pFind Studio: a computational solution for mass spectrometry-based proteomics

ADAP Y571 phosphorylation is required to prime STAT3 for activation in TLR4-stimulated macrophages

JOURNAL OF IMMUNOLOGY. 2021. Yang, Naiqi et al. Soochow Univ, Inst Biol, 199 Renai Rd, Suzhou 215123, Jiangsu, Peoples R China; Soochow Univ, Inst Med Sci, 199 Renai Rd, Suzhou 215123, Jiangsu, Peoples R China

ABSTRACT: Adhesion and degranulation-promoting adapter protein (ADAP), originally identified as an essential adaptor molecule in TCR signaling and T cell adhesion, has emerged as a critical regulator in innate immune cells such as macrophages; however, its role in macrophage polarization and inflammatory responses remains unknown. In this study, we show that ADAP plays an essential role in TLR4-mediated mouse macrophage polarization via modulation of STAT3 activity. Macrophages from ADAP-deficient mice exhibit enhanced M1 polarization, expression of proinflammatory cytokines and capacity in inducing Th1 responses, but decreased levels of anti-inflammatory cytokines in response to TLR4 activation by LPS.

Furthermore, overexpression of ADAP enhances, whereas loss of ADAP reduces, the LPS-mediated phosphorylation and activity of STAT3, suggesting ADAP acts as a coactivator of STAT3 activity and function. Furthermore, the coactivator function of ADAP mostly depends on the tyrosine phosphorylation at Y571 in the motif YDSL induced by LPS. Mutation of Y571 to F severely impairs the stimulating effect of ADAP on STAT3 activity and the ability of ADAP to inhibit M1-like polarization in TLR4-activated mouse macrophages. Moreover, ADAP interacts with STAT3, and loss of ADAP renders mouse macrophages less sensitive to IL-6 stimulation for STAT3 phosphorylation. Collectively, our findings revealed an additional layer of regulation of TLR4-mediated mouse macrophage plasticity whereby ADAP phosphorylation on Y571 is required to prime STAT3 for activation in TLR4-stimulated mouse macrophages.

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Acyl carrier protein promotes MukBEF action in Escherichia coli chromosome organization-segregation

Nature Communications. 2021. Prince, JP et al. Univ Oxford, Dept Biochem, South Parks Rd, Oxford OX1 3QU, England.

ABSTRACT: Structural Maintenance of Chromosomes (SMC) complexes act ubiquitously to compact DNA linearly, thereby facilitating chromosome organization-segregation. SMC proteins have a conserved architecture, with a dimerization hinge and an ATPase head domain separated by a long antiparallel intramolecular coiled-coil. Dimeric SMC proteins interact with essential accessory proteins, kleisins that bridge the two subunits of an SMC dimer, and HAWK/KITE proteins that interact with kleisins. The ATPase activity of the Escherichia coli SMC protein, MukB, which is essential for its in vivo function, requires its interaction with the dimeric kleisin, MukF that in turn interacts with the KITE protein, MukE.

Here we demonstrate that, in addition, MukB interacts specifically with Acyl Carrier Protein (AcpP) that has essential functions in fatty acid synthesis. We characterize the AcpP interaction at the joint of the MukB coiled-coil and show that the interaction is necessary for MukB ATPase and for MukBEF function in vivo. E. coli MukBEF is an SMC complex that plays key roles in chromosome organization-segregation. Here the authors show that the interaction between MukBEF and the Acyl Carrier Protein (AcpP) is essential for MukBEF activity in vitro (ATPase) and in vivo.

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Proteogenomic analysis provides novel insight into genome annotation and nitrogen metabolism in Nostoc Sp. PCC 7120

Microbiology Spectrum. 2021. Yu, Shengchao et al. Univ Chinese Acad Sci, Beijing, Peoples R China; Chinese Acad Sci, Inst Hydrobiol, State Key Lab Freshwater Ecol & Biotechnol, Wuhan, Peoples R China

ABSTRACT: Cyanobacteria, capable of oxygenic photosynthesis, play a vital role in nitrogen and carbon cycles. Nostoc sp. PCC 7120 (Nostoc 7120) is a model cyanobacterium commonly used to study cell differentiation and nitrogen metabolism. Although its genome was released in 2002, a high-quality genome annotation remains unavailable for this model cyanobacterium. Therefore, in this study, we performed an in-depth proteogenomic analysis based on high-resolution mass spectrometry (MS) data to refine the genome annotation of Nostoc 7120.

We unambiguously identified 5,519 predicted protein-coding genes and revealed 26 novel genes, 75 revised genes, and 27 different kinds of posttranslational modifications in Nostoc 7120. A subset of these novel proteins were further validated at both the mRNA and peptide levels. Functional analysis suggested that many newly annotated proteins may participate in nitrogen or cadmium/ mercury metabolism in Nostoc 7120. Moreover, we constructed an updated Nostoc 7120 database based on our proteogenomic results and presented examples of how the updated database could be used to improve the annotation of proteomic data. Our study provides the most comprehensive annotation of the Nostoc 7120 genome thus far and will serve as a valuable resource for the study of nitrogen metabolism in Nostoc 7120.IMPORTANCE Cyanobacteria are a large group of prokaryotes capable of oxygenic photosynthesis and play a vital role in nitrogen and carbon cycles on Earth. Nostoc 7120 is a commonly used model cyanobacterium for studying cell differentiation and nitrogen metabolism. In this study, we presented the first comprehensive draft map of the Nostoc 7120 proteome and a wide range of posttranslational modifications. In addition, we constructed an updated database of Nostoc 7120 based on our proteogenomic results and presented examples of how the updated database could be used for system-level studies of Nostoc 7120. Our study provides the most comprehensive annotation of Nostoc 7120 genome and a valuable resource for the study of nitrogen metabolism in this model cyanobacterium.

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ADAP Y571 Phosphorylation Is Required to Prime STAT3 for Activation in TLR4-Stimulated Macrophages

JOURNAL OF IMMUNOLOGY. 2021. Yang, Naiqi et al. Soochow Univ, Inst Biol, 199 Renai Rd, Suzhou 215123, Jiangsu, Peoples R China; Soochow Univ, Inst Med Sci, 199 Renai Rd, Suzhou 215123, Jiangsu, Peoples R China

ABSTRACT: Adhesion and degranulation-promoting adapter protein (ADAP), originally identified as an essential adaptor molecule in TCR signaling and T cell adhesion, has emerged as a critical regulator in innate immune cells such as macrophages; however, its role in macrophage polarization and inflammatory responses remains unknown. In this study, we show that ADAP plays an essential role in TLR4-mediated mouse macrophage polarization via modulation of STAT3 activity. Macrophages from ADAP-deficient mice exhibit enhanced M1 polarization, expression of proinflammatory cytokines and capacity in inducing Th1 responses, but decreased levels of anti-inflammatory cytokines in response to TLR4 activation by LPS.

Furthermore, overexpression of ADAP enhances, whereas loss of ADAP reduces, the LPS-mediated phosphorylation and activity of STAT3, suggesting ADAP acts as a coactivator of STAT3 activity and function. Furthermore, the coactivator function of ADAP mostly depends on the tyrosine phosphorylation at Y571 in the motif YDSL induced by LPS. Mutation of Y571 to F severely impairs the stimulating effect of ADAP on STAT3 activity and the ability of ADAP to inhibit M1-like polarization in TLR4-activated mouse macrophages. Moreover, ADAP interacts with STAT3, and loss of ADAP renders mouse macrophages less sensitive to IL-6 stimulation for STAT3 phosphorylation. Collectively, our findings revealed an additional layer of regulation of TLR4-mediated mouse macrophage plasticity whereby ADAP phosphorylation on Y571 is required to prime STAT3 for activation in TLR4-stimulated mouse macrophages.

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Ribosome-amplified metabolism, RAMBO, measured by NMR spectroscopy

Biochemistry. 2021. Yu, JianChao et al. SUNY Albany, Dept Chem, Albany, NY 12222 USA

ABSTRACT: NMR spectroscopy was used to investigate the phenomenon of ribosome-amplified metabolism or RAMBO between pyruvate kinase and ribosomes. Because the concentration of ribosomes increases as the cell grows, ribosome binding interactions may regulate metabolic fluxes by altering the distribution of bound and free enzymes. Pyruvate kinase (PK) catalyzes the last step of glycolysis and represents a major drug target for controlling bacterial infections. The binding of metabolic enzymes to ribosomes creates protein quinary structures with altered catalytic activities.

NMR spectroscopy and chemical cross-linking combined with high-resolution mass spectrometry were used to establish that PK binds to ribosome at three independent sites, the L1 stalk, the A site, and the mRNA entry pore. The bioanalytical methodology described characterizes the altered kinetics and confirms the specificity of pyruvate kinase-ribosome interaction, affording an opportunity to investigate the ribosome dependence of metabolic reactions under solution conditions that closely mimic the cytosol. Expanding on the concept of ribosomal heterogeneity, which describes variations in ribosomal constituents that contribute to the specificity of cellular processes, this work firmly establishes the reciprocal process by which ribosome-dependent quinary interactions affect metabolic activity.

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Insulin signaling regulates longevity through protein phosphorylation in Caenorhabditis elegans

Nature Communications. 2021. Li, WJ et al. Natl Inst Biol Sci, Beijing, Peoples R China.

ABSTRACT: Insulin/IGF-1 Signaling (IIS) is known to constrain longevity by inhibiting the transcription factor FOXO. How phosphorylation mediated by IIS kinases regulates lifespan beyond FOXO remains unclear. Here, we profile IIS-dependent phosphorylation changes in a large-scale quantitative phosphoproteomic analysis of wild-type and three IIS mutant Caenorhabditis elegans strains. We quantify more than 15,000 phosphosites and find that 476 of these are differentially phosphorylated in the long-lived daf-2/insulin receptor mutant.

We develop a machine learning-based method to prioritize 25 potential lifespan-related phosphosites. We perform validations to show that AKT-1 pT492 inhibits DAF-16/FOXO and compensates the loss of daf-2 function, that EIF-2 alpha pS49 potently inhibits protein synthesis and daf-2 longevity, and that reduced phosphorylation of multiple germline proteins apparently transmits reduced DAF-2 signaling to the soma. In addition, an analysis of kinases with enriched substrates detects that casein kinase 2 (CK2) subunits negatively regulate lifespan. Our study reveals detailed functional insights into longevity. How phosphorylation mediated by Insulin/IGF-1 Signaling kinases regulates lifespan remains unclear. Here the authors perform a large-scale quantitative phosphoproteomic analysis of wildtype and IIS mutant C. elegans strains to reveal detailed functional insights into longevity.

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Structure of the activated human minor spliceosome

Science. 2021. Bai, Rui et al. Westlake Lab Life Sci & Biomed, Hangzhou 310024, Zhejiang, Peoples R China; Tsinghua Univ, Sch Life Sci, Tsinghua Peking Joint Ctr Life Sci, Beijing Frontier Res Ctr Biol Struct, Beijing 100084, Peoples R China; Tsinghua Univ, Sch Life Sci, Tsinghua Peking Joint Ctr Life Sci, Beijing Adv Innovat Ctr Struct Biol, Beijing 100084, Peoples R China; Westlake Inst Adv Study, Inst Biol, Hangzhou 310024, Zhejiang, Peoples R China; Westlake Univ, Sch Life Sci, Key Lab Struct Biol Zhejiang Prov, Hangzhou 310024, Zhejiang, Peoples R China

ABSTRACT: The minor spliceosome mediates splicing of the rare but essential U12-type precursor messenger RNA. Here, we report the atomic features of the activated human minor spliceosome determined by cryo-electron microscopy at 2.9-angstrom resolution. The 5' splice site and branch point sequence of the U12-type intron are recognized by the U6atac and U12 small nuclear RNAs (snRNAs), respectively. Five newly identified proteins stabilize the conformation of the catalytic center: The zinc finger protein SCNM1 functionally mimics the SF3a complex of the major spliceosome, the RBM48-ARMC7 complex binds the g-monomethyl phosphate cap at the 5' end of U6atac snRNA, the U-box protein PPIL2 coordinates loop I of U5 snRNA and stabilizes U5 small nuclear ribonucleoprotein (snRNP), and CRIPT stabilizes U12 snRNP.

Our study provides a framework for the mechanistic understanding of the function of the human minor spliceosome.

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Proteogenomic characterization of the pathogenic fungus Aspergillus flavus reveals novel genes involved in aflatoxin production

Molecular & Cellular Proteomics. 2021. Yang, Mingkun et al. Chinese Acad Sci, Inst Hydrobiol, State Key Lab Freshwater Ecol & Biotechnol, Wuhan, Peoples R China; Fujian Agr & Forestry Univ, Key Lab Pathogen Fungi & Mycotoxins Fujian Prov, Fuzhou, Peoples R China; Fujian Agr & Forestry Univ, Sch Life Sci, Fuzhou, Peoples R China

ABSTRACT: Aspergillus flavus (A. flavus), a pathogenic fungus, can produce carcinogenic and toxic aflatoxins that are a serious agricultural and medical threat worldwide. Attempts to decipher the aflatoxin biosynthetic pathway have been hampered by the lack of a high-quality genome annotation for A. flavus. To address this gap, we performed a comprehensive proteogenomic analysis using high-accuracy mass spectrometry data for this pathogen. The resulting high-quality data set confirmed the translation of 8724 previously predicted genes and identified 732 novel proteins, 269 splice variants, 447 single amino acid variants, 188 revised genes.

A subset of novel proteins was experimentally validated by RT-PCR and synthetic peptides. Further functional annotation suggested that a number of the identified novel proteins may play roles in aflatoxin biosynthesis and stress responses in A. flavus. This comprehensive strategy also identified a wide range of posttranslational modifications (PTMs), including 3461 modification sites from 1765 proteins. Functional analysis suggested the involvement of these modified proteins in the regulation of cellular metabolic and aflatoxin biosynthetic pathways. Together, we provided a high-quality annotation of A. flavus genome and revealed novel insights into the mechanisms of aflatoxin production and pathogenicity in this pathogen.

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Antibody-free enrichment method for proteome-wide analysis of endogenous SUMOylation sites

Analytica Chimica Acta. 2021. Li, Y et al. Chinese Acad Sci, Dalian Inst Chem Phys, Natl Chromatog R&A Ctr, CAS Key Lab Separat Sci Analyt Chem, Dalian 116023, Peoples R China.

ABSTRACT: SUMOylation is a reversible post-translational modification that plays crucial roles in numerous cellular processes. Although anti-SUMO antibodies have been applied to analyze exogenous and endogenous SUMOylation, such immunoprecipitation enrichment strategy is applicable only for the enrichment of one specific SUMO type in mammalian cells, unable to map the global landscape of all endogenous SUMOylation simultaneously. To address this issue, we proposed an antibody-free strategy to enrich and profile endogenous SUMO1/2/3-modified peptides simultaneously.

Upon trypsin digestion, the SUMO1- and SUMO2/3-modified peptides contained SUMO remnants with 7 and 9 acidic amino acids respectively, which carried more negative charges at high pH and could interact with strong anion exchange (SAX) materials more strongly than non-SUMOylated peptides, thus enabling the specific enrichment of endogenous SUMOylated peptides. Followed by the secondary digestion with Asp-N/Glu-C to generate smaller SUMOylated peptides with proper length for MS identification, off-line high-pH C18 prefractionation and low pH nanoRPLC-ESI-MS/MS analysis, 177 SUMO1-modified sites and 74 SUMO2/3-modified sites were unbiasedly identified in HeLa cell lysate. To the best of our knowledge, this was the first antibody-free strategy to comprehensively profile various endogenous SUMOylation sites, demonstrating the great potential in the comprehensive analysis of endogenous SUMOylation across various species and organs, which might further facilitate the understanding of SUMO's function in physiology and pathology. (C) 2021 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

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HSP70 chaperones RNA-free TDP-43 into anisotropic intranuclear liquid spherical shells

Science. 2021. Yu, HY et al. Univ Calif San Diego, Ludwig Inst Canc Res, La Jolla, CA 92093 USA.

ABSTRACT: The RNA binding protein TDP-43 forms intranuclear or cytoplasmic aggregates in age-related neurodegenerative diseases. In this study, we found that RNA binding-deficient TDP-43 (produced by neurodegeneration-causing mutations or posttranslational acetylation in its RNA recognition motifs) drove TDP-43 demixing into intranuclear liquid spherical shells with liquid cores. These droplets, which we named "anisosomes", have shells that exhibit birefringence, thus indicating liquid crystal formation. Guided by mathematical modeling, we identified the primary components of the liquid core to be HSP70 family chaperones, whose adenosine triphosphate (ATP)-dependent activity maintained the liquidity of shells and cores.

In vivo proteasome inhibition within neurons, to mimic aging-related reduction of proteasome activity, induced TDP-43-containing anisosomes. These structures converted to aggregates when ATP levels were reduced. Thus, acetylation, HSP70, and proteasome activities regulate TDP-43 phase separation and conversion into a gel or solid phase.

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DeepLC can predict retention times for peptides that carry as-yet unseen modifications

Nature methods. 2021. Bouwmeester, R et al. VIB, VIB UGent Ctr Med Biotechnol, Ghent, Belgium.

ABSTRACT: DeepLC, a deep learning-based peptide retention time predictor, can predict retention times for unmodified peptides as well as peptides with previously unseen modifications. The inclusion of peptide retention time prediction promises to remove peptide identification ambiguity in complex liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry identification workflows. However, due to the way peptides are encoded in current prediction models, accurate retention times cannot be predicted for modified peptides. This is especially problematic for fledgling open searches, which will benefit from accurate retention time prediction for modified peptides to reduce identification ambiguity.

We present DeepLC, a deep learning peptide retention time predictor using peptide encoding based on atomic composition that allows the retention time of (previously unseen) modified peptides to be predicted accurately. We show that DeepLC performs similarly to current state-of-the-art approaches for unmodified peptides and, more importantly, accurately predicts retention times for modifications not seen during training. Moreover, we show that DeepLC's ability to predict retention times for any modification enables potentially incorrect identifications to be flagged in an open search of a wide variety of proteome data.

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Global profiling of distinct cysteine redox forms reveals wide-ranging redox regulation in C. elegans

Nature communications. 2021. Meng, J et al. Joslin Diabet Ctr, Div Res, 1 Joslin Pl, Boston, MA 02215 USA.

ABSTRACT: Post-translational changes in the redox state of cysteine residues can rapidly and reversibly alter protein functions, thereby modulating biological processes. The nematode C. elegans is an ideal model organism for studying cysteine-mediated redox signaling at a network level. Here we present a comprehensive, quantitative, and site-specific profile of the intrinsic reactivity of the cysteinome in wild-type C. elegans. We also describe a global characterization of the C. elegans redoxome in which we measured changes in three major cysteine redox forms after H2O2 treatment.

Our data revealed redox-sensitive events in translation, growth signaling, and stress response pathways, and identified redox-regulated cysteines that are important for signaling through the p38 MAP kinase (MAPK) pathway. Our in-depth proteomic dataset provides a molecular basis for understanding redox signaling in vivo, and will serve as a valuable and rich resource for the field of redox biology. Reversible cysteine oxidative modifications have emerged as important mechanisms that alter protein function. Here the authors globally assess the cysteine reactivity and an array of cysteine oxidative modifications in C. elegans, providing insights into redox signaling at the organismal level.

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Structure of the Arabidopsis thaliana glutamate receptor-like channel GLR3. 4

Molecular cell. 2021. Green, MN et al. Columbia Univ, Dept Biochem & Mol Biophys, 650 West 168th St, New York, NY 10032 USA.

ABSTRACT: Glutamate receptor-like channels (GLRs) play vital roles in various physiological processes in plants, such as wound response, stomatal aperture control, seed germination, root development, innate immune response, pollen tube growth, and morphogenesis. Despite the importance of GLRs, knowledge about their molecular organization is limited. Here we use X-ray crystallography and single-particle cryo-EM to solve structures of the Arabidopsis thaliana GLR3.4. Our structures reveal the tetrameric assembly of GLR3.4 subunits into a three-layer domain architecture, reminiscent of animal ionotropic glutamate receptors (iGluRs).

However, the non-swapped arrangement between layers of GLR3.4 domains, binding of glutathione through S-glutathionylation of cysteine C205 inside the amino-terminal domain clamshell, unique symmetry, inter-domain interfaces, and ligand specificity distinguish GLR3.4 from representatives of the iGluR family and suggest distinct features of the GLR gating mechanism. Our work elaborates on the principles of GLR architecture and symmetry and provides a molecular template for deciphering GLR-dependent signaling mechanisms in plants.

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Spatiotemporally resolved subcellular phosphoproteomics

PNAS. 2021. Liu, YJ et al. Peking Univ, PKU IDG McGovern Inst Brain Res, AH-100871 Beijing, Peoples R China.

ABSTRACT: Proteome-wide profiling of protein phosphorylation has been widely used to reveal the underlying mechanism of diverse cellular signaling events. Yet, characterizing subcellular phosphoproteome with high spatial-temporal resolution has remained challenging. Herein, we developed a subcellular-specific uncaging-assisted biotinylation and mapping of phosphoproteome (SubMAPP) strategy to monitor the phosphorylation dynamics of subcellular proteome in living cells and animals. Our method capitalizes on the genetically encoded bioorthogonal decaging strategy, which enables the rapid activation of subcellular localized proximity labeling biotin ligase through either light illumination or small-molecule triggers.

By further adopting an integrated orthogonal pull-down strategy with quantitative mass spectrometry, SubMAPP allowed for the investigation of subcellular phosphoproteome dynamics, revealing the altered phosphorylation patterns of endoplasmic reticulum (ER) luminal proteins under ER stress. Finally, we further expanded the scope of the SubMAPP strategy to primary neuron culture and living mice.

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Wittig reagents for chemoselective sulfenic acid ligation enables global site stoichiometry analysis and redox-controlled mitochondrial targeting

Nature Chemistry. 2021. Shi, YL et al. Scripps Res Inst, Dept Chem, Jupiter, FL 33458 USA.

ABSTRACT: Triphenylphosphonium ylides, known as Wittig reagents, are one of the most commonly used tools in synthetic chemistry. Despite their considerable versatility, Wittig reagents have not yet been explored for their utility in biological applications. Here we introduce a chemoselective ligation reaction that harnesses the reactivity of Wittig reagents and the unique chemical properties of sulfenic acid, a pivotal post-translational cysteine modification in redox biology. The reaction, which generates a covalent bond between the ylide nucleophilic alpha-carbon and electrophilic gamma-sulfur, is highly selective, rapid and affords robust labelling under a range of biocompatible reaction conditions, which includes in living cells.

We highlight the broad utility of this conjugation method to enable site-specific proteome-wide stoichiometry analysis of S-sulfenylation and to visualize redox-dependent changes in mitochondrial cysteine oxidation and redox-triggered triphenylphosphonium generation for the controlled delivery of small molecules to mitochondria.

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Potential use of serum proteomics for monitoring COVID-19 progression to complement RT-PCR detection

Journal of proteome research. 2021. Zhang, Y et al. Wenzhou Med Univ, Taizhou Hosp, Linhai 317000, Zhejiang, Peoples R China; Westlake Univ, Sch Life Sci, Key Lab Struct Biol Zhejiang Prov, Hangzhou 310000, Zhejiang, Peoples R China; Westlake Lab Life Sci & Biomed, Ctr Infect Dis Res, Hangzhou 310000, Zhejiang, Peoples R China; Westlake Inst Adv Study, Inst Basic Med Sci, Hangzhou 310000, Zhejiang, Peoples R China

ABSTRACT: RT-PCR is the primary method to diagnose COVID-19 and is also used to monitor the disease course. This approach, however, suffers from false negatives due to RNA instability and poses a high risk to medical practitioners. Here, we investigated the potential of using serum proteomics to predict viral nucleic acid positivity during COVID19. We analyzed the proteome of 275 inactivated serum samples from 54 out of 144 COVID-19 patients and shortlisted 42 regulated proteins in the severe group and 12 in the non-severe group.

Using these regulated proteins and several key clinical indexes, including days after symptoms onset, platelet counts, and magnesium, we developed two machine learning models to predict nucleic acid positivity, with an AUC of 0.94 in severe cases and 0.89 in non-severe cases, respectively. Our data suggest the potential of using a serum protein-based machine learning model to monitor COVID-19 progression, thus complementing swab RT-PCR tests. More efforts are required to promote this approach into clinical practice since mass spectrometry-based protein measurement is not currently widely accessible in clinic.

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Highly Efficient Enrichment of O-GlcNAc Glycopeptides Based on Chemical Oxidation and Reversible Hydrazide Chemistry

Analytical Chemistry. 2021. Chen, Y et al. Chinese Acad Sci, Dalian Inst Chem Phys, CAS Key Lab Separat Sci Analyt Chem, Dalian 116023, Peoples R China; Univ Chinese Acad Sci, Beijing 100049, Peoples R China

ABSTRACT: Protein O-GlcNAcylation has been implicated in a broad range of cellular processes, while the functional research is still lagging behind other post-translational modification (PTMs), as a result of the low stoichiometry and limited enrichment efficiency. Herein, a strategy, named CHO-GlcNAc, was developed for O-GlcNAc glycopeptide enrichment. In this strategy, the O-GlcNAc glycopeptides were first enzymatically labeled with a Gal moiety, followed by chemical oxidation to efficiently introduce the aldehyde groups.

The labeled O-GlcNAc glycopeptides could be efficiently enriched based on the equilibrium between the hydrazine and oxime bonds. Good specificity of the glycopeptide enrichment was observed from the mixtures of glycopeptide and nonglycopeptides using the CHO-GlcNAc method. Then, it was applied to analyze O-GlcNAcylation in the nucleus of HeLa cells, and 829 potential O-GlcNAcylation sites on 274 glycoproteins were identified, including the two readers of m6A (YTHDF1 and YTHDF3), which could provide clues for the mechanism of crosstalk between O-GlcNAcylation and other PTMs of proteins and RNA. Thus, this method could be a versatile tool for the proteomic analysis of O-GlcNAcylation.

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Dynamically remodeled hepatic extracellular matrix predicts prognosis of early-stage cirrhosis

Cell Death & Disease. 2021. Wu, YX et al. Chinese Acad Sci, Ctr Excellence Mol Cell Sci, Shanghai Inst Biochem & Cell Biol, State Key Lab Cell Biol, Shanghai 200031, Peoples R China.

ABSTRACT: Liver cirrhosis remains major health problem. Despite the progress in diagnosis of asymptomatic early-stage cirrhosis, prognostic biomarkers are needed to identify cirrhotic patients at high risk developing advanced stage disease. Liver cirrhosis is the result of deregulated wound healing and is featured by aberrant extracellular matrix (ECM) remodeling. However, it is not comprehensively understood how ECM is dynamically remodeled in the progressive development of liver cirrhosis. It is yet unknown whether ECM signature is of predictive value in determining prognosis of early-stage liver cirrhosis.

In this study, we systematically analyzed proteomics of decellularized hepatic matrix and identified four unique clusters of ECM proteins at tissue damage/inflammation, transitional ECM remodeling or fibrogenesis stage in carbon tetrachloride-induced liver fibrosis. In particular, basement membrane (BM) was heavily deposited at the fibrogenesis stage. BM component minor type IV collagen alpha 5 chain expression was increased in activated hepatic stellate cells. Knockout of minor type IV collagen alpha 5 chain ameliorated liver fibrosis by hampering hepatic stellate cell activation and promoting hepatocyte proliferation. ECM signatures were differentially enriched in the biopsies of good and poor prognosis early-stage liver cirrhosis patients. Clusters of ECM proteins responsible for homeostatic remodeling and tissue fibrogenesis, as well as basement membrane signature were significantly associated with disease progression and patient survival. In particular, a 14-gene signature consisting of basement membrane proteins is potent in predicting disease progression and patient survival. Thus, the ECM signatures are potential prognostic biomarkers to identify cirrhotic patients at high risk developing advanced stage disease.

