Dipeptidase-1 Is an Adhesion Receptor for Neutrophil Recruitment in Lungs and Liver.

A hallmark feature of inflammation is the orchestrated recruitment of neutrophils from the bloodstream into inflamed tissue. Although selectins and integrins mediate recruitment in many tissues, they have a minimal role in the lungs and liver. Exploiting an unbiased in vivo functional screen, we identified a lung and liver homing peptide that functionally abrogates neutrophil recruitment to these organs. Using biochemical, genetic, and confocal intravital imaging approaches, we identified dipeptidase-1 (DPEP1) as the target and established its role as a physical adhesion receptor for neutrophil sequestration independent of its enzymatic activity. Importantly, genetic ablation or functional peptide blocking of DPEP1 significantly reduced neutrophil recruitment to the lungs and liver and provided improved survival in models of endotoxemia. Our data establish DPEP1 as a major adhesion receptor on the lung and liver endothelium and identify a therapeutic target for neutrophil-driven inflammatory diseases of the lungs.

Novobiocin blocks nucleic acid binding to Polθ and inhibits stimulation of its ATPase activity.

Polymerase theta (Polθ) acts in DNA replication and repair, and its inhibition is synthetic lethal in BRCA1 and BRCA2-deficient tumor cells. Novobiocin (NVB) is a first-in-class inhibitor of the Polθ ATPase activity, and it is currently being tested in clinical trials as an anti-cancer drug. Here, we investigated the molecular mechanism of NVB-mediated Polθ inhibition. Using hydrogen deuterium exchange-mass spectrometry (HX-MS), biophysical, biochemical, computational and cellular assays, we found NVB is a non-competitive inhibitor of ATP hydrolysis. NVB sugar group deletion resulted in decreased potency and reduced HX-MS interactions, supporting a specific NVB binding orientation. Collective results revealed that NVB binds to an allosteric site to block DNA binding, both in vitro and in cells. Comparisons of The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) tumors and matched controls implied that POLQ upregulation in tumors stems from its role in replication stress responses to increased cell proliferation: this can now be tested in fifteen tumor types by NVB blocking ssDNA-stimulation of ATPase activity, required for Polθ function at replication forks and DNA damage sites. Structural and functional insights provided in this study suggest a path for developing NVB derivatives with improved potency for Polθ inhibition by targeting ssDNA binding with entropically constrained small molecules.

Mouse Model of Fragile X Syndrome Analyzed by Quantitative Proteomics: A Comparison of Methods.

Multiple methods for quantitative proteomics are available for proteome profiling. It is unclear which methods are most useful in situations involving deep proteome profiling and the detection of subtle distortions in the proteome. Here, we compared the performance of seven different strategies in the analysis of a mouse model of Fragile X Syndrome, involving the knockout of the fmr1 gene that is the leading cause of autism spectrum disorder. Focusing on the cerebellum, we show that data-independent acquisition (DIA) and the tandem mass tag (TMT)-based real-time search method (RTS) generated the most informative profiles, generating 334 and 329 significantly altered proteins, respectively, although the latter still suffered from ratio compression. Label-free methods such as BoxCar and a conventional data-dependent acquisition were too noisy to generate a reliable profile, while TMT methods that do not invoke RTS showed a suppressed dynamic range. The TMT method using the TMTpro reagents together with complementary ion quantification (ProC) overcomes ratio compression, but current limitations in ion detection reduce sensitivity. Overall, both DIA and RTS uncovered known regulators of the syndrome and detected alterations in calcium signaling pathways that are consistent with calcium deregulation recently observed in imaging studies. Data are available via ProteomeXchange with the identifier PXD039885.

High-Sensitivity Proteome-Scale Searches for Crosslinked Peptides Using CRIMP 2.0.

