Structural characterization of dioicin 1 from Phytolacca dioica L. gains novel insights into phylogenetic relationships of Phytolaccaceae type 1 RIPs.

Ribosome-inactivating proteins are plant cytotoxic enzymes, also present in fungi, algae and bacteria, mainly known for their ability to inhibit protein synthesis. We previously purified and structurally characterized three type 1 RIPs (PD-S1-3) from Phytolacca dioica seeds and four type 1 RIPs (PD-L1-4) from adult plant leaves. Two additional RIPs, named dioicin 1 and dioicin 2, were isolated from leaves of young plants and developing leaves of adult plants. The evidence that P. dioica synthesizes and accumulates these RIPs isoforms suggests that these proteins have been conserved during evolution. Though several aspects of P. dioica type 1 RIP characterization have been studied, some important questions remain to be answered especially with respect to Phytolaccaceae RIP evolution. One of the major problems encountered in approaching RIPs phylogeny concerns the availability of their sequences. In this study, we report the characterization of biological and structural properties of dioicin 1, including the determination of its primary structure by using a combined approach based on Edman degradation, de novo sequencing by ESI-Q-TOF-MS/MS and peptide mapping by MALDI-TOF MS. Knowledge of dioicin 1 primary structure provide us a mean to deepen Phytolaccaceae's RIPs phylogeny. We speculate that both dioicins 1 and 2 share common ancestors with PAP-II and PAP icos-II and that dioicin 1 is not closely related to other members of this clade, thus shedding lights on evolutionary relationships among type 1 RIPs from Phytolaccaceae.

Ultra-high performance liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry for the detection of durum wheat contamination or adulteration.

In this work, an ultra-performance liquid chromatography electrospray ionization (UPLC-ESI)-MS/MS methodology based on multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) for the selective and sensitive detection and quantification of durum wheat adulteration has been developed and fully validated. The targeted analysis was performed by monitoring specific transitions at m/z 543.7 > 657.4 and m/z 543.7 > 299.2 of a species-specific marker derived from a tryptic peptide of puroindoline a (Pin-a), a cysteine-rich protein selectively present only in common wheat. In addition, two transitions at m/z 500.4 > 725.4 and m/z 500.4 > 561.9 of a reference peptide belonging to purothionin A-1, present in both species, were also monitored. The calibration curves obtained on binary mixtures with known percentages of common/durum wheat flours showed linearity (coefficient of regression, r ≥ 0.99) over concentrations that ranged between 80 and 1%. The limit of detection (LOD) and limit of quantification (LOQ) for the Pin-a marker in wheat flours were 0.01 and 0.03%, respectively. The identified Pin-a marker was also found to be highly diagnostic for the quantification of common wheat in raw materials (kernels) and processed products (pasta), thus offering new opportunities to assess food authenticity.

Molecular profiling of the Phytophthora plurivora secretome: a step towards understanding the cross-talk between plant pathogenic oomycetes and their hosts.

The understanding of molecular mechanisms underlying host-pathogen interactions in plant diseases is of crucial importance to gain insights on different virulence strategies of pathogens and unravel their role in plant immunity. Among plant pathogens, Phytophthora species are eliciting a growing interest for their considerable economical and environmental impact. Plant infection by Phytophthora phytopathogens is a complex process coordinated by a plethora of extracellular signals secreted by both host plants and pathogens. The characterization of the repertoire of effectors secreted by oomycetes has become an active area of research for deciphering molecular mechanisms responsible for host plants colonization and infection. Putative secreted proteins by Phytophthora species have been catalogued by applying high-throughput genome-based strategies and bioinformatic approaches. However, a comprehensive analysis of the effective secretome profile of Phytophthora is still lacking. Here, we report the first large-scale profiling of P. plurivora secretome using a shotgun LC-MS/MS strategy. To gain insight on the molecular signals underlying the cross-talk between plant pathogenic oomycetes and their host plants, we also investigate the quantitative changes of secreted protein following interaction of P. plurivora with the root exudate of Fagus sylvatica which is highly susceptible to the root pathogen. We show that besides known effectors, the expression and/or secretion levels of cell-wall-degrading enzymes were altered following the interaction with the host plant root exudate. In addition, a characterization of the F. sylvatica root exudate was performed by NMR and amino acid analysis, allowing the identification of the main released low-molecular weight components, including organic acids and free amino acids. This study provides important insights for deciphering the extracellular network involved in the highly susceptible P. plurivora-F. sylvatica interaction.