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Determinants of genome-wide distribution and evolution of uORFs in eukaryotes

Nature communications. 2021. Zhang, H et al. Peking Univ, Sch Life Sci, Ctr Bioinformat, State Key Lab Prot & Plant Gene Res, Beijing, Peoples R China.

ABSTRACT: Upstream open reading frames (uORFs) play widespread regulatory functions in modulating mRNA translation in eukaryotes, but the principles underlying the genomic distribution and evolution of uORFs remain poorly understood. Here, we analyze similar to 17 million putative canonical uORFs in 478 eukaryotic species that span most of the extant taxa of eukaryotes. We demonstrate how positive and purifying selection, coupled with differences in effective population size (N-e), has shaped the contents of uORFs in eukaryotes.

Besides, gene expression level is important in influencing uORF occurrences across genes in a species. Our analyses suggest that most uORFs might play regulatory roles rather than encode functional peptides. We also show that the Kozak sequence context of uORFs has evolved across eukaryotic clades, and that noncanonical uORFs tend to have weaker suppressive effects than canonical uORFs in translation regulation. This study provides insights into the driving forces underlying uORF evolution in eukaryotes.

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Allosteric activation of SARS-CoV-2 RNA-dependent RNA polymerase by remdesivir triphosphate and other phosphorylated nucleotides

MBio. 2021. Wang, B et al. Ohio State Univ, Dept Microbiol, Columbus, OH 43210 USA.

ABSTRACT: The catalytic subunit of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp) Nsp12 has a unique nidovirus RdRp-associated nucleotidyltransferase (NiRAN) domain that transfers nucleoside monophosphates to the Nsp9 protein and the nascent RNA. The NiRAN and RdRp modules form a dynamic interface distant from their catalytic sites, and both activities are essential for viral replication. We report that codon-optimized (for the pause-free translation in bacterial cells) Nsp12 exists in an inactive state in which NiRAN-RdRp interactions are broken, whereas translation by slow ribosomes and incubation with accessory Nsp7/8 subunits or nucleoside triphosphates (NTPs) partially rescue RdRp activity.

Our data show that adenosine and remdesivir triphosphates promote the synthesis of A-less RNAs, as does ppGpp, while amino acid substitutions at the NiRAN-RdRp interface augment activation, suggesting that ligand binding to the NiRAN catalytic site modulates RdRp activity. The existence of allosterically linked nucleotidyl transferase sites that utilize the same substrates has important implications for understanding the mechanism of SARS-CoV-2 replication and the design of its inhibitors. IMPORTANCE In vitro interrogations of the central replicative complex of SARS-CoV-2, RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp), by structural, biochemical, and biophysical methods yielded an unprecedented windfall of information that, in turn, instructs drug development and administration, genomic surveillance, and other aspects of the evolving pandemic response. They also illuminated the vast disparity in the methods used to produce RdRp for experimental work and the hidden impact that this has on enzyme activity and research outcomes. In this report, we elucidate the positive and negative effects of codon optimization on the activity and folding of the recombinant RdRp and detail the design of a highly sensitive in vitro assay of RdRp-dependent RNA synthesis. Using this assay, we demonstrate that RdRp is allosterically activated by nontemplating phosphorylated nucleotides, including naturally occurring alarmone ppGpp and synthetic remdesivir triphosphate.

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Expression profiles of antimicrobial peptides in Mytilus coruscus

Aquaculture. 2021. Yang, JY et al. Zhejiang Ocean Univ, Marine Sci & Tech Coll, Lab Marine Biol Prot Engn, Zhoushan City 316022, Zhejiang, Peoples R China

ABSTRACT: Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) play a fundamental role in mussels' innate immunity, preventing the invasion of potential pathogens. Previous research has shown that AMPs are abundant in Mytilus species. A mussel with important economic value and limited distribution in the East China Sea, M. coruscus, also contains abundant AMPs, including the mytichitin and myticusin identified previously in this species. However, the molecular diversity and expression pattern of M. coruscus AMPs remain largely unknown.

Based on the dataset of the M. coruscus hemocyte transcriptome, we identified twelve AMPs representing the main AMP families present in M. coruscus, including three novel AMPs (two arthropod-like and one crustin-like). The variations in the expression of the genes encoding these AMPs have been analyzed in different tissues, different larval development stages, and different M. coruscus individuals, as well as in hemocytes and gonads under the threat of different microbes. The results suggest that in adult M. coruscus, the gonads and hemocytes are the sources of AMPs for mussels collected in winter and summer, respectively. The expression of AMPs is developmentally regulated, and most AMPs are undetectable in larvae until after larval settlement and metamorphosis. In vivo microbial challenges significantly increased the expression of AMPs in M. coruscus hemocytes, and different AMP response patterns under challenges from different microbes were observed, showing a rapid, strong response to gram-positive strains, a weak response to gram-negative strains, and a long-term response to fungus. While the gonads showed a different response pattern than the hemocytes, with stronger changes in expression relative to the control and stronger fluctuation in the expression level of some AMPs. Finally, LC-MS/MS was used for peptidomic analysis of the AMPs in M. coruscus, and the results confirmed the presence of several AMP families in the mussel serum

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ZmMPK5 phosphorylates ZmNAC49 to enhance oxidative stress tolerance in maize

New Phytologist. 2021. Xiang, Y et al. Nanjing Agr Univ, Coll Life Sci, Nanjing 210095, Jiangsu, Peoples R China.

ABSTRACT: Mitogen-activated protein kinase (MPK) is a critical regulator of the antioxidant defence system in response to various stimuli. However, how MPK directly and exactly regulates antioxidant enzyme activities is still unclear. Here, we demonstrated that a NAC transcription factor ZmNAC49 mediated the regulation of antioxidant enzyme activities by ZmMPK5. ZmNAC49 expression is induced by oxidative stress. ZmNAC49 enhances oxidative stress tolerance in maize, and it also reduces superoxide anion generation and increases superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity.

A detailed study showed that ZmMPK5 directly interacts with and phosphorylates ZmNAC49 in vitro and in vivo. ZmMPK5 directly phosphorylates Thr-26 in NAC subdomain A of ZmNAC49. Mutation at Thr-26 of ZmNAC49 does not affect the interaction with ZmMPK5 and its subcellular localisation. Further analysis found that ZmNAC49 activates the ZmSOD3 expression by directly binding to its promoter. ZmMPK5-mediated ZmNAC49 phosphorylation improves its ability to bind to the ZmSOD3 promoter. Thr-26 of ZmNAC49 is essential for its transcriptional activity. In addition, ZmSOD3 enhances oxidative stress tolerance in maize. Our results show that phosphorylation of Thr-26 in ZmNAC49 by ZmMPK5 increased its DNA-binding activity to the ZmSOD3 promoter, enhanced SOD activity and thereby improved oxidative stress tolerance in maize.

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A20/Nrdp1 interaction alters the inflammatory signaling profile by mediating K48-and K63-linked polyubiquitination of effectors MyD88 and TBK1

Journal of Biological chemistry. 2021. Meng, ZY et al. Army Med Univ, Xinqiao Hosp, Dept Neurol, Mil Med Univ 3, Chongqing, Peoples R China.

ABSTRACT: A20 is a potent anti-inflammatory protein that mediates both inflammation and ubiquitination in mammals, but the related mechanisms are not clear. In this study, we performed mass spectrometry (MS) screening, gene ontology (GO) analysis, and coimmunoprecipitation (co-IP) in a lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced inflammatory cell model to identify novel A20-interacting proteins. We confirmed that the E3 ubiquitin ligase Nrdp1, also known as ring finger protein 41 (RNF41), interacted with A20 in LPS-stimulated cells.

Further co-IP analysis demonstrated that when A20 was knocked out, degradation-inducing K48-linked ubiquitination of inflammatory effector MyD88 was decreased, but protein interaction-mediating K63-linked ubiquitination of another inflammatory effector TBK1 was increased. Moreover, western blot experiments showed that A20 inhibition induced an increase in levels of MyD88 and phosphorylation of downstream effector proteins as well as of TBK1 and a downstream effector, while Nrdp1 inhibition induced an increase in MyD88 but a decrease in TBK1 levels. When A20 and Nrdp1 were coinhibited, no further change in MyD88 was observed, but TBK1 levels were significantly decreased compared with those upon A20 inhibition alone. Gain- and loss-of-function analyses revealed that the ZnF4 domain of A20 is required for Nrdp1 polyubiquitination. Upon LPS stimulation, the inhibition of Nrdp1 alone increased the secretion of IL-6 and TNF-alpha but decreased IFN-beta secretion, as observed in other studies, suggesting that Nrdp1 preferentially promotes the production of IFN-beta. Taken together, these results demonstrated that A20/Nrdp1 interaction is important for A20 anti-inflammation, thus revealing a novel mechanism for the anti-inflammatory effects of A20.

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caAtlas: An immunopeptidome atlas of human cancer

Iscience. 2021. Yi, XP et al. Baylor Coll Med, Lester & Sue Smith Breast Ctr, Houston, TX 77030 USA.

ABSTRACT: Comprehensive characterization of tumor antigens is essential for the design of cancer immunotherapies, and mass spectrometry (MS)-based immunopeptidomics enables high-throughput identification of major histocompatibility complex (MHC)-bound peptide antigens in vivo. Here we construct an immunopeptidome atlas of human cancer through an extensive collection of 43 published immunopeptidomic datasets and standardized analysis of 81.6 million MS/MS spectra using an open search engine. Our analysis greatly expands the current knowledge of MHC-bound antigens, including an unprecedented characterization of post-translationally modified antigens and their cancer-association.

We also perform systematic analysis of cancer-testis antigens, cancer-associated antigens, and neoantigens. We make all these data together with annotated MS/MS spectra supporting identification of each antigen in an easily browsable web portal named cancer antigen atlas ( caAtlas). caAtlas provides a central resource for the selection and prioritization of MHC-bound peptides for in vitro HLA binding assay and immunogenicity testing, which will pave the way to eventual development of cancer immunotherapies.

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Site-specific N-and O-glycosylation analysis of human plasma fibronectin

frontiers in Chemistry. 2021. Liu, D et al. Georgia State Univ, Dept Chem, Atlanta, GA 30303 USA.

ABSTRACT: Human plasma fibronectin is an adhesive protein that plays a crucial role in wound healing. Many studies had indicated that glycans might mediate the expression and functions of fibronectin, yet a comprehensive understanding of its glycosylation is still missing. Here, we performed a comprehensive N- and O-glycosylation mapping of human plasma fibronectin and quantified the occurrence of each glycoform in a site-specific manner. Intact N-glycopeptides were enriched by zwitterionic hydrophilic interaction chromatography, and N-glycosite sites were localized by the O-18-labeling method.

O-glycopeptide enrichment and O-glycosite identification were achieved by an enzyme-assisted site-specific extraction method. An RP-LC-MS/MS system functionalized with collision-induced dissociation and stepped normalized collision energy (sNCE)-HCD tandem mass was applied to analyze the glycoforms of fibronectin. A total of 6 N-glycosites and 53 O-glycosites were identified, which were occupied by 38 N-glycoforms and 16 O-glycoforms, respectively. Furthermore, 77.31% of N-glycans were sialylated, and O-glycosylation was dominated by the sialyl-T antigen. These site-specific glycosylation patterns on human fibronectin can facilitate functional analyses of fibronectin and therapeutics development.

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A semi-tryptic peptide centric metaproteomic mining approach and its potential utility in capturing signatures of gut microbial proteolysis

MICROBIOME. 2021. Yan, ZX et al. Sun Yat Sen Univ, Affiliated Hosp 5, Guangdong Prov Key Lab Biomed Imaging, Zhuhai 519000, Guangdong, Peoples R China.

ABSTRACT: BackgroundProteolysis regulation allows gut microbes to respond rapidly to dynamic intestinal environments by fast degradation of misfolded proteins and activation of regulatory proteins. However, alterations of gut microbial proteolytic signatures under complex disease status such as inflammatory bowel disease (IBD, including Crohn's disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC)), have not been investigated. Metaproteomics holds the potential to investigate gut microbial proteolysis because semi-tryptic peptides mainly derive from endogenous proteolysis.ResultsWe have developed a semi-tryptic peptide centric metaproteomic mining approach to obtain a snapshot of human gut microbial proteolysis signatures.

This approach employed a comprehensive meta-database, two-step multiengine database search, and datasets with high-resolution fragmentation spectra to increase the confidence of semi-tryptic peptide identification. The approach was validated by discovering altered proteolysis signatures of Escherichia coli heat shock response. Utilizing two published large-scale metaproteomics datasets containing 623 metaproteomes from 447 fecal and 176 mucosal luminal interface (MLI) samples from IBD patients and healthy individuals, we obtain potential signatures of altered gut microbial proteolysis at taxonomic, functional, and cleavage site motif levels. The functional alterations mainly involved microbial carbohydrate transport and metabolism, oxidative stress, cell motility, protein synthesis, and maturation. Altered microbial proteolysis signatures of CD and UC mainly occurred in terminal ileum and descending colon, respectively. Microbial proteolysis patterns exhibited low correlations with beta -diversity and moderate correlations with microbial protease and chaperones levels, respectively. Human protease inhibitors and immunoglobulins were mainly negatively associated with microbial proteolysis patterns, probably because of the inhibitory effects of these host factors on gut microbial proteolysis events.ConclusionsThis semi-tryptic peptide centric mining strategy offers a label-free approach to discover signatures of in vivo gut microbial proteolysis events if experimental conditions are well controlled. It can also capture in vitro proteolysis signatures to facilitate the evaluation and optimization of experimental conditions. Our findings highlight the complex and diverse proteolytic events of gut microbiome, providing a unique layer of information beyond taxonomic and proteomic abundance.

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Exploring the microbiome-wide lysine acetylation, succinylation, and propionylation in human gut microbiota

Analytical Chemistry. 2021. Zhang, X et al. Univ Ottawa, Fac Med, Ottawa Inst Syst Biol, Ottawa, ON K1H 8M5, Canada.

ABSTRACT: Lysine acylations are important post-translational modifications that are present in both eukaryotes and prokaryotes and regulate diverse cellular functions. Our knowledge of the microbiome lysine acylation remains limited due to the lack of efficient analytical and bioinformatics methods for complex microbial communities. Here, we show that the serial enrichment using motif antibodies successfully captures peptides containing lysine acetylation, propionylation, and succinylation from human gut microbiome samples.

A new bioinformatic workflow consisting of an unrestricted database search confidently identified >60,000 acetylated, and similar to 20,000 propionylated and succinylated gut microbial peptides. The characterization of these identified modification-specific metaproteomes, i.e., meta-PTMomes, demonstrates that lysine acylations are differentially distributed in microbial species with different metabolic capabilities. This study provides an analytical framework for the study of lysine acylations in the microbiome, which enables functional microbiome studies at the post-translational level.

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Proteogenomics Study of Blastobotrys adeninivorans TMCC 70007—A Dominant Yeast in the Fermentation Process of Pu-erh Tea

Journal of proteome research. 2021. Tian, F et al. Yunnan Univ, Sch Life Sci, Yunnan Inst Microbiol, Minist Educ,Key Lab Microbial Divers Southwest Ch, Kunming 650091, Yunnan, Peoples R China.

ABSTRACT: Blastobotrys adeninivorans plays an essential role in pile-fermenting of Pu-erh tea. Its ability to assimilate various carbon and nitrogen sources makes it available for application in a wide range of industry sectors. The genome of B. adeninivorans TMCC 70007 isolated from pile-fermented Pu-erh tea was sequenced and assembled. Proteomics analysis indicated that 4900 proteins in TMCC 70007 were expressed under various culture conditions. Proteogenomics mapping revealed 48 previously unknown genes and corrected 118 gene models predicted by GeneMark-ES.

Ortho-proteogenomics analysis identified 17 previously unidentified genes in B. adeninivorans LS3, the first strain with a sequenced genome among the genus Blastobotrys as well. More importantly, five species specific genes were identified from TMCC 70007, which could serve as a barcode for strain typing and were applicable for fermentation process protection of this industrial species. The datasets generated from tea aqueous extract culture not only increased the proteome coverage and accuracy but also contributed to the identification of proteins related to polyphenols and caffeine, which were considered to change greatly during the microbial fermentation of Pu-erh tea. This study provides a proteome perspective on TMCC 70007, which was considered to be an important strain in the production of Pu-erh tea. The systematic proteogenomics analysis not only made a better annotation on the genome of B. adeninivorans TMCC 70007 as previous proteogenomics study but also provided solution for fermentation process protection on valuable industrial species with species specific genes uniquely identified from proteogenomics study.

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Mirror-Cutting-Based Digestion Strategy Enables the In-Depth and Accuracy Characterization of N-Linked Protein Glycosylation

Journal of proteome research. 2021. Chen, Y et al. Chinese Acad Sci, Dalian Inst Chem Phys, CAS Key Lab Separat Sci Analyt Chem, Dalian 116023, Peoples R China.

ABSTRACT: N-linked glycosylation plays important roles in multiple physiological and pathological processes, while the analysis coverage is still limited due to the insufficient digestion of glycoproteins, as well as incomplete ion fragments for intact glycopeptide determination. Herein, a mirror-cutting-based digestion strategy was proposed by combining two orthogonal proteases of LysargiNase and trypsin to characterize the macro- and micro-heterogeneity of protein glycosylation. Using the above two proteases, the b- or y-ion series of peptide sequences were, respectively, enhanced in MS/MS, generating the complementary spectra for peptide sequence identification.

More than 27% (489/1778) of the site-specific glycoforms identified by LysargiNase digestion were not covered by trypsin digestion, suggesting the elevated coverage of protein sequences and site-specific glycoforms by the mirror-cutting method. Totally, 10,935 site-specific glycoforms were identified from mouse brain tissues in the 18 h MS analysis, which significantly enhanced the coverage of protein glycosylation. Intriguingly, 27 mannose-6-phosphate (M6P) glycoforms were determined with core fucosylation, and 23 of them were found with the "Y-HexNAc-Fuc" ions after manual checking. This is hitherto the first report of M6P and fucosylation co-modifications of glycopeptides, in which the mechanism and function still needs further exploration. The mirror-cutting digestion strategy also has great application potential in the exploration of missing glycoproteins from other complex samples to provide rich resources for glycobiology research.

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DIA-based proteomics identifies IDH2 as a targetable regulator of acquired drug resistance in chronic myeloid leukemia

Molecular & Cellular Proteomics. 2021. Liu, W et al. Dalian Med Univ, Coll Pharm, Dept Clin Pharmacol, Dalian, Liaoning, Peoples R China; Westlake Univ, Sch Life Sci, Key Lab Struct Biol Zhejiang Prov, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, Peoples R China; Westlake Lab Life Sci & Biomed, Ctr Infect Dis Res, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, Peoples R China; Westlake Inst Adv Study, Inst Basic Med Sci, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, Peoples R China

ABSTRACT: Drug resistance is a critical obstacle to effective treatment in patients with chronic myeloid leukemia. To understand the underlying resistance mechanisms in response imatinib mesylate (IMA) and adriamycin (ADR), the parental K562 cells were treated with low doses of IMA ADR for 2 months to generate derivative cells with mild, intermediate, and severe resistance to the drugs defined by their increasing resistance index. PulseDIAbased (DIA [data-independent acquisition]) quantitative proteomics was then employed to reveal the proteome changes in these resistant cells.

In total, 7082 proteins from 98,232 peptides were identified and quantified from the dataset using four DIA software tools including OpenSWATH, Spectronaut, DIA-NN, and EncyclopeDIA. Sirtuin signaling pathway was found to be significantly enriched in both ADR-resistant and IMA-resistant K562 cells. In particular, isocitrate dehydrogenase (NADP(+)) 2 was identified as a potential drug target correlated with the drug resistance phenotype, and inhibition by the antagonist AGI-6780 reversed the acquired resistance in K562 cells to either ADR or IMA. Together, our study has implicated isocitrate dehydrogenase (NADP(+)) 2 as a potential target that can be therapeutically leveraged to alleviate the drug resistance

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Proteogenomics Integrating Novel Junction Peptide Identification Strategy Discovers Three Novel Protein Isoforms of Human NHSL1 and EEF1B2

Journal of proteome research. 2021. He, Cuitong et al. Peking-Tsinghua Centre for Life Sciences, Academy for Advanced Interdisciplinary Studies, Peking University, 100871 Beijing, China

ABSTRACT: In eukaryotes, alternative pre-mRNA splicing allows a single gene to encode different protein isoforms that function in many biological processes, and they are used as biomarkers or therapeutic targets for diseases. Although protein isoforms in the human genome are well annotated, we speculate that some low-abundance protein isoforms may still be under-annotated because most genes have a primary coding product and alternative protein isoforms tend to be under-expressed. A peptide coencoded by a novel exon and an annotated exon separated by an intron is known as a novel junction peptide.

In the absence of known transcripts and homologous proteins, traditional whole-genome six-frame translation-based proteogenomics cannot identify novel junction peptides, and it cannot capture novel alternative splice sites. In this article, we first propose a strategy and tool for identifying novel junction peptides, called CJunction, which we then integrate into a proteogenomics process specifically designed for novel protein isoform discovery and apply to the analysis of a deep-coverage HeLa mass spectrometry data set with identifier PXD004452 in ProteomeXchange. We succeeded in identifying and validating three novel protein isoforms of two functionally important genes, NHSL1 (causative gene of Nance-Horan syndrome) and EEF1B2 (translation elongation factor), which validate our hypothesis. These novel protein isoforms have significant sequence differences from the annotated gene-coding products introduced by the novel N-terminal, suggesting that they may play importantly different functions.

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An Integrated Strategy Reveals Complex Glycosylation of Erythropoietin Using Mass Spectrometry

JOURNAL OF PROTEOME RESEARCH. 2021. Guan, YD et al. Univ Med Ctr Hamburg Eppendorf, Inst Clin Chem & Lab Med, Sect Mass Spectrometr Prote, D-20246 Hamburg, Germany.

ABSTRACT: The characterization of therapeutic glycoproteins is challenging due to the structural heterogeneity of the therapeutic protein glycosylation. This study presents an in-depth analytical strategy for glycosylation of first-generation erythropoietin (epoetin beta), including a developed mass spectrometric workflow for N-glycan analysis, bottom-up mass spectrometric methods for site-specific N-glycosylation, and a LC-MS approach for O-glycan identification. Permethylated N-glycans, peptides, and enriched glycopeptides of erythropoietin were analyzed by nanoLC-MS/MS, and de-N-glycosylated erythropoietin was measured by LC-MS, enabling the qualitative and quantitative analysis of glycosylation and different glycan modifications (e.g., phosphorylation and O-acetylation).

The newly developed Python scripts enabled the identification of 140 N-glycan compositions (237 N-glycan structures) from erythropoietin, especially including 8 phosphorylated N-glycan species. The site-specificity of N-glycans was revealed at the glycopeptide level by pGlyco software using different proteases. In total, 114 N-glycan compositions were identified from glycopeptide analysis. Moreover, LC-MS analysis of deN-glycosylated erythropoietin species identified two O-glycan compositions based on the mass shifts between non-O-glycosylated and O-glycosylated species. Finally, this integrated strategy was proved to realize the in-depth glycosylation analysis of a therapeutic glycoprotein to understand its pharmacological properties and improving the manufacturing processes.

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Potential Use of Serum Proteomics for Monitoring COVID-19 Progression to Complement RT-PCR Detection

Journal of proteome research. 2021. Zhang, Y et al. Wenzhou Med Univ, Taizhou Hosp, Linhai 317000, Zhejiang, Peoples R China; Westlake Univ, Sch Life Sci, Key Lab Struct Biol Zhejiang Prov, Hangzhou 310000, Zhejiang, Peoples R China; Westlake Lab Life Sci & Biomed, Ctr Infect Dis Res, Hangzhou 310000, Zhejiang, Peoples R China; Westlake Inst Adv Study, Inst Basic Med Sci, Hangzhou 310000, Zhejiang, Peoples R China

ABSTRACT: RT-PCR is the primary method to diagnose COVID-19 and is also used to monitor the disease course. This approach, however, suffers from false negatives due to RNA instability and poses a high risk to medical practitioners. Here, we investigated the potential of using serum proteomics to predict viral nucleic acid positivity during COVID19. We analyzed the proteome of 275 inactivated serum samples from 54 out of 144 COVID-19 patients and shortlisted 42 regulated proteins in the severe group and 12 in the non-severe group.

Using these regulated proteins and several key clinical indexes, including days after symptoms onset, platelet counts, and magnesium, we developed two machine learning models to predict nucleic acid positivity, with an AUC of 0.94 in severe cases and 0.89 in non-severe cases, respectively. Our data suggest the potential of using a serum protein-based machine learning model to monitor COVID-19 progression, thus complementing swab RT-PCR tests. More efforts are required to promote this approach into clinical practice since mass spectrometry-based protein measurement is not currently widely accessible in clinic.

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Exploring the Microbiome-Wide Lysine Acetylation, Succinylation, and Propionylation in Human Gut Microbiota

Analytical Chemistry. 2021. Zhang, X et al. Univ Ottawa, Fac Med, Ottawa Inst Syst Biol, Ottawa, ON K1H 8M5, Canada.

ABSTRACT: Lysine acylations are important post-translational modifications that are present in both eukaryotes and prokaryotes and regulate diverse cellular functions. Our knowledge of the microbiome lysine acylation remains limited due to the lack of efficient analytical and bioinformatics methods for complex microbial communities. Here, we show that the serial enrichment using motif antibodies successfully captures peptides containing lysine acetylation, propionylation, and succinylation from human gut microbiome samples.

A new bioinformatic workflow consisting of an unrestricted database search confidently identified >60,000 acetylated, and similar to 20,000 propionylated and succinylated gut microbial peptides. The characterization of these identified modification-specific metaproteomes, i.e., meta-PTMomes, demonstrates that lysine acylations are differentially distributed in microbial species with different metabolic capabilities. This study provides an analytical framework for the study of lysine acylations in the microbiome, which enables functional microbiome studies at the post-translational level.

[more...]

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Discovery and visualization of uncharacterized drug-protein adducts using mass spectrometry

Analytical chemistry. 2021. Riffle, M et al. Univ Washington, Dept Biochem, Seattle, WA 98195 USA

ABSTRACT: Drugs are often metabolized to reactive intermedi-ates that form protein adducts. Adducts can inhibit protein activity,elicit immune responses, and cause life-threatening adverse drugreactions. The masses of reactive metabolites are frequentlyunknown, rendering traditional mass spectrometry-based proteo-mics approaches incapable of adduct identification. Here, wepresent Magnum, an open-mass search algorithm optimized foradduct identification, and Limelight, a web-based data processingpackage for analysis and visualization of data from all existingalgorithms.

Limelight incorporates tools for sample comparisonsand xenobiotic-adduct discovery. We validate our tools with threedrug/protein combinations and apply our label-free workflow toidentify novel xenobiotic-protein adducts in CYP3A4. Our newmethods and software enable accurate identification of xenobiotic-protein adducts with no prior knowledge of adduct masses orprotein targets. Magnum outperforms existing label-free tools in xenobiotic-protein adduct discovery, while Limelight fulfills a majorneed in the rapidly developingfield of open-mass searching, which until now lacked comprehensive data visualization tools.

