Region-Specific Phosphorylation Determines Neuroligin-3 Localization to Excitatory Versus Inhibitory Synapses.

BACKGROUND: Neuroligin-3 is a postsynaptic adhesion molecule involved in synapse development and function. It is implicated in rare, monogenic forms of autism, and its shedding is critical to the tumor microenvironment of gliomas. While other members of the neuroligin family exhibit synapse-type specificity in localization and function through distinct interactions with postsynaptic scaffold proteins, the specificity of neuroligin-3 synaptic localization remains largely unknown. METHODS: We investigated the synaptic localization of neuroligin-3 across regions in mouse and human brain samples after validating antibody specificity in knockout animals. We raised a phospho-specific neuroligin antibody and used phosphoproteomics, cell-based assays, and in utero CRISPR/Cas9 (clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats/Cas9) knockout and gene replacement to identify mechanisms that regulate neuroligin-3 localization to distinct synapse types. RESULTS: Neuroligin-3 exhibits region-dependent synapse specificity, largely localizing to excitatory synapses in cortical regions and inhibitory synapses in subcortical regions of the brain in both mice and humans. We identified specific phosphorylation of cortical neuroligin-3 at a key binding site for recruitment to inhibitory synapses, while subcortical neuroligin-3 remained unphosphorylated. In vitro, phosphomimetic mutation of that site disrupted neuroligin-3 association with the inhibitory postsynaptic scaffolding protein gephyrin. In vivo, phosphomimetic mutants of neuroligin-3 localized to excitatory postsynapses, while phospho-null mutants localized to inhibitory postsynapses. CONCLUSIONS: These data reveal an unexpected region-specific pattern of neuroligin-3 synapse specificity, as well as a phosphorylation-dependent mechanism that regulates its recruitment to either excitatory or inhibitory synapses. These findings add to our understanding of how neuroligin-3 is involved in conditions that may affect the balance of excitation and inhibition.

Single drop analysis of mercury ions by rational design of peptide coated gold nanoparticles integrated with MALDI-MS measurement.

In this study, a novel and rapid method for specific identification and accurate quantification of Hg2+ in environmental water was developed by using laser cleavable cysteine containing peptides modified gold nanoparticles coupled with high resolution matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometer (MALDI-TOF MS) measurement. First, gold nanoparticles were prepared by the reduction of tetrachloroauric (III) acid (HAuCl4) solution. Various cysteine containing peptides, photolabile linkers, including mercury ion binding motif with a proper molecular mass and amino acids were synthesized by solid phase peptide synthesis (SPPS). Subsequently, thiol-containing peptides were coated onto the surface of gold nanoparticles via the formation of gold-thiol (Au-S) bond. The resulting cysteine containing peptides modified gold nanoparticles were designed to specifically capture Hg2+ in water samples. After conjugated complex formation, ions of Hg2+-peptide complex were directly liberated by ultraviolet laser radiation by way of MALDI-MS using α-Cyano-4-hydroxycinnamic acid (CHCA) as matrix. The linear dynamic range of Hg2+ concentration in this study was 1-100 pmol/µL with coefficient of determination 0.9987. The limit of detection (LOD) and limit of quantification (LOQ) were 0.19 and 0.63 pmol/µL, respectively. Notably, the developed method allows rapid quantification of Hg2+ in 5 min and the desired sample volume was down to few µL.

Rapid analysis of ketamine with in-house antibody conjugated boronic acid modified silver chip on MALDI-TOF MS measurement.