Crosslinking mass spectrometry (XL-MS) is a valuable technique for generating point-to-point distance measurements in protein space. However, cell-based XL-MS experiments require efficient software that can detect crosslinked peptides with sensitivity and controlled error rates. Many algorithms implement a filtering strategy designed to reduce the size of the database prior to mounting a search for crosslinks, but concern has been expressed over the possibility of reduced sensitivity using these strategies. We present a new scoring method that uses a rapid presearch method and a concept inspired by computer vision algorithms to resolve crosslinks from other conflicting reaction products. Searches of several curated crosslink datasets demonstrate high crosslink detection rates, and even the most complex proteome-level searches (using cleavable or noncleavable crosslinkers) can be completed efficiently on a conventional desktop computer. The detection of protein-protein interactions is increased twofold through the inclusion of compositional terms in the scoring equation. The combined functionality is made available as CRIMP 2.0 in the Mass Spec Studio.

High-Efficiency Enrichment by Saturating Nanoliters of Protein Affinity Media.

Affinity-purification mass spectrometry (AP-MS) is an established technique for identifying protein-protein interactions (PPIs). The basic technology involves immobilizing a high-specificity ligand to a solid-phase support (e.g., an agarose or magnetic bead) to pull down protein(s) of interest from cell lysates. Although these supports are engineered to minimize interactions with background protein, the conventional method recovers mostly nonspecific binders. The law of mass action for dilute solutions has taught us to use an excess of beads to capture all target proteins, especially weakly interacting ones. However, modern microbead technology presents a binding environment that is much different from a dilute solution. We describe a fluidic platform that captures and processes ultralow nanoliter quantities of magnetic particles, simultaneously increasing the efficiency of PPI detection and strongly suppressing nonspecific binding. We demonstrate the concept with synthetic mixtures of tagged protein and illustrate performance with a variety of AP-MS experiment types. These include a BioID experiment targeting lamin-A interactors from HeLa cells and pulldowns using GFP-tagged proteins associated with a double-strand DNA repair mechanism. We show that efficient extraction requires saturation of the solid-phase support and that <10 nL of beads is sufficient to generate comprehensive protein interaction maps.

IMProv: A Resource for Cross-link-Driven Structure Modeling that Accommodates Protein Dynamics.

Proteomics methodology has expanded to include protein structural analysis, primarily through cross-linking mass spectrometry (XL-MS) and hydrogen-deuterium exchange mass spectrometry (HX-MS). However, while the structural proteomics community has effective tools for primary data analysis, there is a need for structure modeling pipelines that are accessible to the proteomics specialist. Integrative structural biology requires the aggregation of multiple distinct types of data to generate models that satisfy all inputs. Here, we describe IMProv, an app in the Mass Spec Studio that combines XL-MS data with other structural data, such as cryo-EM densities and crystallographic structures, for integrative structure modeling on high-performance computing platforms. The resource provides an easily deployed bundle that includes the open-source Integrative Modeling Platform program (IMP) and its dependencies. IMProv also provides functionality to adjust cross-link distance restraints according to the underlying dynamics of cross-linked sites, as characterized by HX-MS. A dynamics-driven conditioning of restraint values can improve structure modeling precision, as illustrated by an integrative structure of the five-membered Polycomb Repressive Complex 2. IMProv is extensible to additional types of data.

Recommendations for performing, interpreting and reporting hydrogen deuterium exchange mass spectrometry (HDX-MS) experiments.

Hydrogen deuterium exchange mass spectrometry (HDX-MS) is a powerful biophysical technique being increasingly applied to a wide variety of problems. As the HDX-MS community continues to grow, adoption of best practices in data collection, analysis, presentation and interpretation will greatly enhance the accessibility of this technique to nonspecialists. Here we provide recommendations arising from community discussions emerging out of the first International Conference on Hydrogen-Exchange Mass Spectrometry (IC-HDX; 2017). It is meant to represent both a consensus viewpoint and an opportunity to stimulate further additions and refinements as the field advances.

13th annual symposium of the Canadian National Proteomics Network.

The 13th annual Canadian National Proteomics Network was held in May 2022 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. More than 175 individuals participated in this dynamic and productive meeting either in-person or virtually. A pre-symposium organized by trainees and dedicated to highlighting the best and brightest emerging talent in proteomics across Canada preceded the main symposium, which welcomed plenary and invited speakers from around the world. The presentations covering ground-breaking science were interspersed with critical discussions on improving equity, diversity, and inclusion within the proteomics community across Canada, along with important networking opportunities for early-career researchers.