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DIA-based Proteomics Identifies IDH2 as a Targetable Regulator of Acquired Drug Resistance in Chronic Myeloid Leukemia

Molecular & Cellular Proteomics. 2021. Liu, W et al. Dalian Med Univ, Coll Pharm, Dept Clin Pharmacol, Dalian, Liaoning, Peoples R China; Westlake Univ, Sch Life Sci, Key Lab Struct Biol Zhejiang Prov, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, Peoples R China; Westlake Lab Life Sci & Biomed, Ctr Infect Dis Res, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, Peoples R China; Westlake Inst Adv Study, Inst Basic Med Sci, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, Peoples R China

ABSTRACT: Drug resistance is a critical obstacle to effective treatment in patients with chronic myeloid leukemia. To understand the underlying resistance mechanisms in response imatinib mesylate (IMA) and adriamycin (ADR), the parental K562 cells were treated with low doses of IMA ADR for 2 months to generate derivative cells with mild, intermediate, and severe resistance to the drugs defined by their increasing resistance index. PulseDIAbased (DIA [data-independent acquisition]) quantitative proteomics was then employed to reveal the proteome changes in these resistant cells.

In total, 7082 proteins from 98,232 peptides were identified and quantified from the dataset using four DIA software tools including OpenSWATH, Spectronaut, DIA-NN, and EncyclopeDIA. Sirtuin signaling pathway was found to be significantly enriched in both ADR-resistant and IMA-resistant K562 cells. In particular, isocitrate dehydrogenase (NADP(+)) 2 was identified as a potential drug target correlated with the drug resistance phenotype, and inhibition by the antagonist AGI-6780 reversed the acquired resistance in K562 cells to either ADR or IMA. Together, our study has implicated isocitrate dehydrogenase (NADP(+)) 2 as a potential target that can be therapeutically leveraged to alleviate the drug resistance

[more...]

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Site-Specific N-and O-Glycosylation Analysis of Human Plasma Fibronectin

frontiers in Chemistry. 2021. Liu, D et al. Georgia State Univ, Dept Chem, Atlanta, GA 30303 USA.

ABSTRACT: Human plasma fibronectin is an adhesive protein that plays a crucial role in wound healing. Many studies had indicated that glycans might mediate the expression and functions of fibronectin, yet a comprehensive understanding of its glycosylation is still missing. Here, we performed a comprehensive N- and O-glycosylation mapping of human plasma fibronectin and quantified the occurrence of each glycoform in a site-specific manner. Intact N-glycopeptides were enriched by zwitterionic hydrophilic interaction chromatography, and N-glycosite sites were localized by the O-18-labeling method.

O-glycopeptide enrichment and O-glycosite identification were achieved by an enzyme-assisted site-specific extraction method. An RP-LC-MS/MS system functionalized with collision-induced dissociation and stepped normalized collision energy (sNCE)-HCD tandem mass was applied to analyze the glycoforms of fibronectin. A total of 6 N-glycosites and 53 O-glycosites were identified, which were occupied by 38 N-glycoforms and 16 O-glycoforms, respectively. Furthermore, 77.31% of N-glycans were sialylated, and O-glycosylation was dominated by the sialyl-T antigen. These site-specific glycosylation patterns on human fibronectin can facilitate functional analyses of fibronectin and therapeutics development.

[more...]

Use: pFind; pGlyco

Allosteric Activation of SARS-CoV-2 RNA-Dependent RNA Polymerase by Remdesivir Triphosphate and Other Phosphorylated Nucleotides

MBio. 2021. Wang, B et al. Ohio State Univ, Dept Microbiol, Columbus, OH 43210 USA.

ABSTRACT: The catalytic subunit of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp) Nsp12 has a unique nidovirus RdRp-associated nucleotidyltransferase (NiRAN) domain that transfers nucleoside monophosphates to the Nsp9 protein and the nascent RNA. The NiRAN and RdRp modules form a dynamic interface distant from their catalytic sites, and both activities are essential for viral replication. We report that codon-optimized (for the pause-free translation in bacterial cells) Nsp12 exists in an inactive state in which NiRAN-RdRp interactions are broken, whereas translation by slow ribosomes and incubation with accessory Nsp7/8 subunits or nucleoside triphosphates (NTPs) partially rescue RdRp activity.

Our data show that adenosine and remdesivir triphosphates promote the synthesis of A-less RNAs, as does ppGpp, while amino acid substitutions at the NiRAN-RdRp interface augment activation, suggesting that ligand binding to the NiRAN catalytic site modulates RdRp activity. The existence of allosterically linked nucleotidyl transferase sites that utilize the same substrates has important implications for understanding the mechanism of SARS-CoV-2 replication and the design of its inhibitors. IMPORTANCE In vitro interrogations of the central replicative complex of SARS-CoV-2, RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp), by structural, biochemical, and biophysical methods yielded an unprecedented windfall of information that, in turn, instructs drug development and administration, genomic surveillance, and other aspects of the evolving pandemic response. They also illuminated the vast disparity in the methods used to produce RdRp for experimental work and the hidden impact that this has on enzyme activity and research outcomes. In this report, we elucidate the positive and negative effects of codon optimization on the activity and folding of the recombinant RdRp and detail the design of a highly sensitive in vitro assay of RdRp-dependent RNA synthesis. Using this assay, we demonstrate that RdRp is allosterically activated by nontemplating phosphorylated nucleotides, including naturally occurring alarmone ppGpp and synthetic remdesivir triphosphate.

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FUT8-mediated aberrant N-glycosylation of B7H3 suppresses the immune response in triple-negative breast cancer

Nature communications. 2021. Huang, Y et al. Sun Yat Sen Univ Canc Ctr, Collaborat Innovat Ctr Canc Med, State Key Lab Oncol South China, Guangdong Key Lab Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma Diag &, Guangzhou, Peoples R China.

ABSTRACT: Most patients with triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) do not respond to anti-PD1/PDL1 immunotherapy, indicating the necessity to explore immune checkpoint targets. B7H3 is a highly glycosylated protein. However, the mechanisms of B7H3 glycosylation regulation and whether the sugar moiety contributes to immunosuppression are unclear. Here, we identify aberrant B7H3 glycosylation and show that N-glycosylation of B7H3 at NXT motif sites is responsible for its protein stability and immunosuppression in TNBC tumors.

The fucosyltransferase FUT8 catalyzes B7H3 core fucosylation at N-glycans to maintain its high expression. Knockdown of FUT8 rescues glycosylated B7H3-mediated immunosuppressive function in TNBC cells. Abnormal B7H3 glycosylation mediated by FUT8 overexpression can be physiologically important and clinically relevant in patients with TNBC. Notably, the combination of core fucosylation inhibitor 2F-Fuc and anti-PDL1 results in enhanced therapeutic efficacy in B7H3-positive TNBC tumors. These findings suggest that targeting the FUT8-B7H3 axis might be a promising strategy for improving anti-tumor immune responses in patients with TNBC. B7H3 is a transmembrane B7 family checkpoint molecule present on many cancer cells. Here the authors show that FUT8 mediates fucosylation of B7H3 to limit the immune response to triple-negative breast cancer as a potentially targeted mechanism of non-responsiveness to current checkpoint therapies.

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Leep1 interacts with PIP3 and the Scar/WAVE complex to regulate cell migration and macropinocytosis

JOURNAL OF CELL BIOLOGY. 2021. Yang, YH et al. Chinese Acad Sci, Ctr Excellence Biomacromol, Inst Biophys, Natl Lab Biomacromol, Beijing, Peoples R China.

ABSTRACT: Polarity is essential for diverse functions in many cell types. Establishing polarity requires targeting a network of specific signaling and cytoskeleton molecules to different subregions of the cell, yet the full complement of polarity regulators and how their activities are integrated over space and time to form morphologically and functionally distinct domains remain to be uncovered. Here, by using the model system Dictyostelium and exploiting the characteristic chemoattractant-stimulated translocation of polarly distributed molecules, we developed a proteomic screening approach, through which we identified a leucine-rich repeat domain-containing protein we named Leep1 as a novel polarity regulator.

We combined imaging, biochemical, and phenotypic analyses to demonstrate that Leep1 localizes selectively at the leading edge of cells by binding to PIP3, where it modulates pseudopod and macropinocytic cup dynamics by negatively regulating the Scar/WAVE complex. The spatiotemporal coordination of PIP3 signaling, Leep1, and the Scar/WAVE complex provides a cellular mechanism for organizing protrusive structures at the leading edge.

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Carboxypeptidase Y assisted disulfide-bond identification with linearized database search

Analytical Chemistry. 2021. Qiang, Jiali et al. Interdisciplinary Research Center on Biology and Chemistry, Shanghai Institute of Organic Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 100 Haike Road, Pudong, Shanghai 201210, China

ABSTRACT: A disulfide bond is an important protein post-translational modification and plays a key role in regulating protein oxidation status, protein structure, and stability. Analysis of a disulfide bond using mass spectrometry is challenging because there lacks an efficient method to separate the disulfide-linked peptides from a complex protein digest, and the MS data requires sophisticated interpretation. Here, we developed a novel disulfide bond identification strategy, termed as "carboxypeptidase Y assisted disulfide-bond identification (CADI)".

CADI is able to significantly reduce sample complexity by depleting 90% of the linear peptides while keeping the disulfide-bonded peptides. Furthermore, all CADI data can be directly analyzed by widely used protein database search engines, such as Mascot and MaxQuant. Our data show that CADI is able to sensitively identify disulfide bonds in peptides and proteins. However, CADI has not yet achieved a satisfied in-depth coverage on complex mammalian cell lysates due to the limited enzymatic activity of carboxypeptidase Y and low occurrences of disulfide bonds in a proteome. Altogether, CADI is a useful method that can get disulfide-linked peptides enriched and analyzed with regular search engines. CADI holds great potentials to deepen the analysis of disulfide bond and other types of cross-linked peptides on the proteome scale.

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Structures of the human Mediator and Mediator-bound preinitiation complex

Science. 2021. Chen, XZ et al. Fudan Univ, Shanghai Canc Ctr, Inst Biomed Sci, State Key Lab Genet Engn,Shanghai Key Lab Radiat, Shanghai, Peoples R China.

ABSTRACT: The 1.3-megadalton transcription factor IID (TFIID) is required for preinitiation complex (PIC) assembly and RNA polymerase II (Pol II)-mediated transcription initiation on almost all genes. The 26-subunit Mediator stimulates transcription and cyclin-dependent kinase 7 (CDK7)-mediated phosphorylation of the Pol II C-terminal domain (CTD). We determined the structures of human Mediator in the Tail module-extended (at near-atomic resolution) and Tail-bent conformations and structures of TFIID-based PICMediator (76 polypeptides, similar to 4.1 megadaltons) in four distinct conformations.

PIC-Mediator assembly induces concerted reorganization (Head-tilting and Middle-down) of Mediator and creates a Head-Middle sandwich, which stabilizes two CTD segments and brings CTD to CDK7 for phosphorylation; this suggests a CTD-gating mechanism favorable for phosphorylation. The TFIID-based PIC architecture modulates Mediator organization and TFIIH stabilization, underscoring the importance of TFIID in orchestrating PIC-Mediator assembly.

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Covalently engineered nanobody chimeras for targeted membrane protein degradation

JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY. 2021. Zhang, H et al. Peking Univ, Synthet & Funct Biomol Ctr, Beijing Natl Lab Mol Sci, Coll Chem & Mol Engn, Beijing 100871, Peoples R China.

ABSTRACT: The targeted degradation of membrane proteins would afford an attractive and general strategy for treating various diseases that remain difficult with the current proteolysis-targeting chimera (PROTAC) methodology. We herein report a covalent nanobody-based PROTAC strategy, termed GlueTAC, for targeted membrane protein degradation with high specificity and efficiency. We first established a mass-spectrometry-based screening platform for the rapid development of a covalent nanobody (GlueBody) that allowed proximity-enabled cross-linking with surface antigens on cancer cells.

By conjugation with a cellpenetrating peptide and a lysosomal-sorting sequence, the resulting GlueTAC chimera triggered the internalization and degradation of programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1), which provides a new avenue to target and degrade cell-surface proteins.

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Highly synergistic combinations of nanobodies that target SARS-CoV-2 and are resistant to escape

eLife. 2021. Mast, FD et al. Seattle Childrens Res Inst, Ctr Global Infect Dis Res, Seattle, WA 98101 USA; Rockefeller Univ, Lab Cellular & Struct Biol, 1230 York Ave, New York, NY 10021 USA; Rockefeller Univ, Lab Mass Spectrometry & Gaseous Ion Chem, 1230 York Ave, New York, NY 10021 USA; Univ Washington, Dept Pediat, Seattle, WA 98195 USA; Univ Washington, Dept Biochem, Seattle, WA 98195 USA

ABSTRACT: The emergence of SARS-CoV-2 variants threatens current vaccines and therapeutic antibodies and urgently demands powerful new therapeutics that can resist viral escape. We therefore generated a large nanobody repertoire to saturate the distinct and highly conserved available epitope space of SARS-CoV-2 spike, including the S1 receptor binding domain, N-terminal domain, and the S2 subunit, to identify new nanobody binding sites that may reflect novel mechanisms of viral neutralization. Structural mapping and functional assays show that indeed these highly stable monovalent nanobodies potently inhibit SARS-CoV-2 infection, display numerous neutralization mechanisms, are effective against emerging variants of concern, and are resistant to mutational escape.

Rational combinations of these nanobodies that bind to distinct sites within and between spike subunits exhibit extraordinary synergy and suggest multiple tailored therapeutic and prophylactic strategies.

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The structure of a virus-encoded nucleosome

NATURE STRUCTURAL & MOLECULAR BIOLOGY. 2021. Valencia-Sanchez, MI et al. New York Univ Grossman Sch Med, Skirball Inst Biomol Med, Dept Biochem & Mol Pharmacol, New York, NY 10016 USA.

ABSTRACT: The cryo-EM structure of DNA-assembled histone pairs H beta-H alpha and H delta-H gamma from Marseillevirus, a nucleocytoplasmic large DNA virus, reveals that these proteins form viral nucleosomes with highly conserved features when compared to canonical eukaryotic nucleosomes. Certain large DNA viruses, including those in the Marseilleviridae family, encode histones. Here we show that fused histone pairs H beta-H alpha and H delta-H gamma from Marseillevirus are structurally analogous to the eukaryotic histone pairs H2B-H2A and H4-H3.

These viral histones form 'forced' heterodimers, and a heterotetramer of four such heterodimers assembles DNA to form structures virtually identical to canonical eukaryotic nucleosomes.

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Chemical synthesis of activity‐based E2‐ubiquitin probes for the structural analysis of E3 ligase‐catalyzed transthiolation

ANGEWANDTE CHEMIE-INTERNATIONAL EDITION. 2021. Liang, LJ et al. Tsinghua Univ, Tsinghua Peking Ctr Life Sci, Minist Educ,Dept Chem, Key Lab Bioorgan Phosphorus Chem & Chem Biol,Ctr, Beijing 100084, Peoples R China.

ABSTRACT: Activity-based E2 conjugating enzyme (E2)-ubiquitin (Ub) probes have recently emerged as effective tools for studying the molecular mechanism of E3 ligase (E3)-catalyzed ubiquitination. However, the preparation of existing activity-based E2-Ub probes depends on recombination technology and bioconjugation chemistry, limiting their structural diversity. Herein we describe an expedient total chemical synthesis of an E2 enzyme variant through a hydrazide-based native chemical ligation, which enabled the construction of a structurally new activity-based E2-Ub probe to covalently capture the catalytic site of Cys-dependent E3s.

Chemical cross-linking coupled with mass spectrometry (CXMS) demonstrated the utility of this new probe in structural analysis of the intermediates formed during Nedd4 and Parkin-mediated trans-thiolation. This study exemplifies the utility of chemical protein synthesis for the development of protein probes for biological studies.

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Diethynyl Phosphinates for Cysteine‐Selective Protein Labeling and Disulfide Rebridging

Angewandte Chemie International Edition. 2021. Stieger, CE et al. Forsch Verbund Berlin EV FMP, Leibniz Forschungsinst Mol Pharmakol, Chem Biol Dept, Campus Berlin Buch,Robert Roessle Str 10, D-13125 Berlin, Germany.

ABSTRACT: Diethynyl phosphinates were developed as bisfunctional electrophiles for the site-selective modification of peptides, proteins and antibodies. One of their electron-deficient triple bonds reacts selectively with a thiol and positions an electrophilic moiety for a subsequent intra- or intermolecular reaction with another thiol. The obtained conjugates were found to be stable in human plasma and in the presence of small thiols. We further demonstrate that this method is suitable for the generation of functional protein conjugates for intracellular delivery.

Finally, this reagent class was used to generate functional homogeneously rebridged antibodies that remain specific for their target. Their modular synthesis, thiol selectivity and conjugate stability make diethynyl phosphinates ideal candidates for protein conjugation for biological and pharmaceutical applications.

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Molecular architecture of the endocytic TPLATE complex

Science Advances. 2021. Yperman, K et al. Univ Ghent, Dept Plant Biotechnol & Bioinformat, Technol Pk 71, B-9052 Ghent, Belgium.

ABSTRACT: Eukaryotic cells rely on endocytosis to regulate their plasma membrane proteome and lipidome. Most eukaryotic groups, except fungi and animals, have retained the evolutionary ancient TSET complex as an endocytic regulator. Unlike other coatomer complexes, structural insight into TSET is lacking. Here, we reveal the molecular architecture of plant TSET [TPLATE complex (TPC)] using an integrative structural approach. We identify crucial roles for specific TSET subunits in complex assembly and membrane interaction.

Our data therefore generate fresh insight into the differences between the hexameric TSET in Dictyostelium and the octameric TPC in plants. Structural elucidation of this ancient adaptor complex represents the missing piece in the coatomer puzzle and vastly advances our functional as well as evolutionary insight into the process of endocytosis.

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Molecular characterization of a complex of apoptosis-inducing factor 1 with cytochrome c oxidase of the mitochondrial respiratory chain

PNAS. 2021. Hevler, Johannes F. et al. Univ Utrecht, Utrecht Inst Pharmaceut Sci, NL-3584 CH Utrecht, Netherlands; Univ Utrecht, Bijvoet Ctr Biomol Res, Netherlands Prote Ctr, NL-3584 CH Utrecht, Netherlands; Univ Cologne, Cologne Excellence Cluster Cellular Stress Respon, D-50931 Cologne, Germany; Radboud Univ Nijmegen, Med Ctr, Radboud Inst Mol Life Sci, NL-6525 GA Nijmegen, Netherlands; Univ Utrecht, Utrecht Inst Pharmaceut Sci, Bijvoet Ctr Biomol Res, Biomol Mass Spectrometry & Prote, NL-3584 CH Utrecht, Netherlands

ABSTRACT: Combining mass spectrometry-based chemical cross-linking and complexome profiling, we analyzed the interactome of heart mitochondria. We focused on complexes of oxidative phosphorylation and found that dimeric apoptosis-inducing factor 1 (AIFM1) forms a defined complex with similar to 10% of monomeric cytochrome c oxidase (COX) but hardly interacts with respiratory chain supercomplexes. Multiple AIFM1 intercross-links engaging six different COX subunits provided structural restraints to build a detailed atomic model of the COX-AIFM1(2) complex (PDBDEV_00000092).

An application of two complementary proteomic approaches thus provided unexpected insight into the macromolecular organization of the mitochondrial complexome. Our structural model excludes direct electron transfer between AIFM1 and COX. Notably, however, the binding site of cytochrome c remains accessible, allowing formation of a ternary complex. The discovery of the previously overlooked COX-AIFM12 complex and clues provided by the structural model hint at potential roles of AIFM1 in oxidative phosphorylation biogenesis and in programmed cell death.

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Structural basis of soluble membrane attack complex packaging for clearance

Nature Communications. 2021. Menny, A et al. Imperial Coll London, Dept Life Sci, Sir Ernst Chain Bldg, London SW7 2AZ, England.

ABSTRACT: To prevent unregulated complement activation, extracellular chaperones capture soluble precursors to the membrane attack complex (sMAC). Here, structural analysis of sMAC reveals how clusterin recognizes heterogeneous sMAC complexes and inhibits polymerization of complement protein C9. Unregulated complement activation causes inflammatory and immunological pathologies with consequences for human disease. To prevent bystander damage during an immune response, extracellular chaperones (clusterin and vitronectin) capture and clear soluble precursors to the membrane attack complex (sMAC).

However, how these chaperones block further polymerization of MAC and prevent the complex from binding target membranes remains unclear. Here, we address that question by combining cryo electron microscopy (cryoEM) and cross-linking mass spectrometry (XL-MS) to solve the structure of sMAC. Together our data reveal how clusterin recognizes and inhibits polymerizing complement proteins by binding a negatively charged surface of sMAC. Furthermore, we show that the pore-forming C9 protein is trapped in an intermediate conformation whereby only one of its two transmembrane beta-hairpins has unfurled. This structure provides molecular details for immune pore formation and helps explain a complement control mechanism that has potential implications for how cell clearance pathways mediate immune homeostasis.

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Retention time prediction using neural networks increases identifications in crosslinking mass spectrometry

Nature communications. 2021. Giese, SH et al. Tech Univ Berlin, Inst Biotechnol, Bioanalyt, Berlin, Germany.

ABSTRACT: Crosslinking mass spectrometry has developed into a robust technique that is increasingly used to investigate the interactomes of organelles and cells. However, the incomplete and noisy information in the mass spectra of crosslinked peptides limits the numbers of protein-protein interactions that can be confidently identified. Here, we leverage chromatographic retention time information to aid the identification of crosslinked peptides from mass spectra. Our Siamese machine learning model xiRT achieves highly accurate retention time predictions of crosslinked peptides in a multi-dimensional separation of crosslinked E.

coli lysate. Importantly, supplementing the search engine score with retention time features leads to a substantial increase in protein-protein interactions without affecting confidence. This approach is not limited to cell lysates and multi-dimensional separation but also improves considerably the analysis of crosslinked multiprotein complexes with a single chromatographic dimension. Retention times are a powerful complement to mass spectrometric information to increase the sensitivity of crosslinking mass spectrometry analyses. Predicting chromatographic retention times (RTs) has proven beneficial in proteomics but has not yet been achieved for crosslinked peptides. Here, the authors develop an RT prediction tool for crosslinked peptides and leverage predicted RTs to increase identifications in crosslinking mass spectrometry studies.

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MS Annika: A new cross-linking search engine

Journal of Proteome Research. 2021. Pirklbauer, GJ et al. Univ Appl Sci Upper Austria, Bioinformat Res Grp, A-4232 Hagenberg, Austria.

ABSTRACT: Cross-linking mass spectrometry (XL-MS) has become a powerful technique that enables insights into protein structures and protein interactions. The development of cleavable cross-linkers has further promoted XL-MS through search space reduction, thereby allowing for proteome-wide studies. These new analysis possibilities foster the development of new cross-linkers, which not every search engine can deal with out of the box. In addition, some search engines for XL-MS data also struggle with the validation of identified cross-linked peptides, that is, false discovery rate (FDR) estimation, as FDR calculation is hampered by the fact that not only one but two peptides in a single spectrum have to be correct.

We here present our new search engine, MS Annika, which can identify cross-linked peptides in MS2 spectra from a wide variety of cleavable cross-linkers. We show that MS Annika provides realistic estimates of FDRs without the need of arbitrary score cutoffs, being able to provide on average 44% more identifications at a similar or better true FDR than comparable tools. In addition, MS Annika can be used on proteome-wide studies due to fast, parallelized processing and provides a way to visualize the identified cross-links in protein 3D structures.

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Repurposing of synaptonemal complex proteins for kinetochores in Kinetoplastida

Open Biology. 2021. Tromer, EC et al. Univ Cambridge, Dept Biochem, Cambridge, England.

ABSTRACT: Chromosome segregation in eukaryotes is driven by the kinetochore, a macromolecular complex that connects centromeric DNA to microtubules of the spindle apparatus. Kinetochores in well-studied model eukaryotes consist of a core set of proteins that are broadly conserved among distant eukaryotic phyla. By contrast, unicellular flagellates of the class Kinetoplastida have a unique set of 36 kinetochore components. The evolutionary origin and history of these kinetochores remain unknown. Here, we report evidence of homology between axial element components of the synaptonemal complex and three kinetoplastid kinetochore proteins KKT16-18.

The synaptonemal complex is a zipper-like structure that assembles between homologous chromosomes during meiosis to promote recombination. By using sensitive homology detection protocols, we identify divergent orthologues of KKT16-18 in most eukaryotic supergroups, including experimentally established chromosomal axis components, such as Red1 and Rec10 in budding and fission yeast, ASY3-4 in plants and SYCP2-3 in vertebrates. Furthermore, we found 12 recurrent duplications within this ancient eukaryotic SYCP2-3 gene family, providing opportunities for new functional complexes to arise, including KKT16-18 in the kinetoplastid parasite Trypanosoma brucei. We propose the kinetoplastid kinetochore system evolved by repurposing meiotic components of the chromosome synapsis and homologous recombination machinery that were already present in early eukaryotes.

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Allosteric transcription stimulation by RNA polymerase II super elongation complex

Molecular Cell. 2021. Chen, Y et al. Max Planck Inst Biophys Chem, Dept Mol Biol, Fassberg 11, D-37077 Gottingen, Germany.

ABSTRACT: The super elongation complex (SEC) contains the positive transcription elongation factor b (P-TEFb) and the subcomplex ELL2-EAF1, which stimulates RNA polymerase II (RNA Pol II) elongation. Here, we report the cryoelectron microscopy (cryo-EM) structure of ELL2-EAF1 bound to a RNA Pol II elongation complex at 2.8 A resolution. The ELL2-EAF1 dimerization module directly binds the RNA Pol II lobe domain, explaining how SEC delivers P-TEFb to RNA Pol II. The same site on the lobe also binds the initiation factor TFIIF, consistent with SEC binding only after the transition from transcription initiation to elongation.

Structure-guided functional analysis shows that the stimulation of RNA elongation requires the dimerization module and the ELL2 linker that tethers the module to the RNA Pol II protrusion. Our results show that SEC stimulates elongation allosterically and indicate that this stimulation involves stabilization of a closed conformation of the RNA Pol II active center cleft.

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Integrative proteomics identifies thousands of distinct, multi-epitope, and high-affinity nanobodies

Cell Systems. 2021. Xiang, YF et al. Univ Pittsburgh, Dept Cell Biol, Pittsburgh, PA 15260 USA.

ABSTRACT: The antibody immune response is essential for the survival of mammals. However, we still lack a systematic understanding of the antibody repertoire. Here, we developed a proteomic strategy to survey, at an unprecedented scale, the landscape of antigen-engaged, circulating camelid heavy-chain antibodies, whose minimal binding fragments are called VHH antibodies or nanobodies. The sensitivity and robustness of this approach were validated with three antigens spanning orders of magnitude in immune responses; thousands of distinct, high-affinity nanobody families were reliably identified and quantified.

Using high-throughput structural modeling, cross-linking mass spectrometry, mutagenesis, and deep learning, we mapped and analyzed the epitopes of >100,000 antigen-nanobody complexes. Our results revealed a surprising diversity of ultrahigh-affinity camelid nanobodies for specific antigen binding on various dominant epitope clusters. Nanobodies utilize both shape and charge complementarity to enable highly selective antigen binding. Interestingly, we found that nanobody-antigen binding can mimic conserved intracellular protein-protein interactions. A record of this paper's Transparent Peer Review process is included in the Supplemental information.