An antibody conjugated boronic acid modified silver chip (ABAS ship) is fabricated as a simple, rapid, accurate, sensitive and cost-effective sample preparation method for abused drug quantification in human urine. Ketamine, one common abused drug, was applied as proof of concept for ABAS chip with high resolution matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometer (MALDI-TOF MS) analysis. The overall testing process required 10 min at part per billion (ppb) sensitivity level, where current drug testing method necessitated several hours with similar sensitivity. The ABAS chip manufacture process started with slide glass by way of silver mirror reaction to form silver conductive glass for further chemical conjugation. Boronic acid functional group was decorated on silver conductive glass through the formation of silver-thiol (Ag-S) bond. Anti-ketamine antibody was covalently conjugated to boronic acid modified silver conductive glass through the formation of cyclic boronate ester between the boronic acid and the cis-diol groups on the glycans of antibody, which maintain the correct orientation to maximally capture its antigen. The resulting ABAS chip were designed to specifically capture ketamine in human urine samples, that could be directly analyzed by addition of MALDI α-Cyano-4-hydroxycinnamic acid (CHCA) matrix solution. The linear dynamic range of concentration in this method was 10-500 ng/mL with coefficient of determination 0.996. The limit of detection (LOD) and limit of quantification (LOQ) were 2.0 and 7.0 ng/mL, respectively. Importantly, the proposed method allows rapid and accurate quantification of ketamine from suspects' urine samples in 10 min and small sample volume of 1 µL was required. The resulting data were consistent with traditional gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis. Our homemade ABAS chip could thus provide a powerful tool not only for forensic science but also for most clinical diagnosis of disease as many expression antibodies for the occurrence of diverse diseases could be simply produced and purchased.

Rapid and accurate quantification of amphetamine and methamphetamine in human urine by antibody decorated magnetite nanoparticles coupled with matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometer analysis.

In this study, a novel method for the simultaneous determination and accurate quantification of abused drugs in human urine was developed. Antibody conjugated boronic acid modified magnetite nanoparticles (Fe3O4, MNPs) were prepared for the selectively purification of illicit drugs in combination with high resolution matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometer (MALDI-TOF MS) analysis. Illicit drugs, amphetamine (AM) and methamphetamine (MA), were used as model analytes to demonstrate the feasibility of our strategy. Boronic acid functionalized MNPs were first prepared via one-pot synthesis to simplify and improve the efficiency of a chemical reaction. Anti-amphetamine antibody (anti-AM antibody) and anti-methamphetamine antibody (anti-MA antibody) was conjugated onto boronic acid modified MNPs, respectively, through the formation of boronate ester bond that could maintain the correct orientation to maximally capture their antigens. The capacity of antibody conjugation to boronic acid modified MNPs was at least 24 µg antibody/mg MNPs. Antibody-conjugated MNPs were designed to specifically capture AM and MA in human urine samples, both of which can be directly eluted to MALDI target plate by adding MALDI CHCA matrix solution for the following MALDI-MS analysis. The linear range of detection of the proposed method were 25-400 ng/mL and 25-1000 ng/mL with coefficients of determination between 0.9923 and 0.9997 for AM and MA, respectively. The lowest detectable concentrations of AM and MA were 1.87 and 3.75 ng/mL, respectively. More importantly, the proposed method allows rapid and accurate quantification of AM and MA from three suspects' urine samples. The obtained results are consistent with traditional GC/MS analysis. Antibody-conjugated MNPs could thus prove to be powerful tools for important applications such as forensic science, food safety and clinical diagnosis of disease.

Synthesis of stable isotopically labeled peptides with filter-assisted enzymatic labeling for the diagnosis of hepatitis B virus infection utilizing mass spectrometry-based proteomics strategy.

A facile method for the preparation of stable isotopically labeled peptides was developed by means of filter-assisted tryptic 16O/18O water labeling, which could be directly applied to the determination of hepatitis B virus infection from human serum with tandem mass spectrometry. Tryptic peptides of hepatitis B surface antigen or hepatitis B e antigen from different subtypes of hepatitis B virus were synthesized with traditional solid-phase peptide synthesis as potential biomarkers. Trypsin catalyzed oxygen-18 exchange at their amidated c-terminus of arginine or lysine residue. The protease catalyzed oxygen-18 to oxygen-16 back exchange reaction was eliminated due to the complete removal of trypsin by the centrifugal filter containing a thin membrane associated with molecular weight cut-off of 10 KDa. The synthetic isotopic peptides were spiked into trichloroacetic acid/acetone precipitated human serum as internal standards and were selectively detected with multiplexed parallel reaction monitoring on a hybrid quadrupole-orbitrap mass spectrometer. The limit of detection for all synthetic peptides were in the range of 0.09 fmol-1.13 fmol. The results indicated that the peptide YLWEWASVR derived from hepatitis B surface antigen was quantified approximately 200 fmol per µl serum and may serve as a diagnostic biomarker for the detection of hepatitis B virus infected disease.

