A rapid method for analyzing recombinant protein inclusion bodies by mass spectrometry.

The identification and characterization of a protein overexpressed in insoluble inclusion bodies in Escherichia coli are the first crucial and time-limiting steps in recombinant protein expression. Here, a straightforward approach to the analysis of recombinant proteins in inclusion bodies is presented. Inclusion bodies were dissolved in 8M urea and analyzed by matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization (MALDI)-time of flight mass spectrometry without prior desalting. Mass determination was achieved by direct spotting of the samples onto the MALDI target and serial dilution in the matrix. The masses of four different proteins, expressed in inclusion bodies, were determined with a mass accuracy better than 0.1%. Furthermore, protein modifications, such as N-terminal processing of single amino acids or artificial cyanylation caused by incubation of the inclusion bodies with urea at elevated temperatures, could be detected. Similarly, tryptic digests were directly analyzed in 2M urea to obtain peptide mass fingerprints for identification and more detailed information on the primary protein structure and secondary modifications. Due to the presence of ammonia in the urea-containing buffers, no Na(+) adducts were observed in the peptide mass fingerprint analysis. Taken together, the rapid and robust procedures presented here greatly facilitate the analysis of recombinant proteins.

Three-dimensional tissue structure affects sensitivity of fibroblasts to TGF-beta 1.

Transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-beta) is known to induce alpha-smooth muscle actin (alpha-SMA) in fibroblasts and is supposed to play a role in myofibroblast differentiation and tumor desmoplasia. Our objective was to elucidate the impact of TGF-beta1 on alpha-SMA expression in fibroblasts in a three-dimensional (3-D) vs. two-dimensional (2-D) environment. In monolayer culture, all fibroblast cultures responded in a similar fashion to TGF-beta1 with regard to alpha-SMA expression. In fibroblast spheroids, alpha-SMA expression was reduced and induction by TGF-beta1 was highly variable. This difference correlated with a differential regulation in the TGF-beta receptor (TGFbetaR) expression, in particular with a reduction in TGF-betaRII in part of the fibroblast types. Our data indicate that 1) sensitivity to TGF-beta1-induced alpha-SMA expression in a 3-D environment is fibroblast-type specific, 2) fibroblast type-independent regulatory mechanisms, such as a general reduction/loss in TGF-betaRIII, contribute to an altered TGFbetaR expression profile in spheroid compared with monolayer culture, and 3) fibroblast type-specific alterations in TGFbetaR types I and II determine the sensitivity to TGF-beta1-induced alpha-SMA expression in the 3-D setting. We suggest that fibroblasts that can be induced by TGF-beta1 to produce alpha-SMA in spheroid culture reflect a "premyofibroblastic" phenotype.