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Large-scale ratcheting in a bacterial DEAH/RHA-type RNA helicase that modulates antibiotics susceptibility

PNAS. 2021. Grass, LM et al. Free Univ Berlin, Inst Chem & Biochem, Lab Struct Biochem, D-14195 Berlin, Germany.

ABSTRACT: Many bacteria harbor RNA-dependent nucleoside-triphosphatases of the DEAH/RHA family, whose molecular mechanisms and cellular functions are poorly understood. Here, we show that the Escherichia coli DEAH/RHA protein, HrpA, is an ATP-dependent 3 to 5 ' RNA helicase and that the RNA helicase activity of HrpA influences bacterial survival under antibiotics treatment. Limited proteolysis, crystal structure analysis, and functional assays showed that HrpA contains an N-terminal DEAH/RHA helicase cassette preceded by a unique N-terminal domain and followed by a large C-terminal region that modulates the helicase activity.

Structures of an expanded HrpA helicase cassette in the apo and RNA-bound states in combination with cross-linking/mass spectrometry revealed ratchet-like domain movements upon RNA engagement, much more pronounced than hitherto observed in related eukaryotic DEAH/RHA enzymes. Structure-based functional analyses delineated transient interdomain contact sites that support substrate loading and unwinding, suggesting that similar conformational changes support RNA translocation. Consistently, modeling studies showed that analogous dynamic intramolecular contacts are not possible in the related but helicase-inactive RNA-dependent nucleoside-triphosphatase, HrpB. Our results indicate that HrpA may be an interesting target to interfere with bacterial tolerance toward certain antibiotics and suggest possible interfering strategies.

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A resource of high-quality and versatile nanobodies for drug delivery

Iscience. 2021. Shen, ZL et al. Univ Pittsburgh, Dept Cell Biol, Pittsburgh, PA 15260 USA.

ABSTRACT: Therapeutic and diagnostic efficacies of small biomolecules and chemical compounds are hampered by suboptimal pharmacokinetics. Here, we developed a repertoire of robust and high-affinity antihuman serum albumin nanobodies (Nb-HSA) that can be readily fused to small biologics for half-life extension. We characterized the thermostability, binding kinetics, and cross-species reactivity of Nb(HSA)s, mapped their epitopes, and structurally resolved a tetrameric HSA-Nb complex. We parallelly determined the half-lives of a cohort of selected Nb(HSA)s in an HSA mouse model by quantitative proteomics.

Compared to short-lived control nanobodies, the half-lives of Nb(HSA)s were drastically prolonged by 771-fold. Nb(HSA)s have distinct and diverse pharmacokinetics, positively correlating with their albumin binding affinities at the endosomal pH. We then generated stable and highly bioactive Nb-HSA-cytokine fusion constructs "Duraleukin'' and demonstrated Duraleukin's high preclinical efficacy for cancer treatment in a melanoma model. This high-quality and versatile Nb toolkit will help tailor drug half-life to specific medical needs.

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Reverse chemical ecology suggests putative primate pheromones

Molecular Biology and Evolution. 2021. Zaremska, V et al. Austrian Inst Technol GmbH, Biosensor Technol, Tulln, Austria

ABSTRACT: Pheromonal communication is widespread among living organisms, but in apes and particularly in humans there is currently no strong evidence for such phenomenon. Among primates, lemurs use pheromones to communicate within members of the same species, whereas in some monkeys such capabilities seem to be lost. Chemical communication in humans appears to be impaired by the lack or malfunctioning of biochemical tools and anatomical structures mediating detection of pheromones. Here, we report on a pheromone-carrier protein (SAL) adopting a "reverse chemical ecology" approach to get insights on the structures of potential pheromones in a representative species of lemurs (Microcebus murinus) known to use pheromones, Old-World monkeys (Cercocebus atys) for which chemical communication has been observed, and humans (Homo sapiens), where pheromones and chemical communication are still questioned.

We have expressed the SAL orthologous proteins of these primate species, after reconstructing the gene encoding the human SAL, which is disrupted due to a single base mutation preventing its translation into RNA. Ligand-binding experiments with the recombinant SALs revealed macrocyclic ketones and lactones as the best ligands for all three proteins, suggesting cyclopentadecanone, pentadecanolide, and closely related compounds as the best candidates for potential pheromones. Such hypothesis agrees with the presence of a chemical very similar to hexadecanolide in the gland secretions of Mandrillus sphinx, a species closely related to C. atys. Our results indicate that the function of this carrier protein has not changed much during evolution from lemurs to humans, although its physiological role has been certainly impaired in humans.

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Cryo-EM structure of the yeast TREX complex and coordination with the SR-like protein Gbp2

eLife. 2021. Xie, YH et al. Vanderbilt Univ, Dept Biochem, Sch Med, Nashville, TN 37232 USA.

ABSTRACT: The evolutionarily conserved TRanscript-EXport (TREX) complex plays central roles during mRNP (messenger ribonucleoprotein) maturation and export from the nucleus to the cytoplasm. In yeast, TREX is composed of the THO sub-complex (Tho2, Hpr1, Text, Mft1, and Thp2), the DEAD box ATPase Sub2, and Yra1. Here we present a 3.7 angstrom cryo-EM structure of the yeast THO center dot Sub2 complex. The structure reveals the intimate assembly of THO revolving around its largest subunit Tho2. THO stabilizes a semi-open conformation of the Sub2 ATPase via interactions with Tho2.

We show that THO interacts with the serine-arginine (SR)-like protein Gbp2 through both the RS domain and RRM domains of Gbp2. Cross-linking mass spectrometry analysis supports the extensive interactions between THO and Gbp2, further revealing that RRM domains of Gbp2 are in close proximity to the C-terminal domain of Tho2. We propose that THO serves as a landing pad to configure Gbp2 to facilitate its loading onto mRNP.

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A novel recognition site for polyubiquitin and ubiquitin-like signals in an unexpected region of proteasomal subunit Rpn1

Journal of Biological Chemistry. 2021. Boughton, AJ et al. Univ Maryland, Ctr Biomol Struct & Org, Dept Chem & Biochem, College Pk, MD 20742 USA.

ABSTRACT: The ubiquitin (Ub)-proteasome system is the primary mechanism for maintaining protein homeostasis in eukaryotes, yet the underlying signaling events and specificities of its components are poorly understood. Proteins destined for degradation are tagged with covalently linked polymeric Ub chains and subsequently delivered to the proteasome, often with the assistance of shuttle proteins that contain Ub-like domains. This degradation pathway is riddled with apparent redundancy-in the form of numerous polyubiquitin chains of various lengths and distinct architectures, multiple shuttle proteins, and at least three proteasomal receptors.

Moreover, the largest proteasomal receptor, Rpn1, contains one known binding site for polyubiquitin and shuttle proteins, although several studies have recently proposed the existence of an additional uncharacterized site. Here, using a combination of NMR spectroscopy, photocrosslinking, mass spectrometry, and mutagenesis, we show that Rpn1 does indeed contain another recognition site that exhibits affinities and binding preferences for polyubiquitin and Ub-like signals comparable to those of the known binding site in Rpn1. Surprisingly, this novel site is situated in the N-terminal section of Rpn1, a region previously surmised to be devoid of functionality. We identified a stretch of adjacent helices as the location of this previously uncharacterized binding site, whose spatial proximity and similar properties to the known binding site in Rpn1 suggest the possibility of multivalent signal recognition across the solvent exposed surface of Rpn1. These findings offer new mechanistic insights into signal recognition processes that are at the core of the Ub-proteasome system.

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Identification of Native Cross-Links in Bacillus subtilis Spore Coat Proteins

Journal of Proteome Research. 2021. Ursem, R et al. Univ Amsterdam, Dept Mol Biol & Microbial Food Safety, NL-1098 XH Amsterdam, Netherlands.

ABSTRACT: The resistance properties of the bacterial spores are partially due to spore surface proteins, similar to 30% of which are said to form an insoluble protein fraction. Previous research has also identified a group of spore coat proteins affected by spore maturation, which exhibit an increased level of interprotein cross-linking. However, the proteins and the types of cross-links involved, previously proposed based on indirect evidence, have yet to be confirmed experimentally. To obtain more insight into the structural basis of the proteinaceous component of the spore coat, we attempted to identify coat cross-links and the proteins involved using new peptide fractionation and bioinformatic methods.

Young (day 1) and matured (day 5) Bacillus subtilis spores of wild-type and transglutaminase mutant strains were digested with formic acid and trypsin, and cross-linked peptides were enriched using strong cation exchange chromatography. The enriched crosslinked peptide fractions were subjected to Fourier-transform ion cyclotron resonance tandem mass spectrometry, and the high-quality fragmentation data obtained were analyzed using two specialized software tools, pLink2 and XiSearch, to identify cross-links. This analysis identified specific disulfide bonds between coat proteins CotE-CotE and CotJA-CotJC, obtained evidence of disulfide bonds in the spore crust proteins CotX, CotY, and CotZ, and identified dityrosine and epsilon-(gamma)-glutamyl-lysine cross-linked coat proteins. The findings in this Letter are the first direct biochemical data on protein cross-linking in the spore coat and the first direct evidence of the cross-linked building blocks of the highly ordered and resistant structure called the spore coat.

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The Odorant-Binding Proteins of the Spider Mite Tetranychus urticae

International Journal of Molecular Sciences. 2021. Zhu, J et al. Austrian Inst Technol GmbH, Biosensor Technol, Konrad Lorenz Str 24, A-3430 Tulln, Austria.

ABSTRACT: Spider mites are one of the major agricultural pests, feeding on a large variety of plants. As a contribution to understanding chemical communication in these arthropods, we have characterized a recently discovered class of odorant-binding proteins (OBPs) in Tetranychus urticae. As in other species of Chelicerata, the four OBPs of T. urticae contain six conserved cysteines paired in a pattern (C1-C6, C2-C3, C4-C5) differing from that of insect counterparts (C1-C3, C2-C5, C4-C6). Proteomic analysis uncovered a second family of OBPs, including twelve members that are likely to be unique to T.

urticae. A three-dimensional model of TurtOBP1, built on the recent X-ray structure of Varroa destructor OBP1, shows protein folding different from that of insect OBPs, although with some common features. Ligand-binding experiments indicated some affinity to coniferyl aldehyde, but specific ligands may still need to be found among very large molecules, as suggested by the size of the binding pocket.

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Redox-sensitive CDC-42 clustering promotes wound closure in C. elegans

Cell reports. 2021. Xu, JX et al. Zhejiang Univ, Ctr Stem Cell & Regenerat Med, Sch Med, Affiliated Hosp 2, Hangzhou 310058, Peoples R China.

ABSTRACT: Tissue damage induces immediate-early signals, activating Rho small GTPases to trigger actin polymerization essential for later wound repair. However, how tissue damage is sensed to activate Rho small GTPases locally remains elusive. Here, we found that wounding the C. elegans epidermis induces rapid relocalization of CDC-42 into plasma membrane-associated clusters, which subsequently recruits WASP/WSP-1 to trigger actin polymerization to close the wound. In addition, wounding induces a local transient increase and subsequent reduction of H2O2, which negatively regulates the clustering of CDC-42 and wound closure.

CDC42 CAAX motif-mediated prenylation and polybasic region-mediated cation-phospholipid interaction are both required for its clustering. Cysteine residues participate in intermolecular disulfide bonds to reduce membrane association and are required for negative regulation of CDC-42 clustering by H2O2. Collectively, our findings suggest that H2O2-regulated fine-tuning of CDC-42 localization can create a distinct biomole

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HSP-90/kinase complexes are stabilized by the large PPIase FKB-6

Scientific Reports. 2021. Sima, S et al. Tech Univ Munich, Ctr Integrated Prot Res, Dept Chem, Lichtenbergstr 4, D-85748 Garching, Germany.

ABSTRACT: Protein kinases are important regulators in cellular signal transduction. As one major type of Hsp90 client, protein kinases rely on the ATP-dependent molecular chaperone Hsp90, which maintains their structure and supports their activation. Depending on client type, Hsp90 interacts with different cofactors. Here we report that besides the kinase-specific cofactor Cdc37 large PPIases of the Fkbp-type strongly bind to kinase center dot Hsp90 center dot Cdc37 complexes. We evaluate the nucleotide regulation of these assemblies and identify prominent interaction sites in this quaternary complex.

The synergistic interaction between the participating proteins and the conserved nature of the interaction suggests functions of the large PPIases Fkbp51/Fkbp52 and their nematode homolog FKB-6 as contributing factors to the kinase cycle of the Hsp90 machinery.

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Unraveling the surface glycoprotein interaction network by integrating chemical crosslinking with MS-based proteomics

Chemical Science. 2021. Sun, FX et al. Georgia Inst Technol, Sch Chem & Biochem, Atlanta, GA 30332 USA.

ABSTRACT: The cell plasma membrane provides a highly interactive platform for the information transfer between the inside and outside of cells. The surface glycoprotein interaction network is extremely important in many extracellular events, and aberrant protein interactions are closely correlated with various diseases including cancer. Comprehensive analysis of cell surface protein interactions will deepen our understanding of the collaborations among surface proteins to regulate cellular activity. In this work, we developed a method integrating chemical crosslinking, an enzymatic reaction, and MS-based proteomics to systematically characterize proteins interacting with surface glycoproteins, and then constructed the surfaceome interaction network.

Glycans covalently bound to proteins were employed as "baits", and proteins that interact with surface glycoproteins were connected using chemical crosslinking. Glycans on surface glycoproteins were oxidized with galactose oxidase (GAO) and sequentially surface glycoproteins together with their interactors ("prey") were enriched through hydrazide chemistry. In combination with quantitative proteomics, over 300 proteins interacting with surface glycoproteins were identified. Many important domains related to extracellular events were found on these proteins. Based on the protein-protein interaction database, we constructed the interaction network among the identified proteins, in which the hub proteins play more important roles in the interactome. Through analysis of crosslinked peptides, specific interactors were identified for glycoproteins on the cell surface. The newly developed method can be extensively applied to study glycoprotein interactions on the cell surface, including the dynamics of the surfaceome interactions in cells with external stimuli.

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Binding of cytochrome P450 27C1, a retinoid desaturase, to its accessory protein adrenodoxin

Archives of Biochemistry and Biophysics. 2021. Glass, Sarah M et al. Department of Biochemistry, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, 638 Robinson Research Building, 2200 Pierce Avenue, Nashville, Tennessee, 37232-0146, United States.

ABSTRACT: Of the 57 human cytochrome P450 (P450) enzymes, seven are mitochondrial: 11A1, 11B1, 11B2, 24A1, 27A1, 27B1, and 27C1. Mitochondrial P450s utilize an electron transport system with adrenodoxin (Adx) and NADPH-adrenodoxin reductase (AdR). AdR reduces Adx, which then transfers electrons to the P450. The interactions between proteins in the mitochondrial P450 system are largely driven by electrostatic interactions, though the specifics vary depending on the P450. Unlike other mitochondrial P450s, the interaction between P450 27C1, a retinoid 3,4-desaturase expressed in the skin, and Adx remains largely uncharacterized.

In this work, we utilized an Alexa Fluor 488 C5 maleimide-labeled Adx to measure binding affinities between Adx and P450 27C1 or AdR. Both proteins bound Adx tightly, with Kd values <100nM, and binding affinities decreased with increasing ionic strength, supporting the role of electrostatic interactions in mediating these interactions. Cross-linking mass spectrometry and computational modeling were performed to identify interactions between P450 27C1 and Adx. While the residues of Adx identified in interactions were consistent with studies of other mitochondrial P450s, the binding interface of P450 27C1 was quite large and supported multiple Adx binding positions, including ones outside of the canonical Adx binding site. Additionally, Adx did not appear to be an allosteric effector of P450 27C1 substrate binding, in contrast to some other mitochondrial P450s. Overall, we conclude that P450-Adx interactions are P450-specific. Copyright © 2021 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

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A new non-classical fold of varroa odorant-binding proteins reveals a wide open internal cavity

Scientific Reports. 2021. Amigues, B et al. Aix Marseille Univ AMU, CNRS, Architecture & Fonct Macromol Biol AFMB, UMR 6098, Campus Luminy,Case 932, F-13288 Marseille 09, France.

ABSTRACT: Odorant-binding proteins (OBPs), as they occur in insects, form a distinct class of proteins that apparently has no closely related representatives in other animals. However, ticks, mites, spiders and millipedes contain genes encoding proteins with sequence similarity to insect OBPs. In this work, we have explored the structure and function of such non-insect OBPs in the mite Varroa destructor, a major pest of honey bee. Varroa OBPs present six cysteines paired into three disulphide bridges, but with positions in the sequence and connections different from those of their insect counterparts.

VdesOBP1 structure was determined in two closely related crystal forms and appears to be a monomer. Its structure assembles five alpha-helices linked by three disulphide bridges, one of them exhibiting a different connection as compared to their insect counterparts. Comparison with classical OBPs reveals that the second of the six alpha-helices is lacking in VdesOBP1. Ligand-binding experiments revealed molecules able to bind only specific OBPs with a moderate affinity, suggesting that either optimal ligands have still to be identified, or post-translational modifications present in the native proteins may be essential for modulating binding activity, or else these OBPs might represent a failed attempt in evolution and are not used by the mites.

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Structural characterization of KKT4, an unconventional microtubule-binding kinetochore protein

Structure. 2021. Ludzia, P et al. Univ Oxford, Dept Biochem, Oxford OX1 3QU, England.

ABSTRACT: The kinetochore is the macromolecular machinery that drives chromosome segregation by interacting with spindle microtubules. Kinetoplastids (such as Trypanosoma brucei), a group of evolutionarily divergent eukaryotes, have a unique set of kinetochore proteins that lack any significant homology to canonical kinetochore components. To date, KKT4 is the only kinetoplastid kinetochore protein that is known to bind microtubules. Here we use X-ray crystallography, NMR spectroscopy, and crosslinking mass spectrometry to characterize the structure and dynamics of KKT4.

We show that its microtubule-binding domain consists of a coiled-coil structure followed by a positively charged disordered tail. The structure of the C-terminal BRCT domain of KKT4 reveals that it is likely a phosphorylation-dependent protein-protein interaction domain. The BRCT domain interacts with the N-terminal region of the KKT4 microtubule-binding domain and with a phosphopeptide derived from KKT8. Taken together, these results provide structural insights into the unconventional kinetoplastid kinetochore protein KKT4.

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A composite filter for low FDR of protein-protein interactions detected by in vivo cross-linking

Journal of Proteomics. 2021. de Jong, L et al. Univ Amsterdam, Swammerdam Inst Life Sci, Mass Spectrometry Biomol, Sci Pk 904, NL-1098 XH Amsterdam, Netherlands.

ABSTRACT: In vivo chemical cross-linking combined with LCMSMS of digested extracts (in vivo CX-MS) can reveal stable and dynamic protein-protein interactions at proteome-wide scale and at peptide level. In vivo CX-MS requires a membrane permeable and cleavable cross-linker and a fast and sensitive search engine to identify the linked peptides. Here we explore the use of the search engine pLink 2 to identify cross-links induced in exponentially growing Bacillus subtilis cells treated in culture with bis(succinimidyl)-3-azidomethyl-glutarate (BAMG).

Cross linked peptide pairs were identified by pLink 2 in very short time at an overall FDR of < 5%. To also obtain a FDR < 5% for non-redundant inter-protein cross-linked peptide pairs additional threshold values were applied for matched fragment intensity and for the numbers of unambiguous y and b ions assigned to both composite peptides. Also the massand charge-dependent retention times of target peptides purified by diagonal strong cation exchange chromatography were used as a criterion to distinguish true from false positives. After application of the composite filter new protein-protein interactions were revealed among others between the global transcriptional repressor AbrB and elongation factor Tu and between the essential protein YlaN of unknown function and the ferric uptake repressor Fur. Significance: Important for reliable identification of PPIs by chemical cross-linking in vivo is a low FDR of non redundant inter-protein peptide pairs. Here we describe how to recognize the presence of spurious interactions in a dataset of cross-linked peptide pairs enriched by 2D strong cation exchange chromatography and identified by LCMSMS by taking into account chromatographic behavior of cross-linked peptide pairs and protein abundance of corresponding peptides. Based on these criteria we assessed that the FDR of the fraction of non -redundant inter-protein cross-linked peptide pairs was approx. 20-25% by interrogating an entire species specific database at an overall FDR of 5% or 0.1% with a search engine that otherwise scores best in sensitivity among other search engines. We have defined a composite filter to decrease this high FDR of inter-protein cross-linked peptide pairs to only about 2%.

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Synthesis, LC-MS/MS analysis, and biological evaluation of two vaccine candidates against ticks based on the antigenic P0 peptide from R. sanguineus linked to the p64K carrier protein from Neisseria meningitidis

Analytical and Bioanalytical Chemistry. 2021. Luis Javier González et al. Ctr Genet Engn & Biotechnol CIGB, Dept Prote, Ave 31,E 158 & 190, Havana 10600, Cuba; Ctr Genet Engn & Biotechnol CIGB, Anim Biotechnol Dept, Ave 31,E 158 & 190, Havana 10600, Cuba

ABSTRACT: A peptide from the P0 acidic ribosomal protein (pP0) of ticks conjugated to keyhole limpet hemocyanin from Megathura crenulata has shown to be effective against different tick species when used in host vaccination. Turning this peptide into a commercial anti-tick vaccine will depend on finding the appropriate, technically and economically feasible way to present it to the host immune system. Two conjugates (p64K-Cys(1)pP0 and p64K-beta Ala(1)pP0) were synthesized using the p64K carrier protein from Neisseria meningitidis produced in Escherichia coli, the same cross-linking reagent, and two analogues of pP0.

The SDS-PAGE analysis of p64K-Cys(1)pP0 showed a heterogeneous conjugate compared to p64K-beta Ala(1)pP0 that was detected as a protein band at 91kDa. The pP0/p64K ratio determined by MALDI-MS for p64K-Cys(1)pP0 ranged from 1 to 8, being 3-5 the predominant ratio, while in the case of p64K-beta Ala(1)pP0 this ratio was 5-7. Cys(1)pP0 was partially linked to 35 out of 39 Lys residues and the N-terminal end, while beta Ala(1)pP0 was mostly linked to the six free cysteine residues, to the N-terminal end, and, in a lesser extent, to Lys residues. The assignment of the conjugation sites and side reactions were based on the identification of type 2 peptides. Rabbit immunizations showed the best anti-pP0 titers and the highest efficacy against Rhipicephalus sanguineus ticks when the p64K-Cys(1)pP0 was used as vaccine antigen. The presence of high molecular mass aggregates observed in the SDS-PAGE analysis of p64K-Cys(1)pP0 could be responsible for a better immune response against pP0 and consequently for its better efficacy as an anti-tick vaccine.

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Nematode CDC-37 and DNJ-13 form complexes and can interact with HSP-90

Scientific reports. 2021. Schmauder, Lukas et al. Department of Chemistry, Center for Integrated Protein Research, Technische Universität München, Lichtenbergstr. 4, 85748, Garching, Germany

ABSTRACT: The molecular chaperones Hsc70 and Hsp90 are required for proteostasis control and specific folding of client proteins in eukaryotic and prokaryotic organisms. Especially in eukaryotes these ATP-driven molecular chaperones are interacting with cofactors that specify the client spectrum and coordinate the ATPase cycles. Here we find that a Hsc70-cofactor of the Hsp40 family from nematodes, DNJ-13, directly interacts with the kinase-specific Hsp90-cofactor CDC-37. The interaction is specific for DNJ-13, while DNJ-12 another DnaJ-like protein of C.

elegans, does not bind to CDC-37 in a similar manner. Analytical ultracentrifugation is employed to show that one CDC-37 molecule binds to a dimeric DNJ-13 protein with low micromolar affinity. We perform cross-linking studies with mass spectrometry to identify the interaction site and obtain specific cross-links connecting the N-terminal J-domain of DNJ-13 with the N-terminal domain of CDC-37. Further AUC experiments reveal that both, the N-terminal part of CDC-37 and the C-terminal domain of CDC-37, are required for efficient interaction. Furthermore, the presence of DNJ-13 strengthens the complex formation between CDC-37 and HSP-90 and modulates the nucleotide-dependent effects. These findings on the interaction between Hsp40 proteins and Hsp90-cofactors provide evidence for a more intricate interaction between the two chaperone systems during client processing. © 2021. The Author(s).

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Accurate Retention Time Prediction Based on Monolinked Peptide Information to Confidently Identify Cross-Linked Peptides

Journal of the American Society for Mass Spectrometry. 2021. Huang, R et al. ShanghaiTech Univ, Shanghai Inst Adv Immunochem Studies, Shanghai 201210, Peoples R China

ABSTRACT: Cross-linking mass spectrometry methods have not been successfully applied to protein-protein interaction discovery at a proteome- wide level mainly due to the computation complexity (O (n(2))) issue. In a previous report, we proposed a decision tree searching strategy (DTSS), which can reduce complexity by orders of magnitude. In this study, we further found that the monolinked peptides carry out the information on the retention time of the corresponding cross-linked pairs; therefore, the retention time of cross-linked peptide pairs can be predicted accurately.

By utilizing the retention time as an extra filter, the false positive rate can be reduced by around 86% with a sensitivity loss of 10%. The method combined with DTSS (T-DTSS) not only benefits improving identification confidence but also leads to lower cutoff scores and facilitates substantially increasing inter-cross-link identification. T-DTSS was successfully applied to the identification of inter-cross-links obtained from Escherichia coli cell lysate cross-linked by a newly synthesized enrichable crosslinker, pDSBE. The approach can be applicable to both cleavable and noncleavable methods.

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Spontaneous protein--protein crosslinking at glutamine and glutamic acid residues in long-lived proteins

Biochemical Journal. 2021. Friedrich, MG et al. Univ Wollongong, Illawarra Hlth & Med Res Inst, Wollongong, NSW 2522, Australia.

ABSTRACT: Long-lived proteins (LLPs) are susceptible to the accumulation of both enzymatic and spontaneous post-translational modifications (PTMs). A prominent PTM observed in LLPs is covalent protein-protein crosslinking. In this study, we examined aged human lenses and found several proteins to be crosslinked at Glu and Gln residues. This new covalent bond involves the amino group of Lys or an alpha-amino group. A number of these crosslinks were found in intermediate filament proteins. Such crosslinks could be reproduced experimentally by incubation of Glu- or Gln-containing peptides and their formation was consistent with an amino group attacking a glutarimide intermediate.

These findings show that both Gln and Glu residues can act as sites for spontaneous covalent crosslinking in LLPs and they provide a mechanistic explanation for an otherwise puzzling observation, that a major fraction of A beta in the human brain is crosslinked via Glu 22 and the N-terminal amino group.

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Molecular characterization of a complex of Apoptosis Inducing Factor 1 (AIFM1) with cytochrome c oxidase of the mitochondrial respiratory chain

PNAS. 2021. Hevler, JF et al. Univ Utrecht, Utrecht Inst Pharmaceut Sci, Bijvoet Ctr Biomol Res, Biomol Mass Spectrometry & Prote, NL-3584 CH Utrecht, Netherlands.

ABSTRACT: Combining mass spectrometry-based chemical cross-linking and complexome profiling, we analyzed the interactome of heart mitochondria. We focused on complexes of oxidative phosphorylation and found that dimeric apoptosis-inducing factor 1 (AIFM1) forms a defined complex with similar to 10% of monomeric cytochrome c oxidase (COX) but hardly interacts with respiratory chain supercomplexes. Multiple AIFM1 intercross-links engaging six different COX subunits provided structural restraints to build a detailed atomic model of the COX-AIFM1(2) complex (PDBDEV_00000092).