Stage-frit: A straightforward sub-2 µm nano-liquid chromatography column fabrication for proteomic analysis.

In this work we demonstrated a facile method for the fabrication of C18 coordination polymer gel in a capillary, called stage-frit, which was efficiently applied to pack sub-2 µm C18 beads into the capillary by a high pressure bomb for the online separation of proteolytic peptides. The back pressure of the column with 10 cm × 75 µm i.d. is regularly lower than 170 bar at a flow rate of 300 nl/min, which could be operated on a common nanoLC system instead of nanoUPLC system due to the good permeability, low back pressure and high mechanical stress of the frit that will totally reduce the cost for the purchase of instrument. The stage-frit allows long-term continuous flow of the solvent and no significant beads loss or pressure instability was observed during the period. The repeatability of retention time for fifteen BSA tryptic peaks was found to be less than 1.08% (RSD) in six time nanoLC-ESI-MS/MS experiments. The average full width at half maximum (FWHM) of peptide peaks is 5.87 s. The sub-2 µm stage-frit nanoLC column showed better sensitivity than the commercial available for large scale proteomic analysis of total tissue proteins from human spleen. The number of identified peptides is approximately 0.4-fold and 0.2-fold higher than that obtained by utilizing commercial columns packed with 3 µm and 1.8 µm C18 materials, respectively. In the field of analytical chemistry, particularly the use of nanoLC systems, stage-frit nanoLC column offers a great potential for the separation of complex mixtures.

Sumoylation of the GTPase Ran by the RanBP2 SUMO E3 Ligase Complex.

The SUMO E3 ligase complex RanBP2/RanGAP1*SUMO1/Ubc9 localizes at cytoplasmic nuclear pore complex (NPC) filaments and is a docking site in nucleocytoplasmic transport. RanBP2 has four Ran binding domains (RBDs), two of which flank RanBP2's E3 ligase region. We thus wondered whether the small GTPase Ran is a target for RanBP2-dependent sumoylation. Indeed, Ran is sumoylated both by a reconstituted and the endogenous RanBP2 complex in semi-permeabilized cells. Generic inhibition of SUMO isopeptidases or depletion of the SUMO isopeptidase SENP1 enhances sumoylation of Ran in semi-permeabilized cells. As Ran is typically associated with transport receptors, we tested the influence of Crm1, Imp ß, Transportin, and NTF2 on Ran sumoylation. Surprisingly, all inhibited Ran sumoylation. Mapping Ran sumoylation sites revealed that transport receptors may simply block access of the E2-conjugating enzyme Ubc9, however the acceptor lysines are perfectly accessible in Ran/NTF2 complexes. Isothermal titration calorimetry revealed that NTF2 prevents sumoylation by reducing RanGDP's affinity to RanBP2's RBDs to undetectable levels. Taken together, our findings indicate that RanGDP and not RanGTP is the physiological target for the RanBP2 SUMO E3 ligase complex. Recognition requires interaction of Ran with RanBP2's RBDs, which is prevented by the transport factor NTF2.

Phosphorylation drives a dynamic switch in serine/arginine-rich proteins.

Serine/arginine-rich (SR) proteins are important players in RNA metabolism and are extensively phosphorylated at serine residues in RS repeats. Here, we show that phosphorylation switches the RS domain of the serine/arginine-rich splicing factor 1 from a fully disordered state to a partially rigidified arch-like structure. Nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy in combination with molecular dynamics simulations revealed that the conformational switch is restricted to RS repeats, critically depends on the phosphate charge state and strongly decreases the conformational entropy of RS domains. The dynamic switch also occurs in the 100 kDa SR-related protein hPrp28, for which phosphorylation at the RS repeat is required for spliceosome assembly. Thus, a phosphorylation-induced dynamic switch is common to the class of serine/arginine-rich proteins and provides a molecular basis for the functional redundancy of serine/arginine-rich proteins and the profound influence of RS domain phosphorylation on protein-protein and protein-RNA interactions.

