Regulation of Prepro-NeuropeptideW/B and Its Receptor in the Heart of ZDF Rats: An Animal Model of Type II DM.

Neuropeptide B (NPB) and neuropeptide W (NPW) are neuropeptides, which constitute NPB/W signaling systems together with G-protein coupled receptors NPBWR1. The location and function of NPB/W signaling systems have been predominantly detected and mapped within the CNS, including their role in the modulation of inflammatory pain, neuroendocrine functions, and autonomic nervous systems. The aim of the study is to investigate the impact of diabetes on the neuropeptide B/W signaling system in different heart compartments and neurons which innervates it. In the RT-qPCR analysis, we observed the upregulation of mRNA for preproNPB in RV, for preproNPW in LA, and for NPBWR1 in DRG in diabetic rats. On the contrary, the expression of mRNA for NPBWR1 was downregulated in LV in diabetic rats. In the WB analysis, significant downregulation of NPBWR1 in LV (0.54-fold, p = 0.046) in diabetic rats was observed at the proteomic level. The presence of NPBWR1 was also confirmed in a dissected LCM section of cardiomyocytes and coronary arteries. The positive inotropic effect of NPW described on the diabetic cardiomyocytes in vitro could point to a possible therapeutic target for compensation of the contractile dysfunction in the diabetic heart. In conclusion, the NPB/W signaling system is involved in the regulation of heart functions and long-term diabetes leads to changes in the expression of individual members of this signaling system differently in each cardiac compartment, which is related to the different morphology and function of these cardiac chambers.

Identification of NPB, NPW and Their Receptor in the Rat Heart.

Members of neuropeptide B/W signaling system have been predominantly detected and mapped within the CNS. In the rat, this system includes neuropeptide B (NPB), neuropeptide W (NPW) and their specific receptor NPBWR1. This signaling system has a wide spectrum of functions including a role in modulation of inflammatory pain and neuroendocrine functions. Expression of NPB, NPW and NPBWR1 in separate heart compartments, dorsal root ganglia (DRG) and stellate ganglia was proven by RT-qPCR, Western blot (WB) and immunofluorescence. Presence of mRNA for all tested genes was detected within all heart compartments and ganglia. The presence of proteins preproNPB, preproNPW and NPBWR1 was confirmed in all the chambers of heart by WB. Expression of preproNPW and preproNPB was proven in cardiac ganglionic cells obtained by laser capture microdissection. In immunofluorescence analysis, NPB immunoreactivity was detected in nerve fibers, some nerve cell bodies and smooth muscle within heart and both ganglia. NPW immunoreactivity was present in the nerve cell bodies and nerve fibers of heart ganglia. Weak nonhomogenous staining of cardiomyocytes was present within heart ventricles. NPBWR1 immunoreactivity was detected on cardiomyocytes and some nerve fibers. We confirmed the presence of NPB/W signaling system in heart, DRG and stellate ganglia by proteomic and genomic analyses.

Proteins adsorbed to a polysulfone hemodialysis membrane under heparin and citrate anticoagulation regimens.

The study aim was to compare molecular-level effects (blood-dialyzer interactions) of heparin and citrate anticoagulation using proteome-wide analysis of biofilm adsorbed to dialysis membrane. Ten patients receiving maintenance hemodialysis were examined in a crossover design under three different anticoagulation regimens, namely citrate, heparin, and anticoagulation-free (control). Following a regular hemodialysis session (4 hours, polysulfone membrane), dialyzers were flushed and the surface biofilm eluted by acetic acid. Protein composition of the eluates was determined by 2-dimensional gel electrophoresis and resulting patterns compared between regimens. Proteins responsible for the difference were identified by mass spectrometry. Citrate anticoagulation was associated with significantly less protein adsorption to the membrane than heparin (2.2 [1.1-2.9] mg vs. 6.5 [2.9-11.6] mg, P = 0.009). Among the proteins identified as major discriminators between citrate and the other regimens, fibrin α-chain fragments of molecular weight below 40 kDa prevailed. In these fragments, an analysis of the amino acid sequence has been performed by comparison with the UniProt database. It showed missing α-chain cross-links. On the contrary, heparin prevented adsorption and cleavage of several heparin-binding proteins; especially complement factor H-related protein 3, insulin-like growth factor binding proteins (2, 4, and 5), and chemerin. Compared to heparin, citrate is associated with less protein adsorption and imperfectly crosslinked fibrin clot formation. Membrane adsorptive properties are significantly modified by the anticoagulation regimen.