An application of two complementary proteomic approaches thus provided unexpected insight into the macromolecular organization of the mitochondrial complexome. Our structural model excludes direct electron transfer between AIFM1 and COX. Notably, however, the binding site of cytochrome c remains accessible, allowing formation of a ternary complex. The discovery of the previously overlooked COX-AIFM12 complex and clues provided by the structural model hint at potential roles of AIFM1 in oxidative phosphorylation biogenesis and in programmed cell death.

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The SARS-CoV-2 nucleocapsid phosphoprotein forms mutually exclusive condensates with RNA and the membrane-associated M protein

Nature communications. 2021. Lu, S et al. Univ Calif San Diego, Dept Cellular & Mol Med, San Diego, CA 92093 USA.

ABSTRACT: The multifunctional nucleocapsid (N) protein in SARS-CoV-2 binds the similar to 30kb viral RNA genome to aid its packaging into the 80-90nm membrane-enveloped virion. The N protein is composed of N-terminal RNA-binding and C-terminal dimerization domains that are flanked by three intrinsically disordered regions. Here we demonstrate that the N protein's central disordered domain drives phase separation with RNA, and that phosphorylation of an adjacent serine/arginine rich region modulates the physical properties of the resulting condensates.

In cells, N forms condensates that recruit the stress granule protein G3BP1, highlighting a potential role for N in G3BP1 sequestration and stress granule inhibition. The SARS-CoV-2 membrane (M) protein independently induces N protein phase separation, and three-component mixtures of N+M+RNA form condensates with mutually exclusive compartments containing N+M or N+RNA, including annular structures in which the M protein coats the outside of an N+RNA condensate. These findings support a model in which phase separation of the SARS-CoV-2 N protein contributes both to suppression of the G3BP1-dependent host immune response and to packaging genomic RNA during virion assembly. The SARS-CoV-2 nucleocapsid (N) protein binds the viral RNA genome and contains two ordered domains flanked by three intrinsically-disordered regions. Here, the authors show that RNA binding induces liquid-liquid phase separation of N, which is driven by its central intrinsically-disordered region and is modulated by phosphorylation. The SARS-CoV-2 Membrane (M) protein also phase-separates with N, and three-component mixtures of N+M+RNA form mutually exclusive compartments containing N+M or N+RNA.

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Structural insights into preinitiation complex assembly on core promoters

Science. 2021. Chen, XZ et al. Fudan Univ, Shanghai Canc Ctr, Inst Biomed Sci, State Key Lab Genet Engn, Shanghai 200032, Peoples R China.

ABSTRACT: Transcription factor IID (TFIID) recognizes core promoters and supports preinitiation complex (PIC) assembly for RNA polymerase II (Pol II)-mediated eukaryotic transcription. We determined the structures of human TFIID-based PIC in three stepwise assembly states and revealed two-track PIC assembly: stepwise promoter deposition to Pol II and extensive modular reorganization on track I (on TATA-TFIID-binding element promoters) versus direct promoter deposition on track II (on TATA-only and TATA-less promoters).

The two tracks converge at an similar to 50-subunit holo PIC in identical conformation, whereby TFIID stabilizes PIC organization and supports loading of cyclin-dependent kinase (CDK)activating kinase (CAK) onto Pol II and CAK-mediated phosphorylation of the Pol II carboxyl-terminal domain. Unexpectedly, TBP of TFIID similarly bends TATA box and TATA-less promoters in PIC. Our study provides structural visualization of stepwise PIC assembly on highly diversified promoters.

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Structural basis of Integrator-mediated transcription regulation

Science. 2021. Fianu, I et al. Max Planck Inst Biophys Chem, Dept Mol Biol, D-37077 Gottingen, Germany.

ABSTRACT: Integrator and protein phosphatase 2A (PP2A) form a complex that dephosphorylates paused RNA polymerase II (Pol II), cleaves the nascent RNA, and terminates transcription. We report the structure of the pretermination complex containing a human Integrator-PP2A complex bound to paused Pol II. Integrator binds Pol II and the pausing factors DSIF and NELF to exclude binding of the elongation factors SPT6 and PAF1 complex. Integrator also binds the C-terminal domain of Pol II and positions PP2A to counteract Pol II phosphorylation and elongation.

The Integrator endonuclease docks to the RNA exit site and opens to cleave nascent RNA about 20 nucleotides from the Pol II active site. Integrator does not bind the DNA clamps formed by Pol II and DSIF, enabling release of DNA and transcription termination.

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Structural basis of human transcription–DNA repair coupling

Nature. 2021. Kokic, G et al. Max Planck Inst Biophys Chem, Dept Mol Biol, Gottingen, Germany.

ABSTRACT: Transcription-coupled DNA repair removes bulky DNA lesions from the genome(1,2) and protects cells against ultraviolet (UV) irradiation(3). Transcription-coupled DNA repair begins when RNA polymerase II (Pol II) stalls at a DNA lesion and recruits the Cockayne syndrome protein CSB, the E3 ubiquitin ligase, CRL4(CSA) and UV-stimulated scaffold protein A (UVSSA)(3). Here we provide five high-resolution structures of Pol II transcription complexes containing human transcription-coupled DNA repair factors and the elongation factors PAF1 complex (PAF) and SPT6.

Together with biochemical and published(3,4) data, the structures provide a model for transcription-repair coupling. Stalling of Pol II at a DNA lesion triggers replacement of the elongation factor DSIF by CSB, which binds to PAF and moves upstream DNA to SPT6. The resulting elongation complex, ECTCR, uses the CSA-stimulated translocase activity of CSB to pull on upstream DNA and push Pol II forward. If the lesion cannot be bypassed, CRL4(CSA) spans over the Pol II clamp and ubiquitylates the RPB1 residue K1268, enabling recruitment of TFIIH to UVSSA and DNA repair. Conformational changes in CRL4(CSA) lead to ubiquitylation of CSB and to release of transcription-coupled DNA repair factors before transcription may continue over repaired DNA.

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DNA-driven condensation assembles the meiotic DNA break machinery

NATURE. 2021. Bouuaert, CC et al. Mem Sloan Kettering Canc Ctr, Program Mol Biol, New York, NY 10021 USA.

ABSTRACT: The accurate segregation of chromosomes during meiosis-which is critical for genome stability across sexual cycles-relies on homologous recombination initiated by DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) made by the Spo11 protein(1,2). The formation of DSBs is regulated and tied to the elaboration of large-scale chromosome structures(3-5), but the protein assemblies that execute and control DNA breakage are poorly understood. Here we address this through the molecular characterization of Saccharomyces cerevisiae RMM (Rec114, Mei4 and Mer2) proteins-essential, conserved components of the DSB machinery(2).

Each subcomplex of Rec114-Mei4 (a 2:1 heterotrimer) or Mer2 (a coiled-coil-containing homotetramer) is monodispersed in solution, but they independently condense with DNA into reversible nucleoprotein clusters that share properties with phase-separated systems. Multivalent interactions drive this condensation. Mutations that weaken protein-DNA interactions strongly disrupt both condensate formation and DSBs in vivo, and thus these processes are highly correlated. In vitro, condensates fuse into mixed RMM clusters that further recruit Spo11 complexes. Our data show how the DSB machinery self-assembles on chromosome axes to create centres of DSB activity. We propose that multilayered control of Spo11 arises from the recruitment of regulatory components and modulation of the biophysical properties of the condensates.

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The cryo-EM structure of the human neurofibromin dimer reveals the molecular basis for neurofibromatosis type 1

Nature Structural & Molecular Biology. 2021. Lupton, CJ et al. Monash Univ, Biomed Discovery Inst, Clayton, Vic, Australia.

ABSTRACT: Neurofibromin (NF1) mutations cause neurofibromatosis type 1 and drive numerous cancers, including breast and brain tumors. NF1 inhibits cellular proliferation through its guanosine triphosphatase-activating protein (GAP) activity against rat sarcoma (RAS). In the present study, cryo-electron microscope studies reveal that the human similar to 640-kDa NF1 homodimer features a gigantic 30 x 10 nm array of alpha-helices that form a core lemniscate-shaped scaffold. Three-dimensional variability analysis captured the catalytic GAP-related domain and lipid-binding SEC-PH domains positioned against the core scaffold in a closed, autoinhibited conformation.

We postulate that interaction with the plasma membrane may release the closed conformation to promote RAS inactivation. Our structural data further allow us to map the location of disease-associated NF1 variants and provide a long-sought-after structural explanation for the extreme susceptibility of the molecule to loss-of-function mutations. Collectively these findings present potential new routes for therapeutic modulation of the RAS pathway.

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Mapping protein interactions in the active TOM-TIM23 supercomplex

Nature Communications. 2021. Gomkale, R et al. Univ Med Ctr Gottingen, Dept Cellular Biochem, Gottingen, Germany.

ABSTRACT: Nuclear-encoded mitochondrial proteins destined for the matrix have to be transported across two membranes. The TOM and TIM23 complexes facilitate the transport of precursor proteins with N-terminal targeting signals into the matrix. During transport, precursors are recognized by the TIM23 complex in the inner membrane for handover from the TOM complex. However, we have little knowledge on the organization of the TOM-TIM23 transition zone and on how precursor transfer between the translocases occurs.

Here, we have designed a precursor protein that is stalled during matrix transport in a TOM-TIM23-spanning manner and enables purification of the translocation intermediate. Combining chemical cross-linking with mass spectrometric analyses and structural modeling allows us to map the molecular environment of the intermembrane space interface of TOM and TIM23 as well as the import motor interactions with amino acid resolution. Our analyses provide a framework for understanding presequence handover and translocation during matrix protein transport. The TOM and TIM23 complexes facilitate the transport of nuclear-encoded proteins into the mitochondrial matrix. Here, the authors use a stalled client protein to purify the translocation supercomplex and gain insight into the TOM-TIM23 interface and the mechanism of protein handover from the TOM to the TIM23 complex.

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Structural and functional characterization of the Spo11 core complex

nature structural & molecular biology. 2021. Bouuaert, CC et al. Mem Sloan Kettering Canc Ctr, Mol Biol Program, 1275 York Ave, New York, NY 10021 USA.

ABSTRACT: Spo11, which makes DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) that are essential for meiotic recombination, has long been recalcitrant to biochemical study. We provide molecular analysis of Saccharomycescerevisiae Spo11 purified with partners Rec102, Rec104 and Ski8. Rec102 and Rec104 jointly resemble the B subunit of archaeal topoisomerase VI, with Rec104 occupying a position similar to the Top6B GHKL-type ATPase domain. Unexpectedly, the Spo11 complex is monomeric (1:1:1:1 stoichiometry), consistent with dimerization controlling DSB formation.

Reconstitution of DNA binding reveals topoisomerase-like preferences for duplex-duplex junctions and bent DNA. Spo11 also binds noncovalently but with high affinity to DNA ends mimicking cleavage products, suggesting a mechanism to cap DSB ends. Mutations that reduce DNA binding in vitro attenuate DSB formation, alter DSB processing and reshape the DSB landscape in vivo. Our data reveal structural and functional similarities between the Spo11 core complex and Topo VI, but also highlight differences reflecting their distinct biological roles. Biochemical and structural characterization of the meiotic DSB core complex of budding yeast reveals molecular architecture and DNA-binding properties similar to those of ancestral Topo VI.

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Structural insights into how Prp5 proofreads the pre-mRNA branch site

Nature. 2021. Zhang, ZW et al. MPI Biophys Chem, Dept Struct Dynam, Gottingen, Germany.

ABSTRACT: During the splicing of introns from precursor messenger RNAs (pre-mRNAs), the U2 small nuclear ribonucleoprotein (snRNP) must undergo stable integration into the spliceosomal A complex-a poorly understood, multistep process that is facilitated by the DEAD-box helicase Prp5 (refs. (1-4)). During this process, the U2 small nuclear RNA (snRNA) forms an RNA duplex with the pre-mRNA branch site (the U2-BS helix), which is proofread by Prp5 at this stage through an unclear mechanism(5). Here, by deleting the branch-site adenosine (BS-A) or mutating the branch-site sequence of an actin pre-mRNA, we stall the assembly of spliceosomes in extracts from the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae directly before the A complex is formed.

We then determine the three-dimensional structure of this newly identified assembly intermediate by cryo-electron microscopy. Our structure indicates that the U2-BS helix has formed in this pre-A complex, but is not yet clamped by the HEAT domain of the Hsh155 protein (Hsh155(HEAT)), which exhibits an open conformation. The structure further reveals a large-scale remodelling/repositioning of the U1 and U2 snRNPs during the formation of the A complex that is required to allow subsequent binding of the U4/U6.U5 tri-snRNP, but that this repositioning is blocked in the pre-A complex by the presence of Prp5. Our data suggest that binding of Hsh155(HEAT) to the bulged BS-A of the U2-BS helix triggers closure of Hsh155(HEAT), which in turn destabilizes Prp5 binding. Thus, Prp5 proofreads the branch site indirectly, hindering spliceosome assembly if branch-site mutations prevent the remodelling of Hsh155(HEAT). Our data provide structural insights into how a spliceosomal helicase enhances the fidelity of pre-mRNA splicing.

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Accurate and automated high-coverage identification of chemically cross-linked peptides with MaxLynx

Analytical chemistry. 2021. Yilmaz, S et al. Max Planck Inst Biochem, Computat Syst Biochem Res Grp, D-82152 Martinsried, Germany; Univ Bergen, Dept Biol & Med Psychol, N-5007 Bergen, Norway

ABSTRACT: Cross-linking combined with mass spectrometry (XL-MS) provides a wealth of information about the three-dimensional (3D) structure of proteins and their interactions. We introduce MaxLynx, a novel computational proteomics workflow for XL-MS integrated into the MaxQuant environment. It is applicable to noncleavable and MS-cleavable cross-linkers. For both, we have generalized the Andromeda peptide database search engine to efficiently identify cross-linked peptides. For noncleavable peptides, we implemented a novel dipeptide Andromeda score, which is the basis for a computationally efficient N-squared search engine.

Additionally, partial scores summarize the evidence for the two constituents of the dipeptide individually. A posterior error probability (PEP) based on total and partial scores is used to control false discovery rates (FDRs). For MS-cleavable cross-linkers, a score of signature peaks is combined with the conventional Andromeda score on the cleavage products. The MaxQuant 3D peak detection was improved to ensure more accurate determination of the monoisotopic peak of isotope patterns for heavy molecules, which cross-linked peptides typically are. A wide selection of filtering parameters can replace the manual filtering of identifications, which is often necessary when using other pipelines. On benchmark data sets of synthetic peptides, MaxLynx outperforms all other tested software on data for both types of cross-linkers and on a proteome-wide data set of cross-linked Drosophila melanogaster cell lysate. The workflow also supports ion mobility-enhanced MS data. MaxLynx runs on Windows and Linux, contains an interactive viewer for displaying annotated cross-linked spectra, and is freely available at https://www.maxquant.org/.

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The Cdk8 kinase module regulates interaction of the mediator complex with RNA polymerase II

Journal of Biological Chemistry. 2021. Osman, S et al. Max Planck Inst Biophys Chem, Dept Mol Biol, Gottingen, Germany.

ABSTRACT: The Cdk8 kinase module (CKM) is a dissociable part of the coactivator complex mediator, which regulates gene transcription by RNA polymerase II. The CKM has both negative and positive functions in gene transcription that remain poorly understood at the mechanistic level. In order to reconstitute the role of the CKM in transcription initiation, we prepared recombinant CKM from the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. We showed that CKM bound to the core mediator (cMed) complex, sterically inhibiting cMed from binding to the polymerase II preinitiation complex (PIC) in vitro.

We further showed that the Cdk8 kinase activity of the CKM weakened CKM-cMed interaction, thereby facilitating dissociation of the CKM and enabling mediator to bind the PIC in order to stimulate transcription initiation. Finally, we report that the kinase activity of Cdk8 is required for gene activation during the stressful condition of heat shock in vivo but not under steady-state growth conditions. Based on these results, we propose a model in which the CKM negatively regulates mediator function at upstream-activating sequences by preventing mediator binding to the PIC at the gene promoter. However, during gene activation in response to stress, the Cdk8 kinase activity of the CKM may release mediator and allow its binding to the PIC, thereby accounting for the positive function of CKM. This may impart improved adaptability to stress by allowing a rapid transcriptional response to environmental changes, and we speculate that a similar mechanism in metazoans may allow the precise timing of developmental transcription programs.

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Cryo-EM of mammalian PA28αβ-iCP immunoproteasome reveals a distinct mechanism of proteasome activation by PA28αβ

Nature communications. 2021. Chen, JH et al. Chinese Acad Sci, Ctr Excellence Mol Cell Sci, Shanghai Inst Biochem & Cell Biol, State Key Lab Mol Biol Natl Ctr Prot Sci,Shanghai, Shanghai 200031, Peoples R China

ABSTRACT: The proteasome activator PA28 alpha beta affects MHC class I antigen presentation by associating with immunoproteasome core particles (iCPs). However, due to the lack of a mammalian PA28 alpha beta -iCP structure, how PA28 alpha beta regulates proteasome remains elusive. Here we present the complete architectures of the mammalian PA28 alpha beta -iCP immunoproteasome and free iCP at near atomic-resolution by cryo-EM, and determine the spatial arrangement between PA28 alpha beta and iCP through XL-MS.

Our structures reveal a slight leaning of PA28 alpha beta towards the alpha 3-alpha 4 side of iCP, disturbing the allosteric network of the gatekeeper alpha 2/3/4 subunits, resulting in a partial open iCP gate. We find that the binding and activation mechanism of iCP by PA28 alpha beta is distinct from those of constitutive CP by the homoheptameric TbPA26 or PfPA28. Our study sheds lights on the mechanism of enzymatic activity stimulation of immunoproteasome and suggests that PA28 alpha beta -iCP has experienced profound remodeling during evolution to achieve its current level of function in immune response. The proteasome activator PA28 alpha beta affects MHC class I antigen presentation by associating with immunoproteasome core particles (iCPs). Cryo-EM structures of the mammalian PA28 alpha beta -iCP immunoproteasome and free iCP, combined with cross-linking data, reveal the complex architecture and suggest a distinct immunoproteasome activation mechanism.

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Molecular basis of F-actin regulation and sarcomere assembly via myotilin

PLoS biology. 2021. Kostan, J et al. Univ Vienna, Dept Struct & Computat Biol, Max Perutz Labs, Vienna, Austria.

ABSTRACT: Sarcomeres, the basic contractile units of striated muscle cells, contain arrays of thin (actin) and thick (myosin) filaments that slide past each other during contraction. The Ig-like domain-containing protein myotilin provides structural integrity to Z-discs-the boundaries between adjacent sarcomeres. Myotilin binds to Z-disc components, including F-actin and alpha-actinin-2, but the molecular mechanism of binding and implications of these interactions on Z-disc integrity are still elusive. To illuminate them, we used a combination of small-angle X-ray scattering, cross-linking mass spectrometry, and biochemical and molecular biophysics approaches.

We discovered that myotilin displays conformational ensembles in solution. We generated a structural model of the F-actin:myotilin complex that revealed how myotilin interacts with and stabilizes F-actin via its Ig-like domains and flanking regions. Mutant myotilin designed with impaired F-actin binding showed increased dynamics in cells. Structural analyses and competition assays uncovered that myotilin displaces tropomyosin from F-actin. Our findings suggest a novel role of myotilin as a co-organizer of Z-disc assembly and advance our mechanistic understanding of myotilin's structural role in Z-discs.

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Cross‐linking mass spectrometry reveals the structural topology of peripheral NuRD subunits relative to the core complex

The Federation of European Biochemical Societies Journal. 2021. Spruijt, CG et al. Radboud Univ Nijmegen, Oncode Inst, Radboud Inst Mol Life Sci, Fac Sci,Dept Mol Biol, NL-6525 GA Nijmegen, Netherlands.

ABSTRACT: The multi-subunit nucleosome remodeling and deacetylase (NuRD) complex consists of seven subunits, each of which comprises two or three paralogs in vertebrates. These paralogs define mutually exclusive and functionally distinct complexes. In addition, several proteins in the complex are multimeric, which complicates structural studies. Attempts to purify sufficient amounts of endogenous complex or recombinantly reconstitute the complex for structural studies have proven quite challenging. Until now, only substructures of individual domains or proteins and low-resolution densities of (partial) complexes have been reported.

In this study, we comprehensively investigated the relative orientation of different subunits within the NuRD complex using multiple cross-link IP mass spectrometry (xIP-MS) experiments. Our results confirm that the core of the complex is formed by MTA, RBBP, and HDAC proteins. Assembly of a copy of MBD and GATAD2 onto this core enables binding of the peripheral CHD and CDK2AP proteins. Furthermore, our experiments reveal that not only CDK2AP1 but also CDK2AP2 interacts with the NuRD complex. This interaction requires the C terminus of CHD proteins. Our data provide a more detailed understanding of the topology of the peripheral NuRD subunits relative to the core complex. Database Proteomics data are available in the PRIDE database under the accession numbers PXD017244 and PXD017378.

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Identification of protein direct interactome with genetic code expansion and search engine OpenUaa

Advanced Biology. 2021. Liu, C et al. Beihang Univ, Sch Med & Engn, Beijing Adv Innovat Ctr Big Data Based Precis Med, Beijing 100191, Peoples R China; Beihang Univ, Key Lab Big Data Based Precis Med, Minist Ind & Informat Technol, Beijing 100191, Peoples R China; Zhejiang Univ, MOE Lab Biosyst Homeostasis & Protect, Hangzhou 310058, Peoples R China; Zhejiang Univ, Life Sci Inst, Hangzhou 310058, Peoples R China; Tsinghua Univ, Tsinghua Inst Multidisciplinary Biomed Res, Beijing 102206, Peoples R China; Natl Inst Biol Sci NIBS, Beijing 102206, Peoples R China; Univ Calif San Francisco, Dept Pharmaceut Chem, San Francisco, CA 94158 USA; Univ Calif San Francisco, Cardiovasc Res Inst, San Francisco, CA 94158 USA; Chinese Acad Agr Sci, Inst Anim Sci, Beijing 100193, Peoples R China

ABSTRACT: Protein crosslinks occur endogenously such as modifications by ubiquitin-like proteins for signaling, or exogenously through genetically encoded chemical crosslinkers (GECX) for studying elusive protein-protein interactions. However, it remains challenging to identify these protein crosslinks efficiently at the proteomic scale. Herein, software OpenUaa is developed for identifying protein crosslinks generated by genetically encoded unnatural amino acids and endogenous protein conjugation. OpenUaa features inclusive and open search capability, dramatically improving identification sensitivity and coverage.

Integrating GECX with OpenUaa, the direct interactome of thioredoxin is identified in Escherichia coli cells, yielding 289 crosslinked peptides and corresponding to 205 direct binding protein of thioredoxin. These identified direct binders provide evidence for thioredoxin's regulation of redox state and mitochondria energy metabolism. When identifying endogenous conjugation of small ubiquitin-like modifier (SUMO), OpenUaa also markedly improves coverage of SUMOylated peptides by approximate to 92%, revealing new SUMO targets. GECX-OpenUaa will enable efficient identification of direct interactomes of various proteins in live cells.

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Membrane interactions of α-Synuclein revealed by multiscale molecular dynamics simulations, Markov state models, and NMR

JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL CHEMISTRY B. 2021. Amos, SBTA et al. Univ Oxford, Dept Biochem, Oxford OX1 3QU, England.

ABSTRACT: alpha-Synuclein (alpha S) is a presynaptic protein that binds to cell membranes and is linked to Parkinson's disease (PD). Binding of alpha S to membranes is a likely first step in the molecular pathophysiology of PD. The alpha S molecule can adopt multiple conformations, being largely disordered in water, adopting a beta-sheet conformation when present in amyloid fibrils, and forming a dynamic multiplicity of alpha-helical conformations when bound to lipid bilayers and related membrane-mimetic surfaces.

Multiscale molecular dynamics simulations in conjunction with nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and cross-linking mass spectrometry (XLMS) measurements are used to explore the interactions of aS with an anionic lipid bilayer. The simulations and NMR measurements together reveal a break in the helical structure of the central non-amyloid-beta component (NAC) region of aS in the vicinity of residues 65-70, which may facilitate subsequent oligomer formation. Coarse-grained simulations of aS starting from the structure of aS when bound to a detergent micelle reveal the overall pattern of protein contacts to anionic lipid bilayers, while subsequent all-atom simulations provide details of conformational changes upon membrane binding. In particular, simulations and NMR data for liposome-bound aS indicate incipient beta-strand formation in the NAC region, which is supported by intramolecular contacts seen via XLMS and simulations. Markov state models based on the all-atom simulations suggest a mechanism of conformational change of membrane-bound alpha S via a dynamic helix break in the region of residue 65 in the NAC region. The emergent dynamic model of membrane-interacting alpha S advances our understanding of the mechanism of PD, potentially aiding the design of novel therapeutic approaches.

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Elucidating the molecular mechanism of dynamic photodamage of photosystem II membrane protein complex by integrated proteomics strategy

CCS Chemistry. 2021. Zhou, Y et al. CAS Key Laboratory of Separation Sciences for Analytical Chemistry, Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Dalian 116023

ABSTRACT: Photosystem II (PSII), as a multiple-subunit chloroplast membrane-associated pigment-protein complex on the thylakoid membrane, is a primary target of light-induced photodamage. However, the overall molecular details of the conformation and composition dynamics of PSII photodamage are still controversial. In this study, we investigated systematically the dynamic conformation, degradation, and oxidation processes of PSII photodamage by integrating chemical cross-linking and top-down proteomics strategies.

The dynamic disassembly of the PSII complex, as well as the degradation fragments from both extrinsic and intrinsic protein PSII subunits, were feasibly probed during the loss of O2-evolving activity. Some long-term controversial issues, including the activity loss of PSII complex occurs before the detachment of the Mn4CaO5 cluster, were clarified. Finally, a detailed route map of dynamic PSII photodamage was outlined at the molecular level for the first time, which markedly enhanced our understanding of the molecular mechanism of photodamage.

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Colicin-mediated transport of DNA through the iron transporter FepA

MBio. 2021. Cohen-Khait, R et al. Univ Oxford, Dept Biochem, Oxford, England

ABSTRACT: Colicins are protein antibiotics deployed by Escherichia coli to eliminate competing strains. Colicins frequently exploit outer membrane (OM) nutrient transporters to penetrate the selectively permeable bacterial cell envelope. Here, by applying live-cell fluorescence imaging, we were able to monitor the entry of the pore-forming toxin colicin B (ColB) into E. coli and localize it within the periplasm. We further demonstrate that single-stranded DNA coupled to ColB can also be transported to the periplasm, emphasizing that the import routes of colicins can be exploited to carry large cargo molecules into bacteria.

Moreover, we characterize the molecular mechanism of ColB association with its OM receptor FepA by applying a combination of photoactivated cross-linking, mass spectrometry, and structural modeling. We demonstrate that complex formation is coincident with large-scale conformational changes in the colicin. Thereafter, active transport of ColB through FepA involves the colicin taking the place of the N-terminal half of the plug domain that normally occludes this iron transporter.IMPORTANCE Decades of excessive use of readily available antibiotics has generated a global problem of antibiotic resistance and, hence, an urgent need for novel antibiotic solutions. Bacteriocins are protein-based antibiotics produced by bacteria to eliminate closely related competing bacterial strains. Bacteriocin toxins have evolved to bypass the complex cell envelope in order to kill bacterial cells. Here, we uncover the cellular penetration mechanism of a well-known but poorly understood bacteriocin called colicin B that is active against Escherichia coll. Moreover, we demonstrate that the colicin B-import pathway can be exploited to deliver conjugated DNA cargo into bacterial cells. Our work leads to a better understanding of the way bacteriocins, as potential alternative antibiotics, execute their mode of action as well as highlighting how they might even be exploited in the genomic manipulation of Gram-negative bacteria.