Cutting edge: feed-forward activation of phospholipase Cγ2 via C2 domain-mediated binding to SLP65.

Ag-mediated B cell stimulation relies on phospholipase Cγ2 (PLCγ2) for Ca(2+) mobilization. Enzymatic activity of PLCγ2 is triggered upon Src homology 2 domain-mediated binding to the tyrosine-phosphorylated adaptor SLP65. However, SLP65 phosphorylation outlasts the elevation of cytosolic Ca(2+) concentration suggesting additional levels of PLCγ2 regulation. We show in this article that the functionality of the PLCγ2/SLP65 complex is controlled by the weakly characterized C2 domain of PLCγ2. Usually C2 domains bind membrane lipids, but that of PLCγ2 docks in a Ca(2+)-regulated manner to a distinct phosphotyrosine of SLP65. Hence, early Ca(2+) fluxing provides feed-forward signal amplification by promoting anchoring of the PLCγ2 C2 domain to phospho-SLP65. As the cellular Ca(2+) resources become exhausted, the concomitant decline of Ca(2+) dampens the C2-phosphotyrosine interaction so that PLCγ2 activation terminates despite sustained SLP65 phosphorylation.

Detecting endogenous SUMO targets in mammalian cells and tissues.

SUMOylation is an essential modification that regulates hundreds of proteins in eukaryotic cells. Owing to its dynamic nature and low steady-state levels, endogenous SUMOylation is challenging to detect. Here, we present a method that allows efficient enrichment and identification of endogenous targets of SUMO1 and the nearly identical SUMO2 and 3 (SUMO 2/3) from vertebrate cells and complex organ tissue. Using monoclonal antibodies for which we mapped the epitope, we enriched SUMOylated proteins by immunoprecipitation and peptide elution. We used this approach in combination with MS to identify SUMOylated proteins, which resulted in the first direct comparison of the endogenous SUMO1- and SUMO2/3-modified proteome in mammalian cells, to our knowledge. This protocol provides an affordable and feasible tool to investigate endogenous SUMOylation in primary cells, tissues and organs, and it will facilitate understanding of SUMO's role in physiology and disease.

ß2 integrin-derived signals induce cell survival and proliferation of AML blasts by activating a Syk/STAT signaling axis.

Spleen tyrosine kinase (Syk) induces cell survival and proliferation in a high proportion of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) blasts, but the underlying molecular events of Syk signaling have not been investigated. Proteomic techniques have allowed us to identify the multiprotein complex that is nucleated by constitutively active Syk in AML cells. This complex differs from the B-lymphoid Syk interactome with respect to several proteins, especially the integrin receptor Mac-1, the Fc-γ receptor I (FcγRI), and the transcription factors STAT3 and STAT5. We show in several AML cell line models that tonic signals derived from the Fc-γ chain lead to Syk-dependent activation of STAT3 and STAT5, which in turn induces cell survival and proliferation. Moreover, stimulation of Mac-1 or FcγRI intensifies the constitutive Syk-mediated STAT3/5 activation in AML cells, a scenario likely to take place in the bone marrow niche. In accordance with these findings, we observed that ß2 integrins, including Mac-1, trigger proliferation of AML cells in an AML cell/stroma coculture model. Taken together, we identified an oncogenic integrin/Syk/STAT3/5 signaling axis that might serve as a therapeutic target of AML in the future.

In vivo localization and identification of SUMOylated proteins in the brain of His6-HA-SUMO1 knock-in mice.

