nuclear magnetic resonance. Notably, we need detergents to observe a single species in solution. The NHBA domain fold consists of an 8-strand β-barrel that closely resembles the C-terminal domains of N. meningitidis factor H-binding protein and transferrin-binding protein B. This common fold together with more subtle structural similarities suggest a common ancestor for these important antigens and a role of the β-barrel fold in inducing immunogenicity against N. meningitidis. Our data represent the first step toward understanding the relationship between structural, functional, and immunological properties of this important vaccine component.

The PQBP1 (polyglutamine tract-binding protein 1) gene encodes a nuclear protein that regulates pre-mRNA splicing and transcription. Mutations in the PQBP1 gene were reported in several X chromosome-linked mental retardation disorders including Golabi-Ito-Hall syndrome. The missense mutation that causes this syndrome is unique among other PQBP1 mutations reported to date because it maps within a functional domain of PQBP1, known as the WW domain. The mutation substitutes tyrosine 65 with cysteine and is located within the conserved core of aromatic amino acids of the domain. We show here that the binding property of the Y65C-mutated WW domain and the full-length mutant protein toward its cognate proline-rich ligands was diminished. Furthermore, in Golabi-Ito-Hall-derived lymphoblasts we showed that the complex between PQBP1-Y65C and WBP11 (WW domain-binding protein 11) splicing factor was compromised. In these cells a substantial decrease in pre-mRNA splicing efficiency was detected. Our study points to the critical role of the WW domain in the function of the PQBP1 protein and provides an insight into the molecular mechanism that underlies the X chromosome-linked mental retardation entities classified globally as Renpenning syndrome.

GNA2132 (Genome-derived Neisseria Antigen 2132) is a surface-exposed lipoprotein discovered by reverse vaccinology and expressed by genetically diverse Neisseria meningitidis strains (Pizza et al. 2000). The protein induces bactericidal antibodies against most strains of Meningococccus and has been included in a multivalent recombinant vaccine against N. meningitidis serogroup B. Structure determination of GNA2132 is important for understanding the antigenic properties of the protein in view of increased efficiency vaccine development. We report practically complete (1)H, (13)C and (15)N assignment of the detectable spectrum of a highly conserved C-terminal region of GNA2132 (residues 245-427) in micellar solution, a medium used to improve the spectral quality. The first 32 residues of our construct up to residue 277 were not visible in the spectrum, presumably because of line broadening due to solvent and/or conformational exchange. Secondary structure predictions based on chemical shift information indicate the presence of an all beta-protein with eight beta strands.

High-throughput screening of protein-protein and protein-peptide interactions is of high interest both for biotechnological and pharmacological applications. Here, we propose the use of the noncoded amino acids o-nitrotyrosine and p-iodophenylalanine as spectroscopic probes in combination with circular dichroism and fluorescence quenching techniques (i.e., collisional quenching and resonance energy transfer) as a means to determine the peptide orientation in complexes with SH3 domains. Proline-rich peptides bind SH3 modules in two alternative orientations, according to their sequence motifs, classified as class I and class II. The method was tested on an SH3 domain from a yeast myosin that is known to recognize specifically class I peptides. We exploited the fluorescence quenching effects induced by o-nitrotyrosine and p-iodophenylalanine on the fluorescence signal of a highly conserved Trp residue, which is the signature of SH3 domains and sits directly in the binding pocket. In particular, we studied how the introduction of the two probes at different positions of the peptide sequence (i.e., N-terminally or C-terminally) influences the spectroscopic properties of the complex. This approach provides clear-cut evidence of the orientation of the binding peptide in the SH3 pocket. The chemical strategy outlined here can be easily extended to other protein modules, known to bind linear sequence motifs in a highly directional manner.