Purification and characterization of novel cationic peroxidases from Asparagus acutifolius L. with biotechnological applications.

Four novel basic peroxidases, named AaP-1, AaP-2, AaP-3, and AaP-4, were purified from Asparagus acutifolius L. seeds by cation-exchange and gel filtration chromatographies. The four proteins showed a similar electrophoretic mobility of 46 kDa while, by MALDI-TOF MS, different Mr values of 42758.3, 41586.9, 42796.3, and 41595.5 were determined for AaP-1, AaP-2, AaP-3, and AaP-4, respectively. N-terminal sequences of AaPs 1-4 up to residue 20 showed a high percentage of identity with the peroxidase from Glycine max. In addition, AaP-1, AaP-2, AaP-3, and AaP-4 were found to be glycoproteins, containing 21.75, 22.27, 25.62, and 18.31 % of carbohydrates, respectively. Peptide mapping and MALDI-TOF MS analysis of AaPs 1-4 showed that the structural differences between AaP-1 and AaP-2 and AaP-3 and AaPs-4 were mainly due to their glycan content. We also demonstrate that AaPs were able to remove phenolic compounds from olive oil mill wastewaters with a higher catalytic efficiency with respect to horseradish peroxidase, thus representing candidate enzymes for potential biotechnological applications in the environmental field.

Myoglobin as marker in meat adulteration: a UPLC method for determining the presence of pork meat in raw beef burger.

The identification of meat animal species used in raw burgers is very important with respect to economic and religious considerations. Therefore, international supervisory bodies have implemented procedures to control the employed meat species. In this paper we propose myoglobin as a powerful molecular marker to evaluate the presence of non-declared meat addition in raw beef burgers by using ultra-performance liquid chromatography (UPLC) for the separation and identification of edible animal species (beef, chicken, horse, ostrich, pig and water buffalo). Meat samples were pre-treated with sodium nitrite to transform oxymyoglobin and deoxymyoglobin to the more stable metmyoglobin. The developed method was validated, preparing mixtures with different percentages of pork and beef minced meat. The obtained results show that using myoglobin as marker, 5% (25 mg/500 mg) of pork or beef meat can be detected in premixed minced meat samples.

Secretome profiling of differentiated neural mes-c-myc A1 cell line endowed with stem cell properties.

Neural stem cell proliferation and differentiation play a crucial role in the formation and wiring of neuronal connections forming neuronal circuits. During neural tissues development, a large diversity of neuronal phenotypes is produced from neural precursor cells. In recent years, the cellular and molecular mechanisms by which specific types of neurons are generated have been explored with the aim to elucidate the complex events leading to the generation of different phenotypes via distinctive developmental programs that control self-renewal, differentiation, and plasticity. The extracellular environment is thought to provide instructive influences that actively induce the production of specific neuronal phenotypes. In this work, the secretome profiling of differentiated neural mes-c-myc A1 (A1) cell line endowed with stem cell properties was analyzed by applying a shotgun LC-MS/MS approach. The results provide a list of secreted molecules with potential relevance for the functional and biological features characterizing the A1 neuronal phenotype. Proteins involved in biological processes closely related to nervous system development including neurites growth, differentiation of neurons and axonogenesis were identified. Among them, proteins belonging to extracellular matrix and cell-adhesion complexes as well as soluble factors with well established neurotrophic properties were detected. The presented work provides the basis to clarify the complex extracellular protein networks implicated in neuronal differentiation and in the acquisition of the neuronal phenotype. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled: An Updated Secretome.

Detection of buffalo mozzarella adulteration by an ultra-high performance liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry methodology.