SUMOylation, an essential posttranslational protein modification, is involved in many eukaryotic cellular signaling pathways. The identification of SUMOylated proteins is difficult, because SUMOylation sites in proteins are hard to predict, SUMOylated protein states are transient in vivo and labile in vitro, only a small substrate fraction is SUMOylated in vivo, and identification tools for natively SUMOylated proteins are rare. To solve these problems, we generated knock-in mice expressing His(6)-HA-SUMO1. By anti-HA immunostaining, we show that SUMO1 conjugates in neurons are only detectable in nuclei and annulate lamellae. By anti-HA affinity purification, we identified several hundred candidate SUMO1 substrates, of which we validated Smchd1, Ctip2, TIF1γ, and Zbtb20 as novel substrates. The knock-in mouse represents an excellent mammalian model for studies on SUMO1 localization and screens for SUMO1 conjugates in vivo.

The Prp8 RNase H-like domain inhibits Brr2-mediated U4/U6 snRNA unwinding by blocking Brr2 loading onto the U4 snRNA.

The spliceosomal RNA helicase Brr2 catalyzes unwinding of the U4/U6 snRNA duplex, an essential step for spliceosome catalytic activation. Brr2 is regulated in part by the spliceosomal Prp8 protein by an unknown mechanism. We demonstrate that the RNase H (RH) domain of yeast Prp8 binds U4/U6 small nuclear RNA (snRNA) with the single-stranded regions of U4 and U6 preceding U4/U6 stem I, contributing to its binding. Via cross-linking coupled with mass spectrometry, we identify RH domain residues that contact the U4/U6 snRNA. We further demonstrate that the same single-stranded region of U4 preceding U4/U6 stem I is recognized by Brr2, indicating that it translocates along U4 and first unwinds stem I of the U4/U6 duplex. Finally, we show that the RH domain of Prp8 interferes with U4/U6 unwinding by blocking Brr2's interaction with the U4 snRNA. Our data reveal a novel mechanism whereby Prp8 negatively regulates Brr2 and potentially prevents premature U4/U6 unwinding during splicing. They also support the idea that the RH domain acts as a platform for the exchange of U6 snRNA for U1 at the 5' splice site. Our results provide insights into the mechanism whereby Brr2 unwinds U4/U6 and show how this activity is potentially regulated prior to spliceosome activation.

The human cytomegalovirus DNA polymerase processivity factor UL44 is modified by SUMO in a DNA-dependent manner.

During the replication of human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) genome, the viral DNA polymerase subunit UL44 plays a key role, as by binding both DNA and the polymerase catalytic subunit it confers processivity to the holoenzyme. However, several lines of evidence suggest that UL44 might have additional roles during virus life cycle. To shed light on this, we searched for cellular partners of UL44 by yeast two-hybrid screenings. Intriguingly, we discovered the interaction of UL44 with Ubc9, an enzyme involved in the covalent conjugation of SUMO (Small Ubiquitin-related MOdifier) to cellular and viral proteins. We found that UL44 can be extensively sumoylated not only in a cell-free system and in transfected cells, but also in HCMV-infected cells, in which about 50% of the protein resulted to be modified at late times post-infection, when viral genome replication is accomplished. Mass spectrometry studies revealed that UL44 possesses multiple SUMO target sites, located throughout the protein. Remarkably, we observed that binding of UL44 to DNA greatly stimulates its sumoylation both in vitro and in vivo. In addition, we showed that overexpression of SUMO alters the intranuclear distribution of UL44 in HCMV-infected cells, and enhances both virus production and DNA replication, arguing for an important role for sumoylation in HCMV life cycle and UL44 function(s). These data report for the first time the sumoylation of a viral processivity factor and show that there is a functional interplay between the HCMV UL44 protein and the cellular sumoylation system.

Biophysical properties and cellular toxicity of covalent crosslinked oligomers of α-synuclein formed by photoinduced side-chain tyrosyl radicals.