Early urinary biomarkers of diabetic nephropathy in type 1 diabetes mellitus show involvement of kallikrein-kinin system.

BACKGROUND: Additional urinary biomarkers for diabetic nephropathy (DN) are needed, providing early and reliable diagnosis and new insights into its mechanisms. Rigorous selection criteria and homogeneous study population may improve reproducibility of the proteomic approach. METHODS: Long-term type 1 diabetes patients without metabolic comorbidities were included, 11 with sustained microalbuminuria (MA) and 14 without MA (nMA). Morning urine proteins were precipitated and resolved by 2D electrophoresis. Principal component analysis (PCA) and Projection to latent structures discriminatory analysis (PLS-DA) were adopted to assess general data validity, to pick protein fractions for identification with mass spectrometry (MS), and to test predictive value of the resulting model. RESULTS: Proteins (n = 113) detected in more than 90% patients were considered representative. Unsupervised PCA showed excellent natural data clustering without outliers. Protein spots reaching Variable Importance in Projection score above 1 in PLS (n = 42) were subjected to MS, yielding 33 positive identifications. The PLS model rebuilt with these proteins achieved accurate classification of all patients (R2X = 0.553, R2Y = 0.953, Q2 = 0.947). Thus, multiple earlier recognized biomarkers of DN were confirmed and several putative new biomarkers suggested. Among them, the highest significance was met in kininogen-1. Its activation products detected in nMA patients exceeded by an order of magnitude the amount found in MA patients. CONCLUSIONS: Reducing metabolic complexity of the diseased and control groups by meticulous patients' selection allows to focus the biomarker search in DN. Suggested new biomarkers, particularly kininogen fragments, exhibit the highest degree of correlation with MA and substantiate validation in larger and more varied cohorts.

Mitochondrial proteomes of porcine kidney cortex and medulla: foundation for translational proteomics.

BACKGROUND: Emerging evidence has linked mitochondrial dysfunction to the pathogenesis of many renal disorders, including acute kidney injury, sepsis and even chronic kidney disease. Proteomics is a powerful tool in elucidating the role of mitochondria in renal pathologies. Since the pig is increasingly recognized as a major mammalian model for translational research, the lack of physiological proteome data of large mammals prompted us to examine renal mitochondrial proteome in porcine kidney cortex and medulla METHODS: Kidneys were obtained from six healthy pigs. Mitochondria from cortex and medulla were isolated using differential centrifugation and proteome maps of cortical and medullar mitochondria were constructed using two-dimensional gel electrophoresis (2DE). Protein spots with significant difference between mitochondrial fraction of renal cortex and medulla were identified by mass spectrometry. RESULTS: Proteomic analysis identified 81 protein spots. Of these spots, 41 mitochondrial proteins were statistically different between renal cortex and medulla (p < 0.05). Protein spots containing enzymes of beta oxidation, amino acid metabolism, and gluconeogenesis were predominant in kidney cortex mitochondria. Spots containing tricarboxylic acid cycle enzymes and electron transport system proteins, proteins maintaining metabolite transport and mitochondrial translation were more abundant in medullar mitochondria. CONCLUSION: This study provides the first proteomic profile of porcine kidney cortex and medullar mitochondrial proteome. Different protein expression pattern reflects divergent functional metabolic role of mitochondria in various kidney compartments. Our study could serve as a useful reference for further porcine experiments investigating renal mitochondrial physiology under various pathological states.

Laser Capture Microdissection Coupled Capillary Immunoassay to Study the Expression of PCK-2 on Spatially-Resolved Islets of Rat Langerhans.

The platform for precise proteomic profiling of targeted cell populations from heterogeneous tissue sections is developed. We demonstrate a seamless and systematic integration of LCM with an automated cap-IA for the handling of a very small-sized dissected tissues section from the kidney, liver and pancreatic Langerhans islet of rats. Our analysis reveals that the lowest LCM section area ≥ 0.125 mm2 with 10 µm thickness can be optimized for the detection of proteins through LCM-cap-IA integration. We detect signals ranging from a highly-abundant protein, ß-actin, to a low-abundance protein, LC-3AB, using 0.125 mm2 LCM section from rat kidney, but, so far, a relatively large section is required for good quality of results. This integration is applicable for a highly-sensitive and accurate assessment of microdissected tissue sections to decipher hidden proteomic information of pure