Over the past years, LC-MS-based approaches have gained a growing interest in food analysis by using different platforms and methodologies. In particular, enhanced selectivity and sensitivity of multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) scan function offer powerful capabilities in detecting and quantifying specific analytes within complex mixtures such as food matrices. The MRM approach, traditionally applied in biomedical research, is particularly suitable for the detection of food adulteration and for the verification of authenticity to assure food safety and quality, both recognized as top priorities by the European Union Commission. Increasingly stringent legislation ensure products safety along every step 'from farm to fork', especially for traditional foods designed with the Protected Designation of Origin certification. Therefore, there is a growing demand of new methodologies for defining food authenticity in order to preserve their unique traits against frauds. In this work, an ultra performance liquid chromatopgraphy-electrospray ionization-tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS) methodology based on MRM has been developed for the sensitive and selective detection of buffalo mozzarella adulteration. The targeted quantitative analysis was performed by monitoring specific transitions of the phosphorylated ß-casein f33-48 peptide, identified as a novel species-specific proteotypic marker. The high sensitivity of MRM-based MS and the wide dynamic range of triple quadrupole spectrometers have proved to be a valuable tool for the analysis of food matrices such as dairy products, thus offering new opportunities for monitoring food quality and adulterations.

De novo sequencing and characterization of a novel Bowman-Birk inhibitor from Lathyrus sativus L. seeds by electrospray mass spectrometry.

Bowman-Birk serine protease inhibitors (BBIs) from legume seeds are small proteins showing a two-head structure with distinct reactive site loops, which inhibit two molecules of the same enzyme or two different proteases. Purification and characterization of new BBIs is of broad interest for understanding the basic molecular mechanisms underlying natural defence against the action of proteolytic enzymes. In this study, two novel acidic BBIs (LSI-1a and LSI-2a) were isolated from L. sativus seeds using classical biochemical techniques and characterized for their inhibitory activity. In addition, the N-terminal sequencing of LSI-1a was performed by Edman degradation up to residue 10 and the complete primary structure of the most abundant form (LSI-2a) was determined by using a combination of mass spectrometry approaches, including MALDI-TOF MS, tandem MS and Electron Transfer Dissociation coupled with Proton Transfer Reaction (ETD/PTR) top-down sequencing of N- and C-termini. Furthermore, the LSI-2a dimerization surface has also been investigated by a combination of gel filtration, electrophoretic techniques and homology modelling. Knowing the structure of small proteins inhibiting proteolytic enzymes is of general importance for understanding the defence mechanisms against degradation for their use in biological applications as well as for designing artificial inhibitors.

A novel polygalacturonase-inhibiting protein (PGIP) from Lathyrus sativus L. seeds.

Polygalacturonase-inhibiting proteins (PGIPs) are extracellular plant proteins bound to the plant cell wall containing leucine-rich repeats (LRR). They play an important role in plant defence being able to inhibit fungal endopolygalacturonases (EPGs), the first enzymes secreted by phytopathogenic fungi during plant infection. In the present work, a novel PGIP (LsPGIP) has been isolated from Lathyrus sativus seeds. LsPGIP exhibited an inhibitory activity towards EPGs from Aspergillus niger and Rhizopus spp. A pI value of 8.3 and a molecular mass of 40 kDa were determined for the purified inhibitor. Furthermore, N-terminal sequence up to residue 20 revealed that LsPGIP exhibit a high percentage of identity with PGIP from Actinidia deliciosa. A secondary structure similar to those of other polygalacturonase inhibitors was also inferred form circular dichroism data.

Enhanced cytotoxic activity of a bifunctional chimeric protein containing a type 1 ribosome-inactivating protein and a serine protease inhibitor.

Both ribosome-inactivating proteins (RIPs) and plant proteinase inhibitors, belong to protein families known to regulate cellular homeostasis and likely involved in plant defense. Nevertheless the interest in these protein classes is due to their potential use for the treatment of several important human diseases such as cancer. Thus, in the present study, type 1 ribosome-inactivating protein and wheat subtilisin/chymotrypsin inhibitor, were engineered into a chimeric protein with cytotoxic action selective for murine tumor cells, while lacking any appreciable toxicity on murine normal cells. This chimeric protein selectively sensitizes to apoptotic death cells derived from Simian-virus-40-transformed mouse fibroblasts (SVT2 cells). The cytotoxicity of this new recombinant product has been detected also on three different human malignant cells. Therefore action on tumor cells of this protein could represent a potentially very attractive novel tool for anticancer drug design.