Improving Spectral Validation Rates in Hydrogen-Deuterium Exchange Data Analysis.

The data analysis practices associated with hydrogen-deuterium exchange mass spectrometry (HX-MS) lag far behind that of most other MS-based protein analysis tools. A reliance on external tools from other fields and a persistent need for manual data validation restrict this powerful technology to the expert user. Here, we provide an extensive upgrade to the HX data analysis suite available in the Mass Spec Studio in the form of two new apps (HX-PIPE and HX-DEAL), completing a workflow that provides an HX-tailored peptide identification capability, accelerated validation routines, automated spectral deconvolution strategies, and a rich set of exportable graphics and statistical reports. With these new tools, we demonstrate that the peptide identifications obtained from undeuterated samples generated at the start of a project contain information that helps predict and control the extent of manual validation required. We also uncover a large fraction of HX-usable peptides that remains unidentified in most experiments. We show that automated spectral deconvolution routines can identify exchange regimes in a project-wide manner, although they remain difficult to accurately assign in all scenarios. Taken together, these new tools provide a robust and complete solution suitable for the analysis of high-complexity HX-MS data.

Photo-Cross-Linking Mass Spectrometry and Integrative Modeling Enables Rapid Screening of Antigen Interactions Involving Bacterial Transferrin Receptors.

Structure-based approaches to the delineation of immunogens for vaccine development have a throughput requirement that is difficult to meet in practice with conventional methods of structure determination. Here we present a strategy for rapid and accurate structure generation in support of antigen engineering programs. The approach is developed around the modeling of interactions between host transferrin (Tf) and the bacterial vaccine target transferrin binding protein B (TbpB) from Gram-negative pathogens such as Neisseria meningitidis. Using an approach based solely on cross-linking mass spectrometry (XL-MS) data, monomeric structural models, and the Integrative Modeling Platform (IMP), we demonstrate that converged representations of the Tf:TbpB interactions can be returned that accurately reflect the binding interface and the relative orientation of the monomeric units, with the capacity to scale to the analysis of interactions from any number of additional strains. We show that a key element to accurate modeling involves the application of hetero-bifunctional cross-linkers incorporating fast-acting photoactivatable diazirines coupled with conventional amine-targeting N-hydroxysuccinimide esters, and we demonstrate that conventional homo-bifunctional reagents used in cross-linking kinetically trap dynamic states in the ensemble. Therefore, the application of both classes of cross-linker provides an opportunity to empirically detect protein dynamics during integrative structural modeling.

Quantitative Analysis of Protein Covalent Labeling Mass Spectrometry Data in the Mass Spec Studio.

Covalent labeling with mass spectrometry (CL-MS) provides a direct measure of the chemical and structural features of proteins with the potential for resolution at the amino-acid level. Unfortunately, most applications of CL-MS are limited to narrowly defined differential analyses, where small numbers of residues are compared between two or more protein states. Extending the utility of high-resolution CL-MS for structure-based applications requires more robust computational routines and the development of methodology capable of reporting of labeling yield accurately. Here, we provide a substantial improvement in the analysis of CL-MS data with the development of an extended plug-in built within the Mass Spec Studio development framework (MSS-CLEAN). All elements of data analysis-from database search to site-resolved and normalized labeling output-are accommodated, as illustrated through the nonselective labeling of the human kinesin Eg5 with photoconverted 3,3'-azibutan-1-ol. In developing the new features within the CL-MS plug-in, we identified additional complexities associated with the application of CL reagents, arising primarily from digestion-induced bias in yield measurements and ambiguities in site localization. A strategy is presented involving the use of redundant site labeling data from overlapping peptides, the imputation of missing data, and a normalization routine to determine relative protection factors. These elements together provide for a robust structural interpretation of CL-MS/MS data while minimizing the over-reporting of labeling site resolution. Finally, to minimize bias, we recommend that digestion strategies for the generation of useful overlapping peptides involve the application of complementary enzymes that drive digestion to completion.

Lactoferrin binding protein B - a bi-functional bacterial receptor protein.