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TAF8 regions important for TFIID lobe B assembly or for TAF2 interactions are required for embryonic stem cell survival

The Journal of biological chemistry. 2021. Scheer, Elisabeth et al. Institut de Génétique et de Biologie Moléculaire et Cellulaire (IGBMC), Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, UMR7104, Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale, U964, Université de Strasbourg, Illkirch, France

ABSTRACT: The human general transcription factor TFIID is composed of the TATA-binding protein (TBP) and 13 TBP-associated factors (TAFs). In eukaryotic cells, TFIID is thought to nucleate RNA polymerase II (Pol II) preinitiation complex formation on all protein coding gene promoters and thus, be crucial for Pol II transcription. TFIID is composed of three lobes, named A, B, and C. A 5TAF core complex can be assembled invitro constituting a building block for the further assembly of either lobe A or B in TFIID.

Structural studies showed that TAF8 forms a histone fold pair with TAF10 in lobe B and participates in connecting lobe B to lobe C. To better understand the role of TAF8 in TFIID, we have investigated the requirement of the different regions of TAF8 for the invitro assembly of lobe B and C and the importance of certain TAF8 regions for mouse embryonic stem cell (ESC) viability. We have identified a region of TAF8 distinct from the histone fold domain important for assembling with the 5TAF core complex in lobe B. We also delineated four more regions of TAF8 each individually required for interacting with TAF2 in lobe C. Moreover, CRISPR/Cas9-mediated gene editing indicated that the 5TAF core-interacting TAF8 domain and the proline-rich domain of TAF8 that interacts with TAF2 are both required for mouse embryonic stem cell survival. Thus, our study defines distinct TAF8 regions involved in connecting TFIID lobe B to lobe C that appear crucial for TFIID function and consequent ESC survival. Copyright © 2021 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

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Distinct architecture and composition of mouse axonemal radial spoke head revealed by cryo-EM

PNAS. 2021. Zheng, W et al. Chinese Acad Sci, Ctr Excellence Mol Cell Sci, Shanghai Inst Biochem & Cell Biol, State Key Lab Mol Biol,Natl Ctr Prot Sci Shanghai, Shanghai 200031, Peoples R China.

ABSTRACT: The radial spoke (RS) heads of motile cilia and flagella contact projections of the central pair (CP) apparatus to coordinate motility, but the morphology is distinct for protozoa and metazoa. Here we show the murine RS head is compositionally distinct from that of Chlamydomonas. Our reconstituted murine RS head core complex consists of Rsph1, Rsph3b, Rsph4a, and Rsph9, lacking Rsph6a and Rsph10b, whose orthologs exist in the protozoan RS head. We resolve its cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) structure at 3.2-angstrom resolution.

Our atomic model further reveals a twofold symmetric brake pad-shaped structure, in which Rsph4a and Rsph9 form a compact body extended laterally with two long arms of twisted Rsph1 beta-sheets and potentially connected dorsally via Rsph3b to the RS stalk. Furthermore, our modeling suggests that the core complex contacts the periodic CP projections either rigidly through its tooth-shaped Rsph4a regions or elastically through both arms for optimized RS-CP interactions and mechanosignal transduction.

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Structural analysis of the PTEN: P-Rex2 signaling complex reveals how cancer-associated mutations coordinate to hyperactivate Rac1

Science Signaling. 2021. D'Andrea, L et al. Monash Univ, Biomed Discovery Inst, Clayton, Vic 3800, Australia; Monash Univ, Monash Inst Pharmaceut Sci, Drug Discovery Biol Theme, Parkville, Vic 3052, Australia

ABSTRACT: The dual-specificity phosphatase PTEN functions as a tumor suppressor by hydrolyzing PI(3,4,5)P-3 to PI(4,5)P-2 to inhibit PI3K-AKT signaling and cellular proliferation. P-Rex2 is a guanine nucleotide exchange factor for Rho GTPases and can be activated by G beta gamma subunits downstream of G protein-coupled receptor signaling and by PI(3,4,5)P-3 downstream of receptor tyrosine kinases. The PTEN:P-Rex2 complex is a commonly mutated signaling node in metastatic cancer. Assembly of the PTEN:P-Rex2 complex inhibits the activity of both proteins, and its dysregulation can drive PI3K-AKT signaling and cellular proliferation.

Here, using cross-linking mass spectrometry and functional studies, we gained mechanistic insights into PTEN:P-Rex2 complex assembly and coinhibition. We found that PTEN was anchored to P-Rex2 by interactions between the PDZ-interacting motif in the PTEN C-terminal tail and the second PDZ domain of P-Rex2. This interaction bridged PTEN across the P-Rex2 surface, preventing PI(3,4,5)P-3 hydrolysis. Conversely, PTEN both allosterically promoted an autoinhibited conformation of P-Rex2 and blocked its binding to G beta gamma. In addition, we observed that the PTEN-deactivating mutations and P-Rex2 truncations combined to drive Rac1 activation to a greater extent than did either single variant alone. These insights enabled us to propose a class of gain-of-function, cancer-associated mutations within the PTEN:P-Rex2 interface that uncouple PTEN from the inhibition of Rac1 signaling.

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Solution structure and conformational flexibility of a polyketide synthase module

JACS. 2021. Klaus, M et al. Institute of Organic Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Buchmann Institute for Molecular Life Sciences, Goethe University Frankfurt, Max-von-Laue Strasse 15, Frankfurt am Main 60438, Germany

ABSTRACT: Polyketide synthases (PKSs) are versatile C–C bond-forming enzymes that are broadly distributed in bacteria and fungi. The polyketide compound family includes many clinically useful drugs such as the antibiotic erythromycin, the antineoplastic epothilone, and the cholesterol-lowering lovastatin. Harnessing PKSs for custom compound synthesis remains an open challenge, largely because of the lack of knowledge about key structural properties. Particularly, the domains—well characterized on their own—are poorly understood in their arrangement, conformational dynamics, and interplay in the intricate quaternary structure of modular PKSs.

Here, we characterize module 2 from the 6-deoxyerythronolide B synthase by small-angle X-ray scattering and cross-linking mass spectrometry with coarse-grained structural modeling. The results of this hybrid approach shed light on the solution structure of a cis-AT type PKS module as well as its inherent conformational dynamics. Supported by a directed evolution approach, we also find that acyl carrier protein (ACP)-mediated substrate shuttling appears to be steered by a nonspecific electrostatic interaction network.

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NeissLock provides an inducible protein anhydride for covalent targeting of endogenous proteins

Nature communications. 2021. Scheu, AHA et al. Univ Oxford, Dept Biochem, South Parks Rd, Oxford OX1 3QU, England.

ABSTRACT: The Neisseria meningitidis protein FrpC contains a self-processing module (SPM) undergoing autoproteolysis via an aspartic anhydride. Herein, we establish NeissLock, using a binding protein genetically fused to SPM. Upon calcium triggering of SPM, the anhydride at the C-terminus of the binding protein allows nucleophilic attack by its target protein, ligating the complex. We establish a computational tool to search the Protein Data Bank, assessing proximity of amines to C-termini. We optimize NeissLock using the Ornithine Decarboxylase/Antizyme complex.

Various sites on the target (alpha -amine or epsilon -amines) react with the anhydride, but reaction is blocked if the partner does not dock. Ligation is efficient at pH 7.0, with half-time less than 2min. We arm Transforming Growth Factor-alpha with SPM, enabling specific covalent coupling to Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor at the cell-surface. NeissLock harnesses distinctive protein chemistry for high-yield covalent targeting of endogenous proteins, advancing the possibilities for molecular engineering. Covalent conjugation of endogenous protein complexes offers many opportunities for fundamental and clinical research. Based on a bacterial protein domain that forms a reactive anhydride in the presence of Ca2+, the authors here develop a system that enables the covalent capture of endogenous binding partners.

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Carboxypeptidase Y Assisted Disulfide-Bond Identification with Linearized Database Search

Analytical Chemistry. 2021. Qiang, Jiali et al. Interdisciplinary Research Center on Biology and Chemistry, Shanghai Institute of Organic Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 100 Haike Road, Pudong, Shanghai 201210, China

ABSTRACT: A disulfide bond is an important protein post-translational modification and plays a key role in regulating protein oxidation status, protein structure, and stability. Analysis of a disulfide bond using mass spectrometry is challenging because there lacks an efficient method to separate the disulfide-linked peptides from a complex protein digest, and the MS data requires sophisticated interpretation. Here, we developed a novel disulfide bond identification strategy, termed as "carboxypeptidase Y assisted disulfide-bond identification (CADI)".

CADI is able to significantly reduce sample complexity by depleting 90% of the linear peptides while keeping the disulfide-bonded peptides. Furthermore, all CADI data can be directly analyzed by widely used protein database search engines, such as Mascot and MaxQuant. Our data show that CADI is able to sensitively identify disulfide bonds in peptides and proteins. However, CADI has not yet achieved a satisfied in-depth coverage on complex mammalian cell lysates due to the limited enzymatic activity of carboxypeptidase Y and low occurrences of disulfide bonds in a proteome. Altogether, CADI is a useful method that can get disulfide-linked peptides enriched and analyzed with regular search engines. CADI holds great potentials to deepen the analysis of disulfide bond and other types of cross-linked peptides on the proteome scale.

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SAGA and SAGA-like SLIK transcriptional coactivators are structurally and biochemically equivalent

Journal of Biological Chemistry. 2021. Adamus, K et al. Monash Univ, Dept Biochem & Mol Biol, Biomed Discovery Inst, Clayton, Vic, Australia.

ABSTRACT: The SAGA-like complex SLIK is a modified version of the Spt-Ada-Gcn5-Acetyltransferase (SAGA) complex. SLIK is formed through C-terminal truncation of the Spt7 SAGAsubunit, causing loss of Spt8, one of the subunits that interacts with the TATA-binding protein (TBP). SLIK and SAGA are both coactivators of RNA polymerase II transcription in yeast, and both SAGA and SLIK perform chromatin modifications. The two complexes have been speculated to uniquely contribute to transcriptional regulation, but their respective contributions are not clear.

To investigate, we assayed the chromatinmodifying functions of SAGA and SLIK, revealing identical kinetics on minimal substrates in vitro. We also examined the binding of SAGA and SLIK to TBP and concluded that interestingly, both protein complexes have similar affinity for TBP. Additionally, despite the loss of Spt8 and C-terminus of Spt7 in SLIK, TBPprebound to SLIKis not released in the presence of TATA-box DNA, just like TBP prebound to SAGA. Furthermore, we determined a low-resolution cryo-EM structure of SLIK, revealing a modular architecture identical to SAGA. Finally, we performed a comprehensive study of DNA-binding properties of both coactivators. Purified SAGA and SLIK both associate with ssDNA and dsDNA with high affinity (K-D = 10-17 nM), and the binding is sequence-independent. In conclusion, our study shows that the cleavage of Spt7 and the absence of the Spt8 subunit in SLIK neither drive any major conformational differences in its structure comparedwith SAGA, nor significantly affect HAT, DUB, or DNA-binding activities in vitro.

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Characterization of the Fc–III–4C-based recombinant protein expression system by using carbonic anhydrase as the model protein

Protein Expression and Purification. 2021. Gong, YY et al. Tsinghua Univ, Ctr Synthet & Systemat Biol, Sch Life Sci, MOE Key Lab Bioinformat, Beijing 100084, Peoples R China.

ABSTRACT: Development of new affinity tags is important for recombinant protein expression and purification. Based on our earlier work, we devised an affinity tag by addition of two cysteine residues onto the N- and C-termini of the Fc-III peptide and designated as the Fc-III-4C tag, in which four cysteine residues form two disulfide linkages. The binding affinity of Fc-III-4C tag to human IgG is measured as 2.28 nM (K-d) and is 100 times higher than that of the Fc-III tag to IgG. Fc-III-4C tagged carbonic anhydrase (CA) can be effectively purified with IgG-immobilized beads, and Fc-III-4C tag does not possess adverse effects on the structure and stability of CA.

Furthermore, the Fc-III-4C tagged protein binds to multiple transition metal ions, which enhances activities of enzymes that use metal ions as co-factors. These results suggest that Fc-III-4C tag is a useful tool for expression and purification of recombinant proteins and enhances the activities of some fusion proteins that use Zn2+ or Cu2+ as cofactors.

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Elucidating the Molecular Mechanism of Dynamic Photodamage of Photosystem II Membrane Protein Complex by Integrated Proteomics Strategy

CCS Chemistry. 2021. Zhou, Y et al. CAS Key Laboratory of Separation Sciences for Analytical Chemistry, Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Dalian 116023

ABSTRACT: Photosystem II (PSII), as a multiple-subunit chloroplast membrane-associated pigment-protein complex on the thylakoid membrane, is a primary target of light-induced photodamage. However, the overall molecular details of the conformation and composition dynamics of PSII photodamage are still controversial. In this study, we investigated systematically the dynamic conformation, degradation, and oxidation processes of PSII photodamage by integrating chemical cross-linking and top-down proteomics strategies.

The dynamic disassembly of the PSII complex, as well as the degradation fragments from both extrinsic and intrinsic protein PSII subunits, were feasibly probed during the loss of O2-evolving activity. Some long-term controversial issues, including the activity loss of PSII complex occurs before the detachment of the Mn4CaO5 cluster, were clarified. Finally, a detailed route map of dynamic PSII photodamage was outlined at the molecular level for the first time, which markedly enhanced our understanding of the molecular mechanism of photodamage.

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Cryo-EM of mammalian PA28$\alpha$$\beta$-iCP immunoproteasome reveals a distinct mechanism of proteasome activation by PA28$\alpha$$\beta$

Nature communications. 2021. Chen, JH et al. Chinese Acad Sci, Ctr Excellence Mol Cell Sci, Shanghai Inst Biochem & Cell Biol, State Key Lab Mol Biol Natl Ctr Prot Sci,Shanghai, Shanghai 200031, Peoples R China

ABSTRACT: The proteasome activator PA28 alpha beta affects MHC class I antigen presentation by associating with immunoproteasome core particles (iCPs). However, due to the lack of a mammalian PA28 alpha beta -iCP structure, how PA28 alpha beta regulates proteasome remains elusive. Here we present the complete architectures of the mammalian PA28 alpha beta -iCP immunoproteasome and free iCP at near atomic-resolution by cryo-EM, and determine the spatial arrangement between PA28 alpha beta and iCP through XL-MS.

Our structures reveal a slight leaning of PA28 alpha beta towards the alpha 3-alpha 4 side of iCP, disturbing the allosteric network of the gatekeeper alpha 2/3/4 subunits, resulting in a partial open iCP gate. We find that the binding and activation mechanism of iCP by PA28 alpha beta is distinct from those of constitutive CP by the homoheptameric TbPA26 or PfPA28. Our study sheds lights on the mechanism of enzymatic activity stimulation of immunoproteasome and suggests that PA28 alpha beta -iCP has experienced profound remodeling during evolution to achieve its current level of function in immune response. The proteasome activator PA28 alpha beta affects MHC class I antigen presentation by associating with immunoproteasome core particles (iCPs). Cryo-EM structures of the mammalian PA28 alpha beta -iCP immunoproteasome and free iCP, combined with cross-linking data, reveal the complex architecture and suggest a distinct immunoproteasome activation mechanism.

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Membrane Interactions of α-Synuclein Revealed by Multiscale Molecular Dynamics Simulations, Markov State Models, and NMR

JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL CHEMISTRY B. 2021. Amos, SBTA et al. Univ Oxford, Dept Biochem, Oxford OX1 3QU, England.

ABSTRACT: alpha-Synuclein (alpha S) is a presynaptic protein that binds to cell membranes and is linked to Parkinson's disease (PD). Binding of alpha S to membranes is a likely first step in the molecular pathophysiology of PD. The alpha S molecule can adopt multiple conformations, being largely disordered in water, adopting a beta-sheet conformation when present in amyloid fibrils, and forming a dynamic multiplicity of alpha-helical conformations when bound to lipid bilayers and related membrane-mimetic surfaces.

Multiscale molecular dynamics simulations in conjunction with nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and cross-linking mass spectrometry (XLMS) measurements are used to explore the interactions of aS with an anionic lipid bilayer. The simulations and NMR measurements together reveal a break in the helical structure of the central non-amyloid-beta component (NAC) region of aS in the vicinity of residues 65-70, which may facilitate subsequent oligomer formation. Coarse-grained simulations of aS starting from the structure of aS when bound to a detergent micelle reveal the overall pattern of protein contacts to anionic lipid bilayers, while subsequent all-atom simulations provide details of conformational changes upon membrane binding. In particular, simulations and NMR data for liposome-bound aS indicate incipient beta-strand formation in the NAC region, which is supported by intramolecular contacts seen via XLMS and simulations. Markov state models based on the all-atom simulations suggest a mechanism of conformational change of membrane-bound alpha S via a dynamic helix break in the region of residue 65 in the NAC region. The emergent dynamic model of membrane-interacting alpha S advances our understanding of the mechanism of PD, potentially aiding the design of novel therapeutic approaches.

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Identification of Protein Direct Interactome with Genetic Code Expansion and Search Engine OpenUaa

Advanced Biology. 2021. Liu, C et al. Beihang Univ, Sch Med & Engn, Beijing Adv Innovat Ctr Big Data Based Precis Med, Beijing 100191, Peoples R China; Beihang Univ, Key Lab Big Data Based Precis Med, Minist Ind & Informat Technol, Beijing 100191, Peoples R China; Zhejiang Univ, MOE Lab Biosyst Homeostasis & Protect, Hangzhou 310058, Peoples R China; Zhejiang Univ, Life Sci Inst, Hangzhou 310058, Peoples R China; Tsinghua Univ, Tsinghua Inst Multidisciplinary Biomed Res, Beijing 102206, Peoples R China; Natl Inst Biol Sci NIBS, Beijing 102206, Peoples R China; Univ Calif San Francisco, Dept Pharmaceut Chem, San Francisco, CA 94158 USA; Univ Calif San Francisco, Cardiovasc Res Inst, San Francisco, CA 94158 USA; Chinese Acad Agr Sci, Inst Anim Sci, Beijing 100193, Peoples R China

ABSTRACT: Protein crosslinks occur endogenously such as modifications by ubiquitin-like proteins for signaling, or exogenously through genetically encoded chemical crosslinkers (GECX) for studying elusive protein-protein interactions. However, it remains challenging to identify these protein crosslinks efficiently at the proteomic scale. Herein, software OpenUaa is developed for identifying protein crosslinks generated by genetically encoded unnatural amino acids and endogenous protein conjugation. OpenUaa features inclusive and open search capability, dramatically improving identification sensitivity and coverage.

Integrating GECX with OpenUaa, the direct interactome of thioredoxin is identified in Escherichia coli cells, yielding 289 crosslinked peptides and corresponding to 205 direct binding protein of thioredoxin. These identified direct binders provide evidence for thioredoxin's regulation of redox state and mitochondria energy metabolism. When identifying endogenous conjugation of small ubiquitin-like modifier (SUMO), OpenUaa also markedly improves coverage of SUMOylated peptides by approximate to 92%, revealing new SUMO targets. GECX-OpenUaa will enable efficient identification of direct interactomes of various proteins in live cells.

[more...]

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Solution Structure and Conformational Flexibility of a Polyketide Synthase Module

JACS. 2021. Klaus, M et al. Institute of Organic Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Buchmann Institute for Molecular Life Sciences, Goethe University Frankfurt, Max-von-Laue Strasse 15, Frankfurt am Main 60438, Germany

ABSTRACT: Polyketide synthases (PKSs) are versatile C–C bond-forming enzymes that are broadly distributed in bacteria and fungi. The polyketide compound family includes many clinically useful drugs such as the antibiotic erythromycin, the antineoplastic epothilone, and the cholesterol-lowering lovastatin. Harnessing PKSs for custom compound synthesis remains an open challenge, largely because of the lack of knowledge about key structural properties. Particularly, the domains—well characterized on their own—are poorly understood in their arrangement, conformational dynamics, and interplay in the intricate quaternary structure of modular PKSs.

Here, we characterize module 2 from the 6-deoxyerythronolide B synthase by small-angle X-ray scattering and cross-linking mass spectrometry with coarse-grained structural modeling. The results of this hybrid approach shed light on the solution structure of a cis-AT type PKS module as well as its inherent conformational dynamics. Supported by a directed evolution approach, we also find that acyl carrier protein (ACP)-mediated substrate shuttling appears to be steered by a nonspecific electrostatic interaction network.

[more...]

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Covalently Engineered Nanobody Chimeras for Targeted Membrane Protein Degradation

JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY. 2021. Zhang, H et al. Peking Univ, Synthet & Funct Biomol Ctr, Beijing Natl Lab Mol Sci, Coll Chem & Mol Engn, Beijing 100871, Peoples R China.

ABSTRACT: The targeted degradation of membrane proteins would afford an attractive and general strategy for treating various diseases that remain difficult with the current proteolysis-targeting chimera (PROTAC) methodology. We herein report a covalent nanobody-based PROTAC strategy, termed GlueTAC, for targeted membrane protein degradation with high specificity and efficiency. We first established a mass-spectrometry-based screening platform for the rapid development of a covalent nanobody (GlueBody) that allowed proximity-enabled cross-linking with surface antigens on cancer cells.

By conjugation with a cellpenetrating peptide and a lysosomal-sorting sequence, the resulting GlueTAC chimera triggered the internalization and degradation of programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1), which provides a new avenue to target and degrade cell-surface proteins.

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Cysteine inducing formation and reshuffling of disulfide bonds in cold-extruded whey protein molecules: From structural and functional characteristics to cytotoxicity

Food Chemistry. 2021. Yang, N et al. Northeast Agr Univ, Coll Food Sci & Technol, Key Lab Dairy Sci, Minist Educ, Harbin 150030, Heilongjiang, Peoples R China.

ABSTRACT: Polymer chemistry, rheology and cytotoxicity of cysteine initiated S-S redistribution in cold-extruded whey protein (TWPI) molecules were investigated. The locations of disulfide bonds in whey protein isolate (WPI), WPI dried without being extruded (OWPI) and cold-extruded WPI (TWPI), Cysteine (Cys)-treated WPI (WPI-Cys), OWPI (OWPI-Cys) and TWPI (TWPI-Cys) were precisely analyzed using liquid chromatography electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry (LC/MS/MS) combined with pLink software approaches.

The numbers of intermolecular disulfide cross-linked peptides identified in Cys-treated samples increased by 4, 6 and 1, respectively, in the order of TWPI-Cys, OWPI-Cys and WPI-Cys. Fourier Transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) showed cysteine treatment loosed secondary structure of protein samples. Meanwhile, size exclusion chromatography (SEC) assay demonstrated the extensive polymerization in TWPI-Cys. Furthermore, Cys-treatment decreased the gelling temperature of TWPI to 57 degrees;C sharply. Cys-treated TWPI has 19.11 times storage modulus (G') and 25.86 times loss modulus (G") of Cys-untreated TWPI at 85 degrees C. Additionally, cell viability with Cys addition indicate modified whey proteins are not toxic to human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs).

[more...]

Use: pLink

MS Annika: A New Cross-Linking Search Engine

Journal of Proteome Research. 2021. Pirklbauer, GJ et al. Univ Appl Sci Upper Austria, Bioinformat Res Grp, A-4232 Hagenberg, Austria.

ABSTRACT: Cross-linking mass spectrometry (XL-MS) has become a powerful technique that enables insights into protein structures and protein interactions. The development of cleavable cross-linkers has further promoted XL-MS through search space reduction, thereby allowing for proteome-wide studies. These new analysis possibilities foster the development of new cross-linkers, which not every search engine can deal with out of the box. In addition, some search engines for XL-MS data also struggle with the validation of identified cross-linked peptides, that is, false discovery rate (FDR) estimation, as FDR calculation is hampered by the fact that not only one but two peptides in a single spectrum have to be correct.

We here present our new search engine, MS Annika, which can identify cross-linked peptides in MS2 spectra from a wide variety of cleavable cross-linkers. We show that MS Annika provides realistic estimates of FDRs without the need of arbitrary score cutoffs, being able to provide on average 44% more identifications at a similar or better true FDR than comparable tools. In addition, MS Annika can be used on proteome-wide studies due to fast, parallelized processing and provides a way to visualize the identified cross-links in protein 3D structures.

[more...]

Use: pLink

Structure of cyanobacterial phycobilisome core revealed by structural modeling and chemical cross-linking

Science Advances. 2021. Liu, HJ et al. Washington Univ, Dept Chem, St Louis, MO 63130 USA.

ABSTRACT: In cyanobacteria and red algae, the structural basis dictating efficient excitation energy transfer from the phycobilisome (PBS) antenna complex to the reaction centers remains unclear. The PBS has several peripheral rods and a central core that binds to the thylakoid membrane, allowing energy coupling with photosystem II (PSII) and PSI. Here, we have combined chemical cross-linking mass spectrometry with homology modeling to propose a tricylindrical cyanobacterial PBS core structure. Our model reveals a side-view crossover configuration of the two basal cylinders, consolidating the essential roles of the anchoring domains composed of the ApcE PB loop and ApcD, which facilitate the energy transfer to PSII and PSI, respectively.

The uneven bottom surface of the PBS core contrasts with the flat reducing side of PSII. The extra space between two basal cylinders and PSII provides increased accessibility for regulatory elements, e.g., orange carotenoid protein, which are required for modulating photochemical activity.

[more...]

Use: pLink

Clostridium perfringens suppressing activity in black soldier fly protein preparations

LWT - Food Science and Technology. 2021. Dong, LY et al. Wageningen Res, Food & Biobased Res, Bornse Weilanden 9, NL-6708 WG Wageningen, Netherlands.

ABSTRACT: Clostridium perfringens is a commensal, but also an opportunistic pathogen that can lead to lethal diseases as a result of overgrowth when homeostasis is disrupted. The current course of treatment is antibiotics. However, with increasing antibiotic resistance alternatives are required. We investigated the antimicrobial capacity of digest from different black soldier fly- and mealworm-derived fractions towards C. perfringens by using in vitro models. Culturing C. perfringens with digest of insect-derived fractions showed that fractions containing black soldier fly larvae protein significantly (p < 0.05) inhibited the growth of C.

perfringens. In relation to this effect, many small ( <5 amino acids) anti-microbial peptides were identified. The impact on healthy microbiota was also investigated through 16S rRNA sequencing and SCFA secretion following exposure of healthy faecal-derived microbiota to digests. This revealed a small but significant (p < 0.05) reduction in abundance and diversity of microbiota, mainly a result of a strong reduction in Firmicutes (e.g. Enterobacter) and increased abundance of Proteobacteria (e.g. Klebsiella). These changes coincided with increased levels of acetic, propionic, and butyric acid secretion. The combined impact of black soldier fly larvae protein on these in vitro assays suggest it can be a promising additional tool to combat C. perfringens infection.

[more...]