Structural and enzymatic properties of an in vivo proteolytic form of PD-S2, type 1 ribosome-inactivating protein from seeds of Phytolacca dioica L.

PD-S2, type 1 ribosome-inactivating protein from Phytolacca dioica L. seeds, is an N-ß-glycosidase likely involved in plant defence. In this work, we purified and characterized an in vivo proteolytic form of PD-S2, named cutPD-S2. Spectroscopic characterization of cutPD-S2 showed that the proteolytic cleavage between Asn195 and Arg196 does not alter the protein fold, but significantly affects its thermal stability. Most importantly, the proteolytic cleavage induces a 370-fold decrease of PD-S2 capacity of inhibiting in vitro protein biosynthesis. Our data catch the turning point from a typical role of PD-S2 as a defence protein to that of supplier of essential amino acids during seedling development.

Proteomic profiling of human melanoma metastatic cell line secretomes.

During the last few years, the incidence and mortality of human melanoma have rapidly increased. Metastatic spread of malignant melanoma is often associated with cancer progression with poor prognosis and survival. These processes are controlled by dynamic interactions between tumor melanocytes and neighboring stromal cells, whose deregulation leads to the acquisition of cell proliferation capabilities and invasiveness. It is increasingly clear that a key role in carcinogenesis is played by secreted molecules either by tumor and surrounding stromal cells. To address the issue of the proteins secreted during cancer progression, the proteomic profiling of secretomes of cancer cell lines from different melanoma metastases of the same patient (PE-MEL-41, PE-MEL-47, and PE-MEL-43) was performed by applying a shotgun LC-MS/MS-based approach. The results provide a list of candidate proteins associated with the metastatic potential of PE-MEL melanoma cell lines. Among them, several matricellular proteins previously reported as involved in melanoma aggressiveness were identified (i.e., SPARC, osteopontin). In addition, the extracellular matrix protein 1 that stimulates proliferation and angiogenesis of endothelial cells as well as the fibronectin, involved in cell adhesion and motility, were identified. The present work provides the basis to clarify the complex extracellular protein networks implicated in human melanoma cell invasion, migration, and motility.

Temporal proteomic profiling of embryonic stem cell secretome during cardiac and neural differentiation.

During recent years, increased efforts have focused on elucidating the pluripotency and self-renewal of stem cells. Differentiation towards the different lineages has attracted significant attention given the potential use of stem cells in regenerative medicine. Embryonic stem cell differentiation is a complex process coordinated by strictly regulated extracellular signals that act in an autocrine and/or paracrine manner. Through secreted molecules, stem cells affect local niche biology and influence the cross-talking with the surrounding tissues. Emerging evidence supports the hypothesis that fundamental cell functions, including proliferation and differentiation, are strictly regulated by the complex set of molecules secreted from cells. The understanding of this molecular language could largely increase our knowledge on pathways regulating stem cell differentiation. Here, we have used a proteomics platform to investigate the profile of proteins secreted during differentiation of murine embryonic stem cells. We have followed the dynamics of protein secretion by comparing the secretomes at different time points of murine embryonic stem cell cardiac and neural differentiation. In addition to previously reported molecules, we have identified many secreted proteins not described so far as released from embryonic stem cells nor shown to be differentially released during the process of cardiomyogenesis and neurogenesis.

Analysis of interaction partners for eukaryotic translation elongation factor 1A M-domain by functional proteomics.