Lactoferrin binding protein B (LbpB) is a bi-lobed outer membrane-bound lipoprotein that comprises part of the lactoferrin (Lf) receptor complex in Neisseria meningitidis and other Gram-negative pathogens. Recent studies have demonstrated that LbpB plays a role in protecting the bacteria from cationic antimicrobial peptides due to large regions rich in anionic residues in the C-terminal lobe. Relative to its homolog, transferrin-binding protein B (TbpB), there currently is little evidence for its role in iron acquisition and relatively little structural and biophysical information on its interaction with Lf. In this study, a combination of crosslinking and deuterium exchange coupled to mass spectrometry, information-driven computational docking, bio-layer interferometry, and site-directed mutagenesis was used to probe LbpB:hLf complexes. The formation of a 1:1 complex of iron-loaded Lf and LbpB involves an interaction between the Lf C-lobe and LbpB N-lobe, comparable to TbpB, consistent with a potential role in iron acquisition. The Lf N-lobe is also capable of binding to negatively charged regions of the LbpB C-lobe and possibly other sites such that a variety of higher order complexes are formed. Our results are consistent with LbpB serving dual roles focused primarily on iron acquisition when exposed to limited levels of iron-loaded Lf on the mucosal surface and effectively binding apo Lf when exposed to high levels at sites of inflammation.

A microtubule crosslinking protocol for integrative structural modeling activities.

Microtubules (MTs) are key components in the cytoskeleton of the eukaryotic cell, and play roles in processes such as intracellular transport and cell division. An improved understanding MT regulation requires structural analysis of the extensive interactions between the MT lattice and its regulatory proteins, but MT interactions are challenging for even the most advanced structural methods to characterize. Integrative methods involving crosslinking mass spectrometry (XL-MS) can extend structural analysis to many interaction classes, but the representation of MTs in crosslinking data-sets has been surprisingly low. Here, we explore the basis for the underrepresentation of the MT lattice and present an enhanced method for mapping MT structural features using an optimized set of reagents, together with fluorescence detection to ensure MT structural integrity. Through the application of stringent identification criteria, 91 unique crosslinks were identified, 78 of which were uniquely matched to 7 distinct structural features of the MT lattice. Of note, 4 crosslinks were detected for the lattice-A protofilament organization. The lattice-A structure defines a "seam" or discontinuity in MTs and is an emerging site of interest for MT regulation. Our methodology should be broadly applicable to integrative structural studies involving any MT-protein interaction.

Novel Allosteric Pathway of Eg5 Regulation Identified through Multivariate Statistical Analysis of Hydrogen-Exchange Mass Spectrometry (HX-MS) Ligand Screening Data.

The mitotic kinesin Eg5 is an important target in cancer chemotherapy. A structurally diverse collection of canonical loop L5 inhibitors engage an allosteric pathway that includes elements of its microtubule binding region. However, recent evidence suggests that Eg5 may permit alternative allosteric mechanisms. Terpendole E, a natural-product Eg5 inhibitor, is active against mutants resistant to canonical loop L5 inhibitors and appears to offer a unique mode of inhibition. To investigate the variety of inhibitor responses, the structure-function properties of eighteen kinesin inhibitors were quantified with hydrogen-exchange mass spectrometry (HX-MS), functional analysis and molecular modeling. A unique strategy for high-density data analysis was implemented, based on a scalable multivariate statistical method, as current HX-MS routines have a limited capacity to guide a characterization of ligands when additional functional data is available. Inhibitor evaluation was achieved using orthogonal partial least squares projection to latent structures discriminant analysis (OPLS-DA). The strategy generated a model that identified functionally-significant conformational elements involved in kinesin inhibition, confirming the canonical allosteric pathway and identifying a novel response pathway. Terpendole E is demonstrated to be an atypical L5 site inhibitor, where binding induces an allosteric effect mediated by a destabilization in the ß-sheet core of the molecular motor, an element involved in mechanochemical coupling for structurally-related kinesins. The analysis suggests that a different approach to inhibitor development may be fruitful.

Neprosin, a Selective Prolyl Endoprotease for Bottom-up Proteomics and Histone Mapping.