The conformational features of native and mutant forms of sperm-whale apomyoglobin (apoMb) at neutral pH were probed by limited proteolysis experiments utilizing up to eight proteases of different substrate specificities. It was shown that all proteases selectively cleave apoMb at the level of chain segment 82-94 (HEAELKPLAQSHA), encompassing helix F in the X-ray structure of the holo form of the native protein; for example, thermolysin cleaves the Pro 88-Leu 89 peptide bond. These results indicate that helix F is highly flexible or largely disrupted in apoMb. Because helix F contains the helix-breaking Pro 88 residue, we propose that helix F is kept in place in the native holo protein by a variety of helix-heme stabilizing interactions. To modulate the stability of helix F, the Pro88Ala and Pro88Gly mutants were prepared by site-directed mutagenesis, and their conformational properties investigated by both far-UV circular dichroism spectroscopy and limited proteolysis. The helix content of the Pro88Ala mutant was somewhat enhanced with respect to that of both native and Pro88Gly mutant, as expected from the fact that Ala is the strongest helix inducer among the 20 amino acid residues. The rate of limited proteolysis of the three apoMb variants by thermolysin and proteinase K was in the order native > Pro88Gly >> Pro88Ala, in agreement with the scale of helix propensity of Ala, Gly, and Pro. The possible role of the flexible/unfolded chain segment 82-94 for the function and fate of apoMb at the cellular level is discussed.

Limited proteolysis of the 153-residue chain of horse apomyoglobin (apoMb) by thermolysin results in the selective cleavage of the peptide bond Pro88-Leu89. The N-terminal (residues 1-88) and C-terminal (residues 89-153) fragments of apoMb were isolated to homogeneity and their conformational and association properties investigated in detail. Far-UV circular dichroism (CD) measurements revealed that both fragments in isolation acquire a high content of helical secondary structure, while near-UV CD indicated the absence of tertiary structure. A 1:1 mixture of the fragments leads to a tight noncovalent protein complex (1-88/89-153, nicked apoMb), characterized by secondary and tertiary structures similar to those of intact apoMb. The apoMb complex binds heme in a nativelike manner, as given by CD measurements in the Soret region. Second-derivative absorption spectra in the 250-300 nm region provided evidence that the degree of exposure of Tyr residues in the nicked species is similar to that of the intact protein at neutral pH. Also, the microenvironment of Trp residues, located in positions 7 and 14 of the 153-residue chain of the protein, is similar in both protein species, as given by fluorescence emission data. Moreover, in analogy to intact apoMb, the nicked protein binds the hydrophobic dye 1-anilinonaphthalene-8-sulfonate (ANS). Taken together, our results indicate that the two proteolytic fragments 1-88 and 89-153 of apoMb adopt partly folded states characterized by sufficiently nativelike conformational features that promote their specific association and mutual stabilization into a nicked protein species much resembling in its structural features intact apoMb. It is suggested that the formation of a noncovalent complex upon fragment complementation can mimic the protein folding process of the entire protein chain, with the difference that the folding of the complementary fragments is an intermolecular process. In particular, this study emphasizes the importance of interactions between marginally stable elements of secondary structure in promoting the tertiary contacts of a native protein. Considering that apoMb has been extensively used as a paradigm in protein folding studies for the past few decades, the novel fragment complementing system of apoMb here described appears to be very useful for investigating the initial as well as late events in protein folding.

Anomalous expansion of a polyglutamine (polyQ) tract in the protein ataxin-3 causes spinocerebellar ataxia type 3, an autosomal dominant neurodegenerative disease. Very little is known about the structure and the function of ataxin-3, although this information would undoubtedly help to understand why the expanded protein forms insoluble nuclear aggregates and causes neuronal cell death. With the aim of establishing the domain architecture of ataxin-3 and the role of the polyQ tract within the protein context, we have studied the human and murine orthologues using a combination of techniques, which range from limited proteolysis to circular dichroism (CD) and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopies. The two protein sequences share a highly conserved N-terminus and differ only in the length of the glutamine repeats and in the C-terminus. Our data conclusively indicate that ataxin-3 is composed by a structured N-terminal domain, followed by a flexible tail. Moreover, [(15)N]glutamine selectively labelled samples allowed us to have a direct insight by NMR into the structure of the polyQ region.