Alpha-synuclein (αS), a 140 amino acid presynaptic protein, is the major component of the fibrillar aggregates (Lewy bodies) observed in dopaminergic neurons of patients affected by Parkinson's disease. It is currently believed that noncovalent oligomeric forms of αS, arising as intermediates in its aggregation, may constitute the major neurotoxic species. However, attempts to isolate and characterize such oligomers in vitro, and even more so in living cells, have been hampered by their transient nature, low concentration, polymorphism, and inherent instability. In this work, we describe the preparation and characterization of low molecular weight covalently bound oligomeric species of αS obtained by crosslinking via tyrosyl radicals generated by blue-light photosensitization of the metal coordination complex ruthenium (II) tris-bipyridine in the presence of ammonium persulfate. Numerous analytical techniques were used to characterize the αS oligomers: biochemical (anion-exchange chromatography, SDS-PAGE, and Western blotting); spectroscopic (optical: UV/Vis absorption, steady state, dynamic fluorescence, and dynamic light scattering); mass spectrometry; and electrochemical. Light-controlled protein oligomerization was mediated by formation of Tyr-Tyr (dityrosine) dimers through -C-C- bonds acting as covalent bridges, with a predominant involvement of residue Y39. The diverse oligomeric species exhibited a direct effect on the in vitro aggregation behavior of wild-type monomeric αS, decreasing the total yield of amyloid fibrils in aggregation assays monitored by thioflavin T (ThioT) fluorescence and light scattering, and by atomic force microscopy (AFM). Compared to the unmodified monomer, the photoinduced covalent oligomeric species demonstrated increased toxic effects on differentiated neuronal-like SH-SY5Y cells. The results highlight the importance of protein modification induced by oxidative stress in the initial molecular events leading to Parkinson's disease.

Identification of endogenous SUMO1 accepter sites by mass spectrometry.

Posttranslational modification (PTM) by the covalent conjugation of small ubiquitin-like modifier (SUMO) plays an important role in many biological processes, such as cell cycle progression, transcriptional regulation, subcellular transport, and other processes. An in-depth understanding of the function of SUMOylation requires the discovery of SUMO accepter sites. However, identification of endogenous SUMO-conjugated sites in higher eukaryotes by MS-based proteomic strategies is hampered by the low abundance of SUMO conjugates, the large tryptic fragments of SUMO1 or SUMO2/3 and the inability to match MS/MS spectra by protein database search engine. In this chapter, we describe a powerful method to overcome at least some of these challenges. To identify SUMO acceptor sites in endogenous SUMO1 conjugated protein, the SUMO1 conjugates are purified by immunoprecipitation with anti-SUMO1 antibodies followed by SDS-PAGE separation and in-gel tryptic digestion. The resulting peptides are either performed using standard data dependent acquisition (DDA) for protein identification or high mass DDA to enhance the sensitivity of detection on the LTQ-Orbitrap mass spectrometer. Finally, a Web-based database tool, ChopNSpice, coupled with a protein database search engine is introduced to ease the identification of SUMO1 attachment sites. Although this method was initially used to identify SUMO1 accepter sites, it can be readily adapted to study SUMO2/3 conjugates or even other Ubiquitin-like modifiers.

Determinants of interaction specificity of the Bacillus subtilis GlcT antitermination protein: functionality and phosphorylation specificity depend on the arrangement of the regulatory domains.

The control of several catabolic operons in bacteria by transcription antitermination is mediated by RNA-binding proteins that consist of an RNA-binding domain and two reiterated phosphotransferase system regulation domains (PRDs). The Bacillus subtilis GlcT antitermination protein regulates the expression of the ptsG gene, encoding the glucose-specific enzyme II of the phosphotransferase system. In the absence of glucose, GlcT becomes inactivated by enzyme II-dependent phosphorylation at its PRD1, whereas the phosphotransferase HPr phosphorylates PRD2. However, here we demonstrate by NMR analysis and mass spectrometry that HPr also phosphorylates PRD1 in vitro but with low efficiency. Size exclusion chromatography revealed that non-phosphorylated PRD1 forms dimers that dissociate upon phosphorylation. The effect of HPr on PRD1 was also investigated in vivo. For this purpose, we used GlcT variants with altered domain arrangements or domain deletions. Our results demonstrate that HPr can target PRD1 when this domain is placed at the C terminus of the protein. In agreement with the in vitro data, HPr exerts a negative control on PRD1. This work provides the first insights into how specificity is achieved in a regulator that contains duplicated regulatory domains with distinct dimerization properties that are controlled by phosphorylation by different phosphate donors. Moreover, the results suggest that the domain arrangement of the PRD-containing antitermination proteins is under selective pressure to ensure the proper regulatory output, i.e. transcription antitermination of the target genes specifically in the presence of the corresponding sugar.