Trypsin dominates bottom-up proteomics, but there are reasons to consider alternative enzymes. Improving sequence coverage, exposing proteomic "dark matter," and clustering post-translational modifications in different ways and with higher-order drive the pursuit of reagents complementary to trypsin. Additionally, enzymes that are easy to use and generate larger peptides that capitalize upon newer fragmentation technologies should have a place in proteomics. We expressed and characterized recombinant neprosin, a novel prolyl endoprotease of the DUF239 family, which preferentially cleaves C-terminal to proline residues under highly acidic conditions. Cleavage also occurs C-terminal to alanine with some frequency, but with an intriguingly high "skipping rate." Digestion proceeds to a stable end point, resulting in an average peptide mass of 2521 units and a higher dependence upon electron-transfer dissociation for peptide-spectrum matches. In contrast to most proline-cleaving enzymes, neprosin effectively degrades proteins of any size. For 1251 HeLa cell proteins identified in common using trypsin, Lys-C, and neprosin, almost 50% of the neprosin sequence contribution is unique. The high average peptide mass coupled with cleavage at residues not usually modified provide new opportunities for profiling clusters of post-translational modifications. We show that neprosin is a useful reagent for reading epigenetic marks on histones. It generates peptide 1-38 of histone H3 and peptide 1-32 of histone H4 in a single digest, permitting the analysis of co-occurring post-translational modifications in these important N-terminal tails.

Structural and functional characterization of the PNKP-XRCC4-LigIV DNA repair complex.

Non-homologous end joining (NHEJ) repairs DNA double strand breaks in non-cycling eukaryotic cells. NHEJ relies on polynucleotide kinase/phosphatase (PNKP), which generates 5΄-phosphate/3΄-hydroxyl DNA termini that are critical for ligation by the NHEJ DNA ligase, LigIV. PNKP and LigIV require the NHEJ scaffolding protein, XRCC4. The PNKP FHA domain binds to the CK2-phosphorylated XRCC4 C-terminal tail, while LigIV uses its tandem BRCT repeats to bind the XRCC4 coiled-coil. Yet, the assembled PNKP-XRCC4-LigIV complex remains uncharacterized. Here, we report purification and characterization of a recombinant PNKP-XRCC4-LigIV complex. We show that the stable binding of PNKP in this complex requires XRCC4 phosphorylation and that only one PNKP protomer binds per XRCC4 dimer. Small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) reveals a flexible multi-state complex that suggests that both the PNKP FHA and catalytic domains contact the XRCC4 coiled-coil and LigIV BRCT repeats. Hydrogen-deuterium exchange indicates protection of a surface on the PNKP phosphatase domain that may contact XRCC4-LigIV. A mutation on this surface (E326K) causes the hereditary neuro-developmental disorder, MCSZ. This mutation impairs PNKP recruitment to damaged DNA in human cells and provides a possible disease mechanism. Together, this work unveils multipoint contacts between PNKP and XRCC4-LigIV that regulate PNKP recruitment and activity within NHEJ.

Lysine Propionylation To Boost Sequence Coverage and Enable a "Silent SILAC" Strategy for Relative Protein Quantification.

Quantification in proteomics largely relies on the incorporation of stable isotopes, with protocols that either introduce the label through metabolic incorporation or chemical tagging. Most methods rely on the use of trypsin and/or LysC to generate labeled peptides. Although alternative proteases can enhance proteome coverage, generic quantitative methods that port over to such enzymes are lacking. Here we describe a quantification strategy amenable to most proteases, which involves propionylation of metabolically labeled lysine, using a "silent stable isotope labeling by amino acids in cell culture (SILAC)" strategy that reveals isotopic labels on second-stage mass spectrometry (MS2) fragmentation in a tandem mass tag (TMT)-like manner. We selectively propionylated lysine residues prior to digestion to generate pure ArgC-like digestion for trypsin and novel ArgN-like digestions for LysargiNase, by restricting digestion at lysine. The modification offers highly complementary sequence coverage, and even enhanced protein identification rates in certain situations (GluC digestion). Propionylated lysine residues were present in the majority of identified peptides generated from digests of cell lysates and led to the consistent release of an intense cyclic imine reporter ion at mass-to-charge ratio ( m/ z) 140 using higher-energy collisional dissociation. We grew A549 cells in media containing either l-1-13C-lysine or l-6-13C-lysine, to generate proteins that share the same accurate mass when paired. Peptides were indistinguishable on the first-stage mass spectrometry (MS1) level and, upon fragmentation, released reporter ions at m/ z 140 and m/ z 141, without otherwise affecting sequence ion mass. The quantification approach is independent of the number of peptide lysines and offers a new strategy for quantitative proteomics.