Use: pNovo

Peptide presentations of marsupial MHC class I visualize immune features of lower mammals paralleled with bats

JOURNAL OF IMMUNOLOGY. 2021. Wang, PY et al. Wenzhou Med Univ, Sch Lab Med & Life Sci, Wenzhou, Peoples R China; Zhejiang Univ, Affiliated Hosp 1, Sch Med, State Key Lab Diag & Treatment Infect Dis, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, Peoples R China; Chinese Ctr Dis Control & Prevent, Natl Inst Viral Dis Control & Prevent, 155 Changbai Rd, Beijing 100101, Peoples R China

ABSTRACT: Marsupials are one of three major mammalian lineages that include the placental eutherians and the egg-laying monotremes. The marsupial brushtail possum is an important protected species in the Australian forest ecosystem. Molecules encoded by the MHC genes are essential mediators of adaptive immune responses in virus -host interactions. Yet, nothing is known about the peptide presentation features of any marsupial MHC class I (MHC I). This study identified a series of possum MHC I Trvu-UB*01:01 binding peptides derived from wobbly possum disease virus (WPDV), a lethal virus of both captive and feral possum populations, and unveiled the structure of marsupial peptide/MHC I complex.

Notably, we found the two brushtail possum -specific insertions, the 3-aa Ile(52)Glu(53)Arg(54) and 1-aa Arg(154) insertions are located in the Trvu-UB*01:01 peptide binding groove (PBG). The 3-aa insertion plays a pivotal role in maintaining the stability of the N terminus of Trvu-UB*01:01 PBG. This aspect of marsupial PBG is unexpectedly similar to the bat MHC I Ptal-N*01:01 and is shared with lower vertebrates from elasmobranch to monotreme, indicating an evolution hotspot that may have emerged from the pathogen -host interactions. Residue Arg(154) insertion, located in the a2 helix, is available for TCR recognition, and it has a particular influence on promoting the anchoring of peptide WPDV-12. These findings add significantly to our understanding of adaptive immunity in marsupials and its evolution in vertebrates. Our findings have the potential to impact the conservation of the protected species brushtail possum and other marsupial species.

[more...]

Use: pNovo

Improved Identification of Small Open Reading Frames Encoded Peptides by Top-Down Proteomic Approaches and De Novo Sequencing

International journal of molecular sciences. 2021. Wang, B et al. Cent China Normal Univ, Sch Life Sci, Hubei Key Lab Genet Regulat & Integrat Biol, 152 Luoyu Rd, Wuhan 430079, Peoples R China.

ABSTRACT: Small open reading frames (sORFs) have translational potential to produce peptides that play essential roles in various biological processes. Nevertheless, many sORF-encoded peptides (SEPs) are still on the prediction level. Here, we construct a strategy to analyze SEPs by combining top-down and de novo sequencing to improve SEP identification and sequence coverage. With de novo sequencing, we identified 1682 peptides mapping to 2544 human sORFs, which were all first characterized in this work. Two-thirds of these new sORFs have reading frame shifts and use a non-ATG start codon.

The top-down approach identified 241 human SEPs, with high sequence coverage. The average length of the peptides from the bottom-up database search was 19 amino acids (AA); from de novo sequencing, it was 9 AA; and from the top-down approach, it was 25 AA. The longer peptide positively boosts the sequence coverage, more efficiently distinguishing SEPs from the known gene coding sequence. Top-down has the advantage of identifying peptides with sequential K/R or high K/R content, which is unfavorable in the bottom-up approach. Our method can explore new coding sORFs and obtain highly accurate sequences of their SEPs, which can also benefit future function research.

[more...]

Use: pNovo

Mapping Microproteins and ncRNA-Encoded Polypeptides in Different Mouse Tissues

Frontiers in cell and developmental biology. 2021. Pan, N et al. Cent China Normal Univ, Sch Life Sci, Hubei Key Lab Genet Regulat & Integrat Biol, Wuhan, Peoples R China.

ABSTRACT: Small open reading frame encoded peptides (SEPs), also called microproteins, play a vital role in biological processes. Plenty of their open reading frames are located within the non-coding RNA (ncRNA) range. Recent research has demonstrated that ncRNA-encoded polypeptides have essential functions and exist ubiquitously in various tissues. To better understand the role of microproteins, especially ncRNA-encoded proteins, expressed in different tissues, we profiled the proteomic characterization of five mouse tissues by mass spectrometry, including bottom-up, top-down, and de novo sequencing strategies.

Bottom-up and top-down with database-dependent searches identified 811 microproteins in the OpenProt database. De novo sequencing identified 290 microproteins, including 12 ncRNA-encoded microproteins that were not found in current databases. In this study, we discovered 1,074 microproteins in total, including 270 ncRNA-encoded microproteins. From the annotation of these microproteins, we found that the brain contains the largest number of neuropeptides, while the spleen contains the most immunoassociated microproteins. This suggests that microproteins in different tissues have tissue-specific functions. These unannotated ncRNA-coded microproteins have predicted domains, such as the macrophage migration inhibitory factor domain and the Prefoldin domain. These results expand the mouse proteome and provide insight into the molecular biology of mouse tissues.

[more...]

Use: pNovo

Peptide Presentations of Marsupial MHC Class I Visualize Immune Features of Lower Mammals Paralleled with Bats

JOURNAL OF IMMUNOLOGY. 2021. Wang, PY et al. Wenzhou Med Univ, Sch Lab Med & Life Sci, Wenzhou, Peoples R China; Zhejiang Univ, Affiliated Hosp 1, Sch Med, State Key Lab Diag & Treatment Infect Dis, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, Peoples R China; Chinese Ctr Dis Control & Prevent, Natl Inst Viral Dis Control & Prevent, 155 Changbai Rd, Beijing 100101, Peoples R China

ABSTRACT: Marsupials are one of three major mammalian lineages that include the placental eutherians and the egg-laying monotremes. The marsupial brushtail possum is an important protected species in the Australian forest ecosystem. Molecules encoded by the MHC genes are essential mediators of adaptive immune responses in virus -host interactions. Yet, nothing is known about the peptide presentation features of any marsupial MHC class I (MHC I). This study identified a series of possum MHC I Trvu-UB*01:01 binding peptides derived from wobbly possum disease virus (WPDV), a lethal virus of both captive and feral possum populations, and unveiled the structure of marsupial peptide/MHC I complex.

Notably, we found the two brushtail possum -specific insertions, the 3-aa Ile(52)Glu(53)Arg(54) and 1-aa Arg(154) insertions are located in the Trvu-UB*01:01 peptide binding groove (PBG). The 3-aa insertion plays a pivotal role in maintaining the stability of the N terminus of Trvu-UB*01:01 PBG. This aspect of marsupial PBG is unexpectedly similar to the bat MHC I Ptal-N*01:01 and is shared with lower vertebrates from elasmobranch to monotreme, indicating an evolution hotspot that may have emerged from the pathogen -host interactions. Residue Arg(154) insertion, located in the a2 helix, is available for TCR recognition, and it has a particular influence on promoting the anchoring of peptide WPDV-12. These findings add significantly to our understanding of adaptive immunity in marsupials and its evolution in vertebrates. Our findings have the potential to impact the conservation of the protected species brushtail possum and other marsupial species.

[more...]

Use: pNovo

Computationally instrument-resolution-independent de novo peptide sequencing for high-resolution devices

Nature Machine Intelligence. 2021. Qiao, R et al. Univ Waterloo, Dept Stat & Actuarial Sci, Waterloo, ON, Canada.

ABSTRACT: De novo peptide sequencing is the key technology for finding novel peptides from mass spectra. The overall quality of sequencing results depends on the de novo peptide sequencing algorithm as well as the quality of mass spectra. Over the past decade, the resolution and accuracy of mass spectrometers have improved by orders of magnitude and higher-resolution mass spectra have been generated. How to effectively take advantage of those high-resolution data without substantially increasing the computational complexity remains a challenge for de novo peptide sequencing tools.

Here we present PointNovo, a neural network-based de novo peptide sequencing model that can robustly handle any resolution levels of mass spectrometry data while keeping the computational complexity unchanged. Our extensive experiment results show PointNovo outperforms existing de novo peptide sequencing tools by capitalizing on the ultra-high resolution of the latest mass spectrometers. Increased resolution of mass spectroscopy can provide better data for sequencing, but also increases the computational complexity of analysing the data. Qiao and colleagues present here a neural network-based method that processes sequencing data of any resolution while improving the accuracy of predicted sequences.

[more...]

Use: pNovo

Reaction Tracking and High-Throughput Screening of Active Compounds in Combinatorial Chemistry by Tandem Mass Spectrometry Molecular Networking

Analytical chemistry. 2021. Chung, HH et al. Natl Taiwan Univ, Dept Chem, Taipei 10617, Taiwan.

ABSTRACT: Combinatorial synthesis has been widely used as an efficient strategy to screen for active compounds. Mass spectrometry is the method of choice in the identification of hits resulting from high-throughput screenings due to its high sensitivity, specificity, and speed. However, manual data processing of mass spectrometry data, especially for structurally diverse products in combinatorial chemistry, is extremely time-consuming and one of the bottlenecks in this process. In this study, we demonstrated the effectiveness of a tandem mass spectrometry molecular networking-based strategy for product identification, reaction dynamics monitoring, and active compound targeting in combinatorial synthesis.

Molecular networking connects compounds with similar tandem mass spectra into a cluster and has been widely used in natural products analysis. We show that both the expected and side products can be readily characterized using molecular networking based on their mass spectrometry fragmentation patterns. Additionally, time-dependent molecular networking was integrated to track reaction dynamics to determine the optimal reaction time to maximize target product yields. We also present a proof-of-concept experiment that successfully identified and isolated active molecules from a dynamic combinatorial library. These results demonstrated the potential of using molecular networking for identifying, tracking, and high-throughput screening of active compounds in combinatorial synthesis.

[more...]

Use: pNovo

StrucGP: de novo structural sequencing of site-specific N-glycan on glycoproteins using a modularization strategy

Nature Methods. 2021. Shen, JC et al. Northwest Univ, Coll Life Sci, Xian, Peoples R China.

ABSTRACT: Precision mapping of glycans at structural and site-specific level is still one of the most challenging tasks in the glycobiology field. Here, we describe a modularization strategy for de novo interpretation of N-glycan structures on intact glycopeptides using tandem mass spectrometry. An algorithm named StrucGP is also developed to automate the interpretation process for large-scale analysis. By dividing an N-glycan into three modules and identifying each module using distinct patterns of Y ions or a combination of distinguishable B/Y ions, the method enables determination of detailed glycan structures on thousands of glycosites in mouse brain, which comprise four types of core structure and 17 branch structures with three glycan subtypes.

Owing to the database-independent glycan mapping strategy, StrucGP also facilitates the identification of rare/new glycan structures. The approach will be greatly beneficial for in-depth structural and functional study of glycoproteins in the biomedical research. StrucGP offers a de novo glycan mapping method to determine detailed N-glycan structures at the site-specific level.

[more...]

Use: pGlyco

In-depth site-specific analysis of N-glycoproteome in human cerebrospinal fluid and glycosylation landscape changes in Alzheimer's disease

Molecular & Cellular Proteomics. 2021. Chen, ZW et al. Univ Wisconsin, Dept Chem, 1101 Univ Ave, Madison, WI 53706 USA.

ABSTRACT: As the body fluid that directly interchanges with the extracellular fluid of the central nervous system (CNS), cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) serves as a rich source for CNS-related disease biomarker discovery. Extensive proteome profiling has been conducted for CSF, but studies aimed at unraveling site-specific CSF N-glycoproteome are lacking. Initial efforts into site-specific N-glycoproteomics study in CSF yield limited coverage, hindering further experimental design of glycosylation-based disease biomarker discovery in CSF.

In the present study, we have developed an N-glycoproteomic approach that combines enhanced N-glycopeptide sequential enrichment by hydrophilic interaction chromatography (HILIC) and boronic acid enrichment with electron transfer and higher-energy collision dissociation (EThcD) for large-scale intact N-glycopeptide analysis. The application of the developed approach to the analyses of human CSF samples enabled identifications of a total of 2893 intact N-glycopeptides from 511 N-glycosites and 285 N-glycoproteins. To our knowledge, this is the largest site-specific N-glycoproteome dataset reported for CSF to date. Such dataset provides molecular basis for a better understanding of the structure-function relationships of glycoproteins and their roles in CNS-related physiological and pathological processes. As accumulating evidence suggests that defects in glycosylation are involved in Alzheimer's disease (AD) pathogenesis, in the present study, a comparative indepth N-glycoproteomic analysis was conducted for CSF samples from healthy control and AD patients, which yielded a comparable N-glycoproteome coverage but a distinct expression pattern for different categories of glycoforms, such as decreased fucosylation in AD CSF samples. Altered glycosylation patterns were detected for a number of N-glycoproteins including alpha-1-antichymotrypsin, ephrin-A3 and carnosinase CN1 etc., which serve as potentially interesting targets for further glycosylation-based AD study and may eventually lead to molecular elucidation of the role of glycosylation in AD progression.

[more...]

Use: pGlyco

Identification of 22 N-glycosites on spike glycoprotein of SARS-CoV-2 and accessible surface glycopeptide motifs: Implications for vaccination and antibody therapeutics

Glycobiology. 2021. Zhou, DP et al. Tongji Univ, Sch Med, 1239 Siping Rd, Shanghai 200092, Peoples R China.

ABSTRACT: Coronaviruses hijack human enzymes to assemble the sugar coat on their spike glycoproteins. The mechanisms by which human antibodies may recognize the antigenic viral peptide epitopes hidden by the sugar coat are unknown. Glycosylation by insect cells differs from the native form produced in human cells, but insect cell-derived influenza vaccines have been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration. In this study, we analyzed recombinant severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) spike protein secreted from BTI-Tn-5B1-4 insect cells, by trypsin and chymotrypsin digestion followed by mass spectrometry analysis.

We acquired tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS) spectrums for glycopeptides of all 22 predicted N-glycosylated sites. We further analyzed the surface accessibility of spike proteins according to cryogenic electron microscopy and homolog-modeled structures and available antibodies that bind to SARS-CoV-1. All 22 N-glycosylated sites of SARS-CoV-2 are modified by high-mannose N-glycans. MS/MS fragmentation clearly established the glycopeptide identities. Electron densities of glycans cover most of the spike receptor-binding domain of SARS-CoV-2, except YQAGSTPCNGVEGFNCYFPLQSYGFQPTNGVGYQ, similar to a region FSPDGKPCTPPALNCYWPLNDYGFYTTTGIGYQ in SARS-CoV-1. Other surfaceexposed domains include those located on central helix, connecting region, heptad repeats and N-terminal domain. Because the majority of antibody paratopes bind to the peptide portion with or without sugar modification, we propose a snake-catching model for predicted paratopes: a minimal length of peptide is first clamped by a paratope and sugar modifications close to the peptide either strengthen or do not hinder the binding.

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Use: pGlyco

Fecal multi-omics analysis reveals diverse molecular alterations of gut ecosystem in COVID-19 patients

ANALYTICA CHIMICA ACTA. 2021. He, FX et al. Sun Yat Sen Univ, Guangdong Prov Key Lab Biomed Imaging, Affiliated Hosp 5, Zhuhai 519000, Peoples R China.

ABSTRACT: Gut ecosystem has profound effects on host physiology and health. Gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms were frequently observed in patients with COVID-19. Compared with other organs, gut antiviral response can result in more complicated immune responses because of the interactions between the gut microbiota and host immunity. However, there are still large knowledge gaps in the impact of COVID-19 on gut molecular profiles and commensal microbiome, hindering our comprehensive understanding of the pathogenesis of SARS-CoV-2 and the treatment of COVID-19.

We performed longitudinal stool multiomics profiling to systemically investigate the molecular phenomics alterations of gut ecosystem in COVID-19. Gut proteomes of COVID-19 were characterized by disturbed immune, proteolysis and redox homeostasis. The expression and glycosylation of proteins involved in neutrophil degranulation and migration were suppressed, while those of proteases were upregulated. The variable domains of Ig heavy chains were downregulated and the overall glycosylation of IgA heavy chain constant regions, IgGFcbinding protein, and J chain were suppressed with glycan-specific variations. There was a reduction of beneficial gut bacteria and an enrichment of bacteria derived deleterious metabolites potentially associated with multiple types of diseases (such as ethyl glucuronide). The reduction of Ig heave chain variable domains may contribute to the increase of some Bacteroidetes species. Many bacteria ceramide lipids with a C17-sphingoid based were downregulated in COVID-19. In many cases, the gut phenome did not restore two months after symptom onset. Our study indicates widely disturbed gut molecular profiles which may play a role in the development of symptoms in COVID-19. Our findings also emphasis the need for ongoing investigation of the long-term gut molecular and microbial alterations during COVID-19 recovery process. Considering the gut ecosystem as a potential target could offer a valuable approach in managing the disease. (c) 2021 Published by Elsevier B.V.

[more...]

Use: pGlyco

Sorbitol is a severity biomarker for PMM2-CDG with therapeutic implications

Annals of Neurology. 2021. Ligezka, AN et al. Mayo Clin, Dept Clin Genom, 200 First St SW, Rochester, MN 55905 USA.

ABSTRACT: Objective Epalrestat, an aldose reductase inhibitor increases phosphomannomutase (PMM) enzyme activity in a PMM2-congenital disorders of glycosylation (CDG) worm model. Epalrestat also decreases sorbitol level in diabetic neuropathy. We evaluated the genetic, biochemical, and clinical characteristics, including the Nijmegen Progression CDG Rating Scale (NPCRS), urine polyol levels and fibroblast glycoproteomics in patients with PMM2-CDG. Methods We performed PMM enzyme measurements, multiplexed proteomics, and glycoproteomics in PMM2-deficient fibroblasts before and after epalrestat treatment.

Safety and efficacy of 0.8 mg/kg/day oral epalrestat were studied in a child with PMM2-CDG for 12 months. Results PMM enzyme activity increased post-epalrestat treatment. Compared with controls, 24% of glycopeptides had reduced abundance in PMM2-deficient fibroblasts, 46% of which improved upon treatment. Total protein N-glycosylation improved upon epalrestat treatment bringing overall glycosylation toward the control fibroblasts' glycosylation profile. Sorbitol levels were increased in the urine of 74% of patients with PMM2-CDG and correlated with the presence of peripheral neuropathy, and CDG severity rating scale. In the child with PMM2-CDG on epalrestat treatment, ataxia scores improved together with significant growth improvement. Urinary sorbitol levels nearly normalized in 3 months and blood transferrin glycosylation normalized in 6 months. Interpretation Epalrestat improved PMM enzyme activity, N-glycosylation, and glycosylation biomarkers in vitro. Leveraging cellular glycoproteome assessment, we provided a systems-level view of treatment efficacy and discovered potential novel biosignatures of therapy response. Epalrestat was well-tolerated and led to significant clinical improvements in the first pediatric patient with PMM2-CDG treated with epalrestat. We also propose urinary sorbitol as a novel biomarker for disease severity and treatment response in future clinical trials in PMM2-CDG. ANN NEUROL 2021

[more...]

Use: pGlyco

Glycoproteomics analysis reveals differential expression of site-specific glycosylation in human milk whey during lactation

JOURNAL OF AGRICULTURAL AND FOOD CHEMISTRY. 2021. Wang, ZY et al. Chinese Acad Sci, Dalian Inst Chem Phys, CAS Key Lab Separat Sci Analyt Chem, Dalian 116023, Peoples R China.

ABSTRACT: Protein N-glycosylation in human milk whey plays a substantial role in infant health during postnatal development. Changes in site-specific glycans in milk whey reflect the needs of infants under different circumstances. However, the conventional glycoproteomics analysis of milk whey cannot reveal the changes in site-specific glycans because the attached glycans are typically enzymatically removed from the glycoproteins prior to analysis. In this study, N-glycoproteomics analysis of milk whey was performed without removing the attached glycans, and 330 and 327 intact glycopeptides were identified in colostrum and mature milk whey, respectively.

Label-free quantification of site-specific glycans was achieved by analyzing the identified intact glycopeptides, which revealed 9 significantly upregulated site-specific glycans on 6 glycosites and 11 significantly downregulated sitespecific glycans on 8 glycosites. Some interesting change trends in N-glycans attached to specific glycosites in human milk whey were observed. Bisecting GlcNAc was found attached to 11 glycosites on 8 glycoproteins in colostrum and mature milk. The dynamic changes in site-specific glycans revealed in this study provide insights into the role of protein N-glycosylation during infant development.

[more...]

Use: pQuant; pGlyco

Automated intact glycopeptide enrichment method facilitating highly reproducible analysis of serum site-specific N-glycoproteome

Analytical Chemistry. 2021. Liu, LY et al. Chinese Acad Sci, Dalian Inst Chem Phys, CAS Key Lab Separat Sci Analyt Chem, Dalian 116023, Peoples R China.

ABSTRACT: Bottom-up proteomics has been increasingly applied in clinical research to study the disease pathophysiology and to discover disease biomarkers. However, glycoproteomic analysis always requires tedious experimental steps for intact glycopeptide enrichment, which has been the technique bottleneck for large-scale analysis of clinical samples. Herein, we developed an automated glycopeptide enrichment method for the analysis of serum site-specific N-glycoproteome. This automated method allowed for processing one sample within 20 min.

It showed higher enrichment specificity, more intact glycopeptide identifications, and better quantitative reproducibility than the traditional manual method using microtip enrichment devices. We further applied this method to investigate the serum site-specific N-glycosylation changes between four patients with pancreatic cancer and seven healthy controls. The principal component analysis of intact N-glycopeptides showed good clustering across cancer and normal groups. Furthermore, we found that the site-specific glycoforms, monofucosylated and nonsialylated oligosaccharides, on IgG1 site 180 expressed a significant decrease in pancreatic cancer patients compared to healthy controls. Together, the automated method is a powerful tool for site-specific N-glycoproteomic analysis of complex biological samples, and it has great potential for clinical utilities.

[more...]

Use: pGlyco

Evaluation and Optimization of High-Field Asymmetric Waveform Ion-Mobility Spectrometry for Multiplexed Quantitative Site-Specific N-Glycoproteomics

Analytical Chemistry. 2021. Fang, P et al. Max Planck Inst Biophys Chem, Bioanalyt Mass Spectrometry Grp, D-37077 Gottingen, Germany.

ABSTRACT: The heterogeneity and complexity of glycosylation hinder the depth of site-specific glycoproteomics analysis. High-field asymmetric-waveform ion-mobility spectrometry (FAIMS) has been shown to improve the scope of bottom-up proteomics. The benefits of FAIMS for quantitative N-glycoproteomics have not been investigated yet. In this work, we optimized FAIMS settings for N-glycopeptide identification, with or without the tandem mass tag (TMT) label. The optimized FAIMS approach significantly increased the identification of site-specific N-glycopeptides derived from the purified immunoglobulin M (IgM) protein or human lymphoma cells.

We explored in detail the changes in FAIMS mobility caused by N-glycopeptides with different characteristics, including TMT labeling, charge state, glycan type, peptide sequence, glycan size, and precursor m/z. Importantly, FAIMS also improved multiplexed N-glycopeptide quantification, both with the standard MS2 acquisition method and with our recently developed Glyco-SPS-MS3 method. The combination of FAIMS and Glyco-SPS-MS3 methods provided the highest quantitative accuracy and precision. Our results demonstrate the advantages of FAIMS for improved mass spectrometry-based qualitative and quantitative N-glycoproteomics.

[more...]

Use: pGlyco; pQuant

The need for community standards to enable accurate comparison of glycoproteomics algorithm performance

molecules. 2021. Hackett, WE et al. Boston Univ, Bioinformat Program, Boston, MA 02215 USA.

ABSTRACT: Protein glycosylation that mediates interactions among viral proteins, host receptors, and immune molecules is an important consideration for predicting viral antigenicity. Viral spike proteins, the proteins responsible for host cell invasion, are especially important to be examined. However, there is a lack of consensus within the field of glycoproteomics regarding identification strategy and false discovery rate (FDR) calculation that impedes our examinations. As a case study in the overlap between software, here as a case study, we examine recently published SARS-CoV-2 glycoprotein datasets with four glycoproteomics identification software with their recommended protocols: GlycReSoft, Byonic, pGlyco2, and MSFragger-Glyco.

These software use different Target-Decoy Analysis (TDA) forms to estimate FDR and have different database-oriented search methods with varying degrees of quantification capabilities. Instead of an ideal overlap between software, we observed different sets of identifications with the intersection. When clustering by glycopeptide identifications, we see higher degrees of relatedness within software than within glycosites. Taking the consensus between results yields a conservative and non-informative conclusion as we lose identifications in the desire for caution; these non-consensus identifications are often lower abundance and, therefore, more susceptible to nuanced changes. We conclude that present glycoproteomics softwares are not directly comparable, and that methods are needed to assess their overall results and FDR estimation performance. Once such tools are developed, it will be possible to improve FDR methods and quantify complex glycoproteomes with acceptable confidence, rather than potentially misleading broad strokes.

[more...]

Use: pGlyco

Extensive heterogeneity of glycopeptides in plasma revealed by deep glycoproteomic analysis using size-exclusion chromatography

Molecular Omics. 2021. Saraswat, M et al. Mayo Clin, Dept Lab Med & Pathol, Rochester, MN 55905 USA.

ABSTRACT: Several plasma glycoproteins are clinically useful as biomarkers in a variety of diseases. Although thousands of proteins are present in plasma, >95% of the plasma proteome by mass is represented by only 22 proteins. This necessitates strategies to deplete the abundant proteins and enrich other subsets of proteins. Although glycoproteins are abundant in plasma, in routine proteomic analyses, glycopeptides are not often investigated. Traditional methods such as lectin-based enrichment of glycopeptides followed by deglycosylation have helped understand the glycoproteome, but they lack any information about the attached glycans.

Here, we apply size-exclusion chromatography (SEC) as a simple strategy to enrich intact N-glycopeptides based on their larger size which achieves broad selectivity regardless of the nature of attached glycans. Using this approach, we identified 1317 N-glycopeptides derived from 266 glycosylation sites on 154 plasma glycoproteins. The deep coverage achieved by this approach was evidenced by extensive heterogeneity that was observed. For instance, 20-100 glycopeptides were observed per protein for the 15 most-glycosylated glycoproteins. Notably, we discovered 615 novel glycopeptides of which 39 glycosylation sites (from 38 glycoproteins) were not included in protein databases such as Uniprot and GlyConnectDB. Finally, we also identified 12 novel glycopeptides containing di-sialic acid, which is a rare glycan epitope. Our results demonstrate the utility of SEC for efficient LC-MS/MS-based deep glycoproteomics analysis of human plasma. Overall, the SEC-based method described here is a simple, rapid and high-throughput strategy for characterization of any glycoproteome.

[more...]

Use: pGlyco

Mass spectrometry analysis of SARS-CoV-2 nucleocapsid protein reveals camouflaging glycans and unique post-translational modifications

Infectious Microbes & Diseases. 2021. Sun, ZY et al. State Key Laboratory for the Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases, The First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, No.79 Qingchun Road, Shangcheng District, Hangzhou 310003, China

ABSTRACT: The devastating coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has prompted worldwide efforts to study structural biological traits of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and its viral components. Compared to the Spike protein, which is the primary target for currently available vaccines or antibodies, knowledge about other virion structural components is incomplete. Using high-resolution mass spectrometry, we report a comprehensive post-translational modification (PTM) analysis of nucleocapsid phosphoprotein (NCP), the most abundant structural component of the SARS-CoV-2 virion.

In addition to phosphoryl groups, we show that the SARS-CoV-2 NCP is decorated with a variety of PTMs, including N-glycans and ubiquitin. Based on newly identified PTMs, refined protein structural models of SARS-CoV-2 NCP were proposed and potential immune recognition epitopes of NCP were aligned with PTMs. These data can facilitate the design of novel vaccines or therapeutics targeting NCP, as valuable alternatives to the current vaccination and treatment paradigm that is under threat of the ever-mutating SARS-CoV-2 Spike protein.

