Functionally distinct BMP1 isoforms show an opposite pattern of abundance in plasma from non-small cell lung cancer subjects and controls.

Advancements in deep plasma proteomics are enabling high-resolution measurement of plasma proteoforms, which may reveal a rich source of novel biomarkers previously concealed by aggregated protein methods. Here, we analyze 188 plasma proteomes from non-small cell lung cancer subjects (NSCLC) and controls to identify NSCLC-associated protein isoforms by examining differentially abundant peptides as a proxy for isoform-specific exon usage. We find four proteins comprised of peptides with opposite patterns of abundance between cancer and control subjects. One of these proteins, BMP1, has known isoforms that can explain this differential pattern, for which the abundance of the NSCLC-associated isoform increases with stage of NSCLC progression. The presence of cancer and control-associated isoforms suggests differential regulation of BMP1 isoforms. The identified BMP1 isoforms have known functional differences, which may reveal insights into mechanisms impacting NSCLC disease progression.

Mass spectral analysis of neuropeptide expression and distribution in the nervous system of the lobster Homarus americanus.

The lobster Homarus americanus has long served as an important animal model for electrophysiological and behavioral studies. Using this model, we performed a comprehensive investigation of the neuropeptide expression and their localization in the nervous system, which provides useful insights for further understanding of their biological functions. Using nanoLC ESI Q-TOF MS/MS and three types of MALDI instruments, we analyzed the neuropeptide complements in a major neuroendocrine structure, pericardial organ. A total of 57 putative neuropeptides were identified and 18 of them were de novo sequenced. Using direct tissue/extract analysis and bioinformatics software SpecPlot, we charted the global distribution of neuropeptides throughout the nervous system in H. americanus. Furthermore, we also mapped the localization of several neuropeptide families in the brain by high mass resolution and high mass accuracy mass spectrometric imaging (MSI) using a MALDI LTQ Orbitrap mass spectrometer. We have also compared the utility and instrument performance of multiple mass spectrometers for neuropeptide analysis in terms of peptidome coverage, sensitivity, mass spectral resolution and capability for de novo sequencing.

Inhibition of fibroblast growth factor 19 reduces tumor growth by modulating beta-catenin signaling.

Fibroblast growth factors (FGF) play important roles in development, angiogenesis, and cancer. FGF19 uniquely binds to FGF receptor 4 (FGFR4). Our previous study has shown that FGF19 transgenic tumors have an activated Wnt-pathway phenotype. Wnt signaling is implicated in initiating or promoting FGF signaling in various cell types and organs. In this study, we examined whether FGF19 or inhibition of FGF19 affects the beta-catenin signaling pathway using human colon cancer cell lines (HCT116, Colo201). Our results show that FGF19 increases tyrosine phosphorylation of beta-catenin and causes loss of beta-catenin-E-cadherin binding. FGF19 increases p-GSK3beta and active beta-catenin levels and anti-FGF19 antibody (1A6) treatment abrogates this effect of FGF19. Anti-FGF19 antibody treatment increases S33/S37/T41 phosphorylation and ubiquitination of beta-catenin. Ion-trap mass spectrometric analysis confirmed that 1A6 increases phosphorylation of beta-catenin in the NH(2) terminus. Using HCT116-paired beta-catenin knockout cells, we show that FGF19 induces TCF/LEF reporter activity in parental (WT/Delta45) and in WT/--but not in mutant (-/Delta45) cells, and that inhibition of endogenous FGF19 reduces this reporter activity, indicating that wild-type beta-catenin is accessible for modulation. FGFR4 knockdown using inducible short hairpin RNA significantly reduces the colony-forming ability in vitro and tumor growth in vivo. Although cleaved caspase-3 immunoreactivity remains unchanged, the number of ki67-positive nuclei is reduced in FGFR4 knockdown tumor xenograft tissues. Consistent with the reduced beta-catenin activation, Taqman analyses show that FGF19/FGFR4 inhibition reduced beta-catenin target gene (cyclin D1, CD44, c-jun, Cox-2, UPAR) expression. These findings highlight that FGF19/FGFR4 cross-talk with beta-catenin and that pathway intervention reduces tumor growth.