Simultaneous Proteoform Analysis of Histones H3 and H4 with a Simplified Middle-Down Proteomics Method.

Dynamic post-translational modifications of histones regulate transcriptional gene expression in eukaryotes. Unique combinations of modifications, almost exclusively displayed at the flexible N-terminal tails on histones, create distributions of proteoforms that need to be characterized in order to understand the complexity of gene regulation and how aberrant modification patterns influence disease. Although mass spectrometry is a preferred method for the analysis of histone modifications, information is lost when using conventional trypsin-based histone methods. Newer "middle-down" protocols may retain a greater fraction of the full proteoform distribution. We describe a strategy for the simultaneous characterization of histones H3 and H4 with near-complete retention of proteoform distributions, using a conventional proteomics liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) configuration. The selective prolyl endoprotease neprosin generates convenient peptide lengths for retention and dispersion of modified H3 and H4 peptides on reversed-phase chromatography, offering an alternative to the hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography typically used in middle-down methods. No chemical derivatizations are required, presenting a significant advantage over the trypsin-based protocol. Over 200 proteoforms can be readily profiled in a single analysis of histones from HeLa S3 cells. An in-gel digestion protocol provides additional options for effective histone analysis.

High Sensitivity Crosslink Detection Coupled With Integrative Structure Modeling in the Mass Spec Studio.

The Mass Spec Studio package was designed to support the extraction of hydrogen-deuterium exchange and covalent labeling data for a range of mass spectrometry (MS)-based workflows, to integrate with restraint-driven protein modeling activities. In this report, we present an extension of the underlying Studio framework and provide a plug-in for crosslink (XL) detection. To accommodate flexibility in XL methods and applications, while maintaining efficient data processing, the plug-in employs a peptide library reduction strategy via a presearch of the tandem-MS data. We demonstrate that prescoring linear unmodified peptide tags using a probabilistic approach substantially reduces search space by requiring both crosslinked peptides to generate sparse data attributable to their linear forms. The method demonstrates highly sensitive crosslink peptide identification with a low false positive rate. Integration with a Haddock plug-in provides a resource that can combine multiple sources of data for protein modeling activities. We generated a structural model of porcine transferrin bound to TbpB, a membrane-bound receptor essential for iron acquisition in Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae Using mutational data and crosslinking restraints, we confirm the mechanism by which TbpB recognizes the iron-loaded form of transferrin, and note the requirement for disparate sources of restraint data for accurate model construction. The software plugin is freely available at www.msstudio.ca.

Nanospray HX-MS configuration for structural interrogation of large protein systems.

Hydrogen-deuterium exchange mass spectrometry (HX-MS) has made important contributions to the study of protein structure and function. Unfortunately, it is not known for low limits of detection, when compared with other forms of peptide-based or bottom-up protein MS methods. Systems perform poorly on sub-pmol quantities of protein states with greater than 300 kDa of unique sequences. The HX-MS analysis of complex protein states would be possible if proteomics-grade configurations could be used reliably, but temperature and temporal constraints have proven to be significant design challenges. Here, we describe an integrated HX-MS ion source operating on a vented-column geometry, which brings regulated column cooling right to the spray tip. The design offers chromatographic peak widths of 2-6 s (FWHM). It provides stable operation at 500 nL min-1, while retaining deuteration levels comparable to conventional geometries. We demonstrate at least a 50-fold improvement in protein consumption levels, and illustrate robustness by measuring peptide-averaged protection factors for 90% of DNA-PKcs, a 469 kDa protein, from 0.5 pmol injections.