[more...]

Use: pGlyco

O-GlcNAcylation of MEK2 promotes the proliferation and migration of breast cancer cells

Glycobiology. 2021. Xu, YY et al. Fudan Univ, Shanghai Canc Ctr, Shanghai 200032, Peoples R China.

ABSTRACT: Mitogen-activated protein kinase kinases are an important part of evolutionary conserved signaling modules that are involved in a variety of cellular processes in response to environmental stimuli. Among them, mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase 2 (MEK2) is the most crucial upstream signaling pathway of ERK1/2 cascade as a therapeutic target for overcoming Ras-driven cancers. However, the mechanisms of MEK2 regulation during tumor progression remain not fully elucidated. Herein, we identified that MEK2 was post-translationally regulated by O-GlcNAcylation.

We found that MEK2 associated with OGT and was modified by O-GlcNAc. Mass spectrometry analysis further verified that O-GlcNAcylation of MEK2 occurred at Thr13, which was in the docking domain for specifically identifying its target proteins. While total O-GlcNAcylation stimulated the protein stability and phosphorylation of MEK2, Thr13 O-GlcNAcylation of MEK2 specifically enhanced its Thr394 phosphorylation as well as downstream ERK1/2 activation. Genetic ablation of MEK2 O-GlcNAcylation at Thr13 abrogated its ability to promote the proliferation and migration of breast cancer cells. Together, our data demonstrate that O-GlcNAcylation of MEK2 might be a key regulatory mechanism during tumorigenesis and is a potential therapeutic target for tumor treatment.

[more...]

Use: pGlyco

Enhancing open modification searches via a combined approach facilitated by ursgal

Journal of Proteome Research. 2021. Schulze, S et al. Univ Penn, Dept Biol, Philadelphia, PA 19104 USA.

ABSTRACT: The identification of peptide sequences and their posttranslational modifications (PTMs) is a crucial step in the analysis of bottom-up proteomics data. The recent development of open modification search (OMS) engines allows virtually all PTMs to be searched for. This not only increases the number of spectra that can be matched to peptides but also greatly advances the understanding of the biological roles of PTMs through the identification, and the thereby facilitated quantification, of peptidoforms (peptide sequences and their potential PTMs).

Whereas the benefits of combining results from multiple protein database search engines have been previously established, similar approaches for OMS results have been missing so far. Here we compare and combine results from three different OMS engines, demonstrating an increase in peptide spectrum matches of 8-18%. The unification of search results furthermore allows for the combined downstream processing of search results, including the mapping to potential PTMs. Finally, we test for the ability of OMS engines to identify glycosylated peptides. The implementation of these engines in the Python framework Ursgal facilitates the straightforward application of the OMS with unified parameters and results files, thereby enabling yet unmatched high-throughput, large-scale data analysis.

[more...]

Use: pGlyco

Identification of dysregulated complement activation pathways driven by N-glycosylation alterations in T2D patients

frontiers in Chemistry. 2021. Zhao, Y et al. Natl Inst Metrol, Ctr Adv Measurement Sci, Beijing, Peoples R China.

ABSTRACT: Diabetes has become a major public health concern worldwide, most of which are type 2 diabetes (T2D). The diagnosis of T2D is commonly based on plasma glucose levels, and there are no reliable clinical biomarkers available for early detection. Recent advances in proteome technologies offer new opportunity for the understanding of T2D; however, the underlying proteomic characteristics of T2D have not been thoroughly investigated yet. Here, using proteomic and glycoproteomic profiling, we provided a comprehensive landscape of molecular alterations in the fasting plasma of the 24 Chinese participants, including eight T2D patients, eight prediabetic (PDB) subjects, and eight healthy control (HC) individuals.

Our analyses identified a diverse set of potential biomarkers that might enhance the efficiency and accuracy based on current existing biological indicators of (pre)diabetes. Through integrative omics analysis, we showed the capability of glycoproteomics as a complement to proteomics or metabolomics, to provide additional insights into the pathogenesis of (pre)diabetes. We have newly identified systemic site-specific N-glycosylation alterations underlying T2D patients in the complement activation pathways, including decreased levels of N-glycopeptides from C1s, MASP1, and CFP proteins, and increased levels of N-glycopeptides from C2, C4, C4BPA, C4BPB, and CFH. These alterations were not observed at proteomic levels, suggesting new opportunities for the diagnosis and treatment of this disease. Our results demonstrate a great potential role of glycoproteomics in understanding (pre)diabetes and present a new direction for diabetes research which deserves more attention.

[more...]

Use: pGlyco

Quantification of intact O-Glycopeptides on haptoglobin in sera of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma and liver cirrhosis

frontiers in Chemistry. 2021. Shu, H et al. Fudan Univ, Zhongshan Hosp, Liver Canc Inst, Shanghai, Peoples R China.

ABSTRACT: Haptoglobin (Hp) is one of the acute-phase response proteins secreted by the liver, and its aberrant N-glycosylation was previously reported in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Limited studies on Hp O-glycosylation have been previously reported. In this study, we aimed to discover and confirm its O-glycosylation in HCC based on lectin binding and mass spectrometry (MS) detection. First, serum Hp was purified from patients with liver cirrhosis (LC) and HCC, respectively. Then, five lectins with Gal or GalNAc monosaccharide specificity were chosen to perform lectin blot, and the results showed that Hp in HCC bound to these lectins in a much stronger manner than that in LC.

Furthermore, label-free quantification based on MS was performed. A total of 26 intact O-glycopeptides were identified on Hp, and most of them were elevated in HCC as compared to LC. Among them, the intensity of HYEGS(316)TVPEK (H1N1S1) on Hp was the highest in HCC patients. Increased HYEGS(316)TVPEK (H1N1S1) in HCC was quantified and confirmed using the MS method based on O-18/O-16 C-terminal labeling and multiple reaction monitoring. This study provided a comprehensive understanding of the glycosylation of Hp in liver diseases.

[more...]

Use: pGlyco; pQuant

Precision N-glycoproteomic profiling of murine peritoneal macrophages after different stimulations

Frontiers in Immunology. 2021. Yang, LJ et al. Fudan Univ, Inst Biomed Sci, Shanghai, Peoples R China.

ABSTRACT: Macrophages are important immune cells that participate in both innate and adaptive immune responses, such as phagocytosis, recognition of molecular patterns, and activation of the immune response. In this study, murine peritoneal macrophages were isolated and then activated by LPS, HSV and VSV. Integrative proteomic and precision N-glycoproteomic profiling were conducted to assess the underlying macrophage activation. We identified a total of 587 glycoproteins, including 1239 glycopeptides, 526 monosaccharide components, and 8326 intact glycopeptides in glycoproteomics, as well as a total of 4496 proteins identified in proteomic analysis.

These glycoproteins are widely involved in important biological processes, such as antigen presentation, cytokine production and glycosylation progression. Under the stimulation of the different pathogens, glycoproteins showed a dramatic change. We found that receptors in the Toll-like receptor pathway, such as Tlr2 and CD14, were increased under LPS and HSV stimulation. Glycosylation of those proteins was proven to influence their subcellular locations.

[more...]

Use: pGlyco

Dissection of the Glycosylation in the Biosynthesis of the Heptadecaglycoside Antibiotic Saccharomicin A

JOURNAL OF ORGANIC CHEMISTRY. 2021. Zhao, JF et al. Fudan Univ, Dept Chem, Shanghai 200433, Peoples R China.

ABSTRACT: Oligosaccharide natural products have diverse biological activities and represent a potentially important source for drug development. In this study, we focus on the glycosylation pathway in the biosynthesis of saccharomicin A (SA-A), an oligosaccharide antibiotic containing 17 sugar moieties. By extensive gene-knockout studies with comparative metabolic profile analysis, we established a complete pathway in assembling the heptadecasaccharide chain of SA-A, the longest saccharide chain found in natural products.

Use: pGlyco

Effective enrichment strategy using boronic acid-functionalized mesoporous graphene--silica composites for intact N-and O-linked glycopeptide analysis in human serum

Analytical Chemistry. 2021. Kong, Siyuan et al. Fudan Univ, Dept Chem, Shanghai 200032, Peoples R China; Fudan Univ, NHC Key Lab Glycoconjugates Res, Shanghai 200032, Peoples R China; Fudan Univ, Peoples Hosp 5, Shanghai 200032, Peoples R China; Fudan Univ, Shanghai Key Lab Med Epigenet, Int Colab Med Epigenet & Metab, Minist Sci & Technol,Inst Biomed Sci, Shanghai 200032, Peoples R China

ABSTRACT: The heterogeneity and low abundance of protein glycosylation present challenging barriers to the analysis of intact glycopeptides, which is key to comprehensively understanding the role of glycosylation in an organism. Efficient and specific enrichment of intact glycopeptides could help greatly with this problem. Here, we propose a new enrichment strategy using a boronic acid (BA)-functionalized mesoporous graphene-silica composite (denoted as GO@mSiO(2)-GLYMO-APB) for isolating intact glycopeptides from complex biological samples.

The merits of this composite, including high surface area and synergistic effect from size exclusion functionality of mesoporous material, hydrophilic interaction of silica, and the reversible covalent binding with BA, enable the effective and specific enrichment of both intact N- and O-glycopeptides. The results from the enrichment performance of the strategy evaluated by standard glycoproteins and the application to global N- and O-glycosylation analyses in human serum indicate the robustness and potential of the strategy for intact glycopeptide analysis.

[more...]

Use: pGlyco

GproDIA enables data-independent acquisition glycoproteomics with comprehensive statistical control

Nature Communications. 2021. Yang, Y et al. Fudan Univ, Dept Chem, Shanghai 200000, Peoples R China.

ABSTRACT: Data independent acquisition (DIA) proteomics provides deep coverage and high quantitative accuracy, but is not yet well established in glycoproteomics. Here, the authors develop a DIA-based glycoproteomics workflow with stringent statistical controls to enable accurate glycopeptide identification. Large-scale profiling of intact glycopeptides is critical but challenging in glycoproteomics. Data independent acquisition (DIA) is an emerging technology with deep proteome coverage and accurate quantitative capability in proteomics studies, but is still in the early stage of development in the field of glycoproteomics.

We propose GproDIA, a framework for the proteome-wide characterization of intact glycopeptides from DIA data with comprehensive statistical control by a 2-dimentional false discovery rate approach and a glycoform inference algorithm, enabling accurate identification of intact glycopeptides using wide isolation windows. We further utilize a semi-empirical spectrum prediction strategy to expand the coverage of spectral libraries of glycopeptides. We benchmark our method for N-glycopeptide profiling on DIA data of yeast and human serum samples, demonstrating that DIA with GproDIA outperforms the data-dependent acquisition-based methods for glycoproteomics in terms of capacity and data completeness of identification, as well as accuracy and precision of quantification. We expect that this work can provide a powerful tool for glycoproteomic studies.

[more...]

Use: pGlyco

Precision N-Glycoproteomic Profiling of Murine Peritoneal Macrophages After Different Stimulations

Frontiers in Immunology. 2021. Yang, LJ et al. Fudan Univ, Inst Biomed Sci, Shanghai, Peoples R China.

ABSTRACT: Macrophages are important immune cells that participate in both innate and adaptive immune responses, such as phagocytosis, recognition of molecular patterns, and activation of the immune response. In this study, murine peritoneal macrophages were isolated and then activated by LPS, HSV and VSV. Integrative proteomic and precision N-glycoproteomic profiling were conducted to assess the underlying macrophage activation. We identified a total of 587 glycoproteins, including 1239 glycopeptides, 526 monosaccharide components, and 8326 intact glycopeptides in glycoproteomics, as well as a total of 4496 proteins identified in proteomic analysis.

These glycoproteins are widely involved in important biological processes, such as antigen presentation, cytokine production and glycosylation progression. Under the stimulation of the different pathogens, glycoproteins showed a dramatic change. We found that receptors in the Toll-like receptor pathway, such as Tlr2 and CD14, were increased under LPS and HSV stimulation. Glycosylation of those proteins was proven to influence their subcellular locations.

[more...]

Use: pGlyco

Mass Spectrometry Analysis of SARS-CoV-2 Nucleocapsid Protein Reveals Camouflaging Glycans and Unique Post-Translational Modifications

Infectious Microbes & Diseases. 2021. Sun, ZY et al. State Key Laboratory for the Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases, The First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, No.79 Qingchun Road, Shangcheng District, Hangzhou 310003, China

ABSTRACT: The devastating coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has prompted worldwide efforts to study structural biological traits of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and its viral components. Compared to the Spike protein, which is the primary target for currently available vaccines or antibodies, knowledge about other virion structural components is incomplete. Using high-resolution mass spectrometry, we report a comprehensive post-translational modification (PTM) analysis of nucleocapsid phosphoprotein (NCP), the most abundant structural component of the SARS-CoV-2 virion.

In addition to phosphoryl groups, we show that the SARS-CoV-2 NCP is decorated with a variety of PTMs, including N-glycans and ubiquitin. Based on newly identified PTMs, refined protein structural models of SARS-CoV-2 NCP were proposed and potential immune recognition epitopes of NCP were aligned with PTMs. These data can facilitate the design of novel vaccines or therapeutics targeting NCP, as valuable alternatives to the current vaccination and treatment paradigm that is under threat of the ever-mutating SARS-CoV-2 Spike protein.

[more...]

Use: pGlyco

In-depth Site-specific Analysis of N-glycoproteome in Human Cerebrospinal Fluid and Glycosylation Landscape Changes in Alzheimer's Disease

Molecular & Cellular Proteomics. 2021. Chen, ZW et al. Univ Wisconsin, Dept Chem, 1101 Univ Ave, Madison, WI 53706 USA.

ABSTRACT: As the body fluid that directly interchanges with the extracellular fluid of the central nervous system (CNS), cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) serves as a rich source for CNS-related disease biomarker discovery. Extensive proteome profiling has been conducted for CSF, but studies aimed at unraveling site-specific CSF N-glycoproteome are lacking. Initial efforts into site-specific N-glycoproteomics study in CSF yield limited coverage, hindering further experimental design of glycosylation-based disease biomarker discovery in CSF.

In the present study, we have developed an N-glycoproteomic approach that combines enhanced N-glycopeptide sequential enrichment by hydrophilic interaction chromatography (HILIC) and boronic acid enrichment with electron transfer and higher-energy collision dissociation (EThcD) for large-scale intact N-glycopeptide analysis. The application of the developed approach to the analyses of human CSF samples enabled identifications of a total of 2893 intact N-glycopeptides from 511 N-glycosites and 285 N-glycoproteins. To our knowledge, this is the largest site-specific N-glycoproteome dataset reported for CSF to date. Such dataset provides molecular basis for a better understanding of the structure-function relationships of glycoproteins and their roles in CNS-related physiological and pathological processes. As accumulating evidence suggests that defects in glycosylation are involved in Alzheimer's disease (AD) pathogenesis, in the present study, a comparative indepth N-glycoproteomic analysis was conducted for CSF samples from healthy control and AD patients, which yielded a comparable N-glycoproteome coverage but a distinct expression pattern for different categories of glycoforms, such as decreased fucosylation in AD CSF samples. Altered glycosylation patterns were detected for a number of N-glycoproteins including alpha-1-antichymotrypsin, ephrin-A3 and carnosinase CN1 etc., which serve as potentially interesting targets for further glycosylation-based AD study and may eventually lead to molecular elucidation of the role of glycosylation in AD progression.

[more...]

Use: pGlyco

Identification of Dysregulated Complement Activation Pathways Driven by N-Glycosylation Alterations in T2D Patients

frontiers in Chemistry. 2021. Zhao, Y et al. Natl Inst Metrol, Ctr Adv Measurement Sci, Beijing, Peoples R China.

ABSTRACT: Diabetes has become a major public health concern worldwide, most of which are type 2 diabetes (T2D). The diagnosis of T2D is commonly based on plasma glucose levels, and there are no reliable clinical biomarkers available for early detection. Recent advances in proteome technologies offer new opportunity for the understanding of T2D; however, the underlying proteomic characteristics of T2D have not been thoroughly investigated yet. Here, using proteomic and glycoproteomic profiling, we provided a comprehensive landscape of molecular alterations in the fasting plasma of the 24 Chinese participants, including eight T2D patients, eight prediabetic (PDB) subjects, and eight healthy control (HC) individuals.

Our analyses identified a diverse set of potential biomarkers that might enhance the efficiency and accuracy based on current existing biological indicators of (pre)diabetes. Through integrative omics analysis, we showed the capability of glycoproteomics as a complement to proteomics or metabolomics, to provide additional insights into the pathogenesis of (pre)diabetes. We have newly identified systemic site-specific N-glycosylation alterations underlying T2D patients in the complement activation pathways, including decreased levels of N-glycopeptides from C1s, MASP1, and CFP proteins, and increased levels of N-glycopeptides from C2, C4, C4BPA, C4BPB, and CFH. These alterations were not observed at proteomic levels, suggesting new opportunities for the diagnosis and treatment of this disease. Our results demonstrate a great potential role of glycoproteomics in understanding (pre)diabetes and present a new direction for diabetes research which deserves more attention.

[more...]

Use: pGlyco

Glycoproteomics Analysis Reveals Differential Expression of Site-Specific Glycosylation in Human Milk Whey during Lactation

JOURNAL OF AGRICULTURAL AND FOOD CHEMISTRY. 2021. Wang, ZY et al. Chinese Acad Sci, Dalian Inst Chem Phys, CAS Key Lab Separat Sci Analyt Chem, Dalian 116023, Peoples R China.

ABSTRACT: Protein N-glycosylation in human milk whey plays a substantial role in infant health during postnatal development. Changes in site-specific glycans in milk whey reflect the needs of infants under different circumstances. However, the conventional glycoproteomics analysis of milk whey cannot reveal the changes in site-specific glycans because the attached glycans are typically enzymatically removed from the glycoproteins prior to analysis. In this study, N-glycoproteomics analysis of milk whey was performed without removing the attached glycans, and 330 and 327 intact glycopeptides were identified in colostrum and mature milk whey, respectively.

Label-free quantification of site-specific glycans was achieved by analyzing the identified intact glycopeptides, which revealed 9 significantly upregulated site-specific glycans on 6 glycosites and 11 significantly downregulated sitespecific glycans on 8 glycosites. Some interesting change trends in N-glycans attached to specific glycosites in human milk whey were observed. Bisecting GlcNAc was found attached to 11 glycosites on 8 glycoproteins in colostrum and mature milk. The dynamic changes in site-specific glycans revealed in this study provide insights into the role of protein N-glycosylation during infant development.

[more...]

Use: pQuant; pGlyco

Analysis of Serum Paraoxonase 1 Using Mass Spectrometry and Lectin Immunoassay in Patients With Alpha-Fetoprotein Negative Hepatocellular Carcinoma

FRONTIERS IN ONCOLOGY. 2021. Cao, XY et al. Fudan Univ, Inst Biomed Sci, Shanghai, Peoples R China.

ABSTRACT: The diagnosis of AFP (alpha-fetoprotein)-negative HCC (hepatocellular carcinoma) mostly relies on imaging and pathological examinations, and it lacks valuable and practical markers. Protein N-glycosylation is a crucial post-translation modifying process related to many biological functions in an organism. Alteration of N-glycosylation correlates with inflammatory diseases and infectious diseases including hepatocellular carcinoma. Here, serum N-linked intact glycopeptides with molecular weight (MW) of 40-55 kDa were analyzed in a discovery set (n = 40) including AFP-negative HCC and liver cirrhosis (LC) patients using label-free quantification methodology.

Quantitative lens culinaris agglutin (LCA) ELISA was further used to confirm the difference of glycosylation on serum PON1 in liver diseases (n = 56). Then, the alteration of site-specific intact N-glycopeptides of PON1 was comprehensively assessed by using Immunoprecipitation (IP) and mass spectrometry based O-16/O-18 C-terminal labeling quantification method to distinguish AFP-negative HCC from LC patients in a validation set (n = 64). Totally 195 glycopeptides were identified using a dedicated search engine pGlyco. Among them, glycopeptides from APOH, HPT/HPTR, and PON1 were significantly changed in AFP-negative HCC as compared to LC. In addition, the reactivity of PON1 with LCA in HCC patients with negative AFP was significantly elevated than that in cirrhosis patients. The two glycopeptides HAN(253)WTLTPLK (H5N4S2) and (H5N4S1) corresponding to PON1 were significantly increased in AFP-negative HCC patients, as compared with LC patients. Variations in PON1 glycosylation may be associated with AFP-negative HCC and might be helpful to serve as potential glycomic-based biomarkers to distinguish AFP-negative HCC from cirrhosis.

[more...]

Use: pGlyco; pQuant

Automated Intact Glycopeptide Enrichment Method Facilitating Highly Reproducible Analysis of Serum Site-Specific N-Glycoproteome

Analytical Chemistry. 2021. Liu, LY et al. Chinese Acad Sci, Dalian Inst Chem Phys, CAS Key Lab Separat Sci Analyt Chem, Dalian 116023, Peoples R China.

ABSTRACT: Bottom-up proteomics has been increasingly applied in clinical research to study the disease pathophysiology and to discover disease biomarkers. However, glycoproteomic analysis always requires tedious experimental steps for intact glycopeptide enrichment, which has been the technique bottleneck for large-scale analysis of clinical samples. Herein, we developed an automated glycopeptide enrichment method for the analysis of serum site-specific N-glycoproteome. This automated method allowed for processing one sample within 20 min.

It showed higher enrichment specificity, more intact glycopeptide identifications, and better quantitative reproducibility than the traditional manual method using microtip enrichment devices. We further applied this method to investigate the serum site-specific N-glycosylation changes between four patients with pancreatic cancer and seven healthy controls. The principal component analysis of intact N-glycopeptides showed good clustering across cancer and normal groups. Furthermore, we found that the site-specific glycoforms, monofucosylated and nonsialylated oligosaccharides, on IgG1 site 180 expressed a significant decrease in pancreatic cancer patients compared to healthy controls. Together, the automated method is a powerful tool for site-specific N-glycoproteomic analysis of complex biological samples, and it has great potential for clinical utilities.

[more...]

Use: pGlyco

Effective Enrichment Strategy Using Boronic Acid-Functionalized Mesoporous Graphene--Silica Composites for Intact N-and O-Linked Glycopeptide Analysis in Human Serum

Analytical Chemistry. 2021. Kong, SY et al. Fudan Univ, Peoples Hosp 5, Shanghai 200032, Peoples R China.

ABSTRACT: The heterogeneity and low abundance of protein glycosylation present challenging barriers to the analysis of intact glycopeptides, which is key to comprehensively understanding the role of glycosylation in an organism. Efficient and specific enrichment of intact glycopeptides could help greatly with this problem. Here, we propose a new enrichment strategy using a boronic acid (BA)-functionalized mesoporous graphene-silica composite (denoted as GO@mSiO(2)-GLYMO-APB) for isolating intact glycopeptides from complex biological samples.

The merits of this composite, including high surface area and synergistic effect from size exclusion functionality of mesoporous material, hydrophilic interaction of silica, and the reversible covalent binding with BA, enable the effective and specific enrichment of both intact N- and O-glycopeptides. The results from the enrichment performance of the strategy evaluated by standard glycoproteins and the application to global N- and O-glycosylation analyses in human serum indicate the robustness and potential of the strategy for intact glycopeptide analysis.

[more...]

Use: pGlyco

Enhancing Open Modification Searches via a Combined Approach Facilitated by Ursgal

Journal of Proteome Research. 2021. Schulze, S et al. Univ Penn, Dept Biol, Philadelphia, PA 19104 USA.

ABSTRACT: The identification of peptide sequences and their posttranslational modifications (PTMs) is a crucial step in the analysis of bottom-up proteomics data. The recent development of open modification search (OMS) engines allows virtually all PTMs to be searched for. This not only increases the number of spectra that can be matched to peptides but also greatly advances the understanding of the biological roles of PTMs through the identification, and the thereby facilitated quantification, of peptidoforms (peptide sequences and their potential PTMs).

Whereas the benefits of combining results from multiple protein database search engines have been previously established, similar approaches for OMS results have been missing so far. Here we compare and combine results from three different OMS engines, demonstrating an increase in peptide spectrum matches of 8-18%. The unification of search results furthermore allows for the combined downstream processing of search results, including the mapping to potential PTMs. Finally, we test for the ability of OMS engines to identify glycosylated peptides. The implementation of these engines in the Python framework Ursgal facilitates the straightforward application of the OMS with unified parameters and results files, thereby enabling yet unmatched high-throughput, large-scale data analysis.

[more...]

Use: pGlyco

Multiregional profiling of the brain transmembrane proteome uncovers novel regulators of depression

Science Advances. 2021. Li, SS et al. ShanghaiTech Univ, iHuman Inst, Shanghai 201210, Peoples R China.

ABSTRACT: Transmembrane proteins play vital roles in mediating synaptic transmission, plasticity, and homeostasis in the brain. However, these proteins, especially the G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs), are underrepresented in most large-scale proteomic surveys. Here, we present a new proteomic approach aided by deep learning models for comprehensive profiling of transmembrane protein families in multiple mouse brain regions. Our multiregional proteome profiling highlights the considerable discrepancy between messenger RNA and protein distribution, especially for region-enriched GPCRs, and predicts an endogenous GPCR interaction network in the brain.

Furthermore, our new approach reveals the transmembrane proteome remodeling landscape in the brain of a mouse depression model, which led to the identification of two previously unknown GPCR regulators of depressive-like behaviors. Our study provides an enabling technology and rich data resource to expand the understanding of transmembrane proteome organization and dynamics in the brain and accelerate the discovery of potential therapeutic targets for depression treatment.

[more...]

Use: pDeep

DeepPhospho accelerates DIA phosphoproteome profiling through in silico library generation

Nature Communications. 2021. Lou, RH et al. ShanghaiTech Univ, iHuman Inst, Shanghai 201210, Peoples R China; ShanghaiTech Univ, Sch Life Sci & Technol, Shanghai 201210, Peoples R China; ShanghaiTech Univ, Sch Informat Sci & Technol, Shanghai 201210, Peoples R China; Shanghai Engn Res Ctr Intelligent Vis & Imaging, Shanghai 201210, Peoples R China

ABSTRACT: The coverage and throughput of data-independent acquisition (DIA)-based phosphoproteomics is limited by its dependence on experimental spectral libraries. Here the authors develop a DIA workflow based on in silico spectral libraries generated by a novel deep neural network to expand phosphoproteome coverage.Phosphoproteomics integrating data-independent acquisition (DIA) enables deep phosphoproteome profiling with improved quantification reproducibility and accuracy compared to data-dependent acquisition (DDA)-based phosphoproteomics.

DIA data mining heavily relies on a spectral library that in most cases is built on DDA analysis of the same sample. Construction of this project-specific DDA library impairs the analytical throughput, limits the proteome coverage, and increases the sample size for DIA phosphoproteomics. Herein we introduce a deep neural network, DeepPhospho, which conceptually differs from previous deep learning models to achieve accurate predictions of LC-MS/MS data for phosphopeptides. By leveraging in silico libraries generated by DeepPhospho, we establish a DIA workflow for phosphoproteome profiling which involves DIA data acquisition and data mining with DeepPhospho predicted libraries, thus circumventing the need of DDA library construction. Our DeepPhospho-empowered workflow substantially expands the phosphoproteome coverage while maintaining high quantification performance, which leads to the discovery of more signaling pathways and regulated kinases in an EGF signaling study than the DDA library-based approach. DeepPhospho is provided as a web server as well as an offline app to facilitate user access to model training, predictions and library generation.

[more...]

Use: pDeep

2020