The eukaryotic translation elongation factor 1A (eEF1A), besides to its canonical role in protein synthesis, is also involved in several other cellular processes, depending on changes in cellular location, cell type, concentration of ligands, substrates or cofactors. Therefore eEF1A is a moonlighting protein that participates to a network of molecular interactions involving its structural domains. Since the identification of novel protein-protein interactions represents important tasks in post-genomic era, the interactome of eEF1A1 M-domain was investigated by using a proteomic approach. To this purpose, the eEF1A1 M-domain was fused with glutathione-S-transferase (GST) and Strep-tag (ST) at it's N- and C-terminal, respectively. The recombinant protein (GST-M-ST) was purified and incubated with a mouse embryo lysate by applying an affinity chromatography strategy. The interacting proteins were separated by SDS-PAGE and identified by peptide mass fingerprinting using MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry. Besides the known partners, the pool of interacting proteins contained sorbin, a polypeptide of 153 amino acids present in SH3 domain-containing adaptor proteins, such as SORBS2. This interaction was also assessed by Western blot on immunoprecipitate from mouse embryo or H1355 cell lysates with anti-eEF1A or anti-SORBS2 antibodies and on eEF1A1-His pull-down from H1355 cell lysate with antibody anti-SORBS2. Furthermore, the interaction between eEF1A and SORBS2 was also confirmed by confocal microscopy and FRET analysis. Interestingly, a co-localization of SORBS2 and eEF1A was evidenced at level of plasma membrane, thus suggesting the involvement of eEF1A1 in novel key signal transduction complexes.

A Bowman-Birk inhibitor with anti-elastase activity from Lathyrus sativus L. seeds.

Four Bowman-Birk inhibitors, named LSI-1/4, were isolated and purified from Lathyrus sativus L. seeds. The purification procedure consisted of two cation-exchange chromatography steps, followed by gel-filtration and RP-HPLC. Mass spectrometry analysis of LSI-1/4 inhibitors yielded relative molecular masses of 7914.41 for LSI-1, 6867.67 for LSI-2, 7341.24 for LSI-3 and 7460.01 for LSI-4. N-terminal sequences (up to 30 residues) of LSI-1/4 inhibitors were identical with the exception of sequence positions 21, 27 and 28 and highly similar to those of other Bowman-Birk inhibitors isolated from Leguminosae plants. Inhibitors LSI-1/4 were active towards trypsin and α-chymotrypsin, with IC(50) values for 12.6 nM of trypsin ranging from 4.9 to 24.3 nM. A lower activity was observed against bovine α-chymotrypsin (IC(50) values ranging from 0.5 to 3.4 µM for 15.0 nM of α-chymotrypsin). Peptide mapping of the LSI-1 sequence showed the presence of an Ala residue in the second reactive site, thus explaining the low anti-chymotrypsin activity of this inhibitor. In addition, LSI-1 was endowed with anti-elastase activity, being able to inhibit human leukocyte elastase.

Proteomic characterization of early changes induced by triiodothyronine in rat liver.

High doses of T3 are mitogenic in liver, causing hyperplasia that has numerous differences from the compensatory regeneration induced by partial hepatectomy (PH). T3 binds to the thyroid hormone receptor (TR), which directly regulates transcription, while PH acts indirectly through signal transduction pathways. We therefore carried out a proteomic analysis to compare early effects of the two treatments. Transcriptome analysis by DNA microarray also confirmed the observed proteomic changes, demonstrating that they were caused by transcriptional regulation. Among the differentially expressed proteins, many are directly or indirectly involved in energy metabolism and response to oxidative stress. Several enzymes of lipid metabolism (e.g., Acaa2, Acads, Hadh, and Echs1) were differentially regulated by T3. In addition, altered expression levels of several mitochondrial proteins (e.g., Hspa9, Atp5b, Cps1, Glud1, Aldh2, Ak2, Acads) demonstrated the known increase of mitochondrial biogenesis mediated by T3. The present results provide insights in changes in metabolic balance occurring following T3-stimulation and define a basis for dissecting the molecular pathways of hepatocyte hyperplasia.

Purification and enzymatic properties of a peroxidase from leaves of Phytolacca dioica L. (Ombú tree).

A peroxidase (PD-cP; 0.47 mg/100 g leaves) was purified from autumn leaves of Phytolacca dioica L. and characterized. PD-cP was obtained by acid precipitation followed by gel-filtration and cation exchange chromatography. Amino acid composition and N-terminal sequence of PD-cP up to residue 15 were similar to that of Spinacia oleracea (N-terminal pairwise comparison showing four amino acid differences). PD-cP showed a molecular mass of approx. 36 kDa by SDS-PAGE, pH and temperature optima at 3.0 and 50.0°C, respectively and seasonal variation. The Michaelis-Menten constant (K(M)) for H(2)O(2) was 5.27 mM, and the velocity maximum (V(max)) 1.31 nmol min(-1), while the enzyme turnover was 0.148 s(-1). Finally, the presence of Ca(2+) and Mg(2+) enhanced the PD-cP activity, with Mg(2+) 1.4-fold more effective than Ca(2+)

Purification and characterization of a viral chitinase active against plant pathogens and herbivores from transgenic tobacco.