Structure and activity of the only human RNase T2.

Mutations in the gene of human RNase T2 are associated with white matter disease of the human brain. Although brain abnormalities (bilateral temporal lobe cysts and multifocal white matter lesions) and clinical symptoms (psychomotor impairments, spasticity and epilepsy) are well characterized, the pathomechanism of RNase T2 deficiency remains unclear. RNase T2 is the only member of the Rh/T2/S family of acidic hydrolases in humans. In recent years, new functions such as tumor suppressing properties of RNase T2 have been reported that are independent of its catalytic activity. We determined the X-ray structure of human RNase T2 at 1.6 Å resolution. The α+ß core fold shows high similarity to those of known T2 RNase structures from plants, while, in contrast, the external loop regions show distinct structural differences. The catalytic features of RNase T2 in presence of bivalent cations were analyzed and the structural consequences of known clinical mutations were investigated. Our data provide further insight into the function of human RNase T2 and may prove useful in understanding its mode of action independent of its enzymatic activity.

Rapid glycopeptide enrichment and N-glycosylation site mapping strategies based on amine-functionalized magnetic nanoparticles.

Glycoproteins secreted or expressed on the cell surface at specific pathophysiological stages are well-recognized disease biomarkers and therapeutic targets. While mapping of specific glycan structures can be performed at the level of released glycans, site-specific glycosylation and identification of specific protein carriers can only be determined by analysis of glycopeptides. A key enabling step in mass spectrometry (MS)-based glycoproteomics is the ability to selectively or non-selectively enrich for the glycopeptides from a total pool of a digested proteome for MS analysis since the highly heterogeneous glycopeptides are usually present at low abundance and ionize poorly compared with non-glycosylated peptides. Among the most common approaches for non-destructive and non-glycan-selective glycopeptide enrichment are strategies based on various forms of hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography (HILIC). We present here a variation of this method using amine-derivatized Fe(3)O(4) nanoparticles, in concert with in situ peptide N-glycosidase F digestion for direct matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization­mass spectrometry analysis of N-glycosylation sites and the released glycans. Conditions were also optimized for efficient elution of the enriched glycopeptides from the nanoparticles for on-line nanoflow liquid chromatography­MS/MS analysis. Successful applications to single glycoproteins as well as total proteomic mixtures derived from biological fluids established the unrivaled practical versatility of this method, with enrichment efficiency comparable to other HILIC-based methods.

The B-cell antigen receptor signals through a preformed transducer module of SLP65 and CIN85.

Spleen tyrosine kinase Syk and its substrate SLP65 (also called BLNK) are proximal signal transducer elements of the B-cell antigen receptor (BCR). Yet, our understanding of signal initiation and processing is limited owing to the incomplete list of SLP65 interaction partners and our ignorance of their association kinetics. We have now determined and quantified the in vivo interactomes of SLP65 in resting and stimulated B cells by mass spectrometry. SLP65 orchestrated a complex signal network of about 30 proteins that was predominantly based on dynamic interactions. However, a stimulation-independent and constant association of SLP65 with the Cbl-interacting protein of 85 kDa (CIN85) was requisite for SLP65 phosphorylation and its inducible plasma membrane translocation. In the absence of a steady SLP65/CIN85 complex, BCR-induced Ca(2+) and NF-κB responses were abrogated. Finally, live cell imaging and co-immunoprecipitation experiments further confirmed that both SLP65 and CIN85 are key components of the BCR-associated primary transducer module required for the onset and progression phases of BCR signal transduction.