The Autographa californica nucleopolyhedrovirus chitinase A (AcMNPV ChiA) is a chitinolytic enzyme with fungicidal and insecticidal properties. Its expression in transgenic plants enhances resistance against pests and fungal pathogens. We exploited tobacco for the production of a biologically active recombinant AcMNPV ChiA (rChiA), as such species is an alternative to traditional biological systems for large-scale enzyme production. The protein was purified from leaves using ammonium sulfate precipitation followed by anion exchange and gel-filtration chromatography. Transgenic plants produced an estimated 14 mg kg(-1) fresh leaf weight, which represents 0.2% of total soluble proteins. The yield of the purification was about 14% (2 mg kg(-1) fresh leaf weight). The comparison between the biochemical and kinetic properties of the rChiA with those of a commercial Serratia marcescens chitinase A indicated that the rChiA was thermostable and more resistant at basic pH, two positive features for agricultural and industrial applications. Finally, we showed that the purified rChiA enhanced the permeability of the peritrophic membrane of larvae of two Lepidoptera (Bombyx mori and Heliothis virescens) and inhibited spore germination and growth of the phytopatogenic fungus Alternaria alternata. The data indicated that tobacco represents a suitable platform for the production of rChiA, an enzyme with interesting features for future applications as "eco-friendly" control agent in agriculture.

The role of the glycan moiety on the structure-function relationships of PD-L1, type 1 ribosome-inactivating protein from P. dioica leaves.

N-glycosylation is one of the major naturally occurring covalent co-translational modifications of proteins in plants, being involved in proteins structure, folding, stability and biological activity. In the present work the influence of carbohydrate moieties on the structure-function relationships of type 1 ribosome-inactivating proteins (RIPs) was investigated. To this aim, PD-Ls, RIPs isolated from Phytolacca dioica L. leaves, differing for their glycosylation degree, were used as an experimental system. In particular, comparative structural and biological analyses were performed using native and unglycosylated recombinant PD-L1, the most glycosylated P. dioica RIP isoform. The glycans influence on protein synthesis inhibition and adenine polynucleotide glycosidase activity was investigated. The interaction with adenine, the product of the de-adenylation reaction, was also investigated for native and recombinant PD-L1 by fluorescence spectroscopy. Furthermore, the crystal structure of PD-L1 in complex with adenine was determined. Our data confirm that the absence of glycan moieties did not affect the biological activity in terms of protein synthesis inhibition. However, the removal of carbohydrate chains significantly increased the deadenylation capability, likely as a consequence of the increased accessibility of substrates to the active site pocket. Furthermore, preliminary data on cellular uptake showed that all PD-L isoforms were internalized and, for the first time, that the vesicular distribution within cells could be influenced by the protein glycosylation degree.

Proteomic analysis of human U937 cell line activation mediated by Haemophilus influenzae type b P2 porin and its surface-exposed loop 7.

The virulence of Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) has been attributed to a variety of potential factors associated with its cell surface, including lipopolysaccharides (LPS) and major outer membrane proteins (OMPs). P2 porin, one of the best-characterized porins in terms of its functional characteristics, is the most abundant OMP in Hib and has also been shown to possess proinflammatory activity. To characterize the role played by bacterial surface components in disease onset and development, the proteomic profiling of human U937 cell line activated by H. influenzae type b P2 porin and its most active surface-exposed loop (L7) was performed by means of two-dimensional electrophoresis and mass spectrometry. The study provided a list of candidate proteins with potential relevance in the host immune and inflammatory response. Most of the differentially expressed proteins are involved in metabolic processes, remodelling of cytoskeleton, stress response and signal transduction pathways. The results constitute the basis for dissecting signal transduction cascades activated by P2 stimulation and gain insights into the molecular events involved in the modulation of pathogen-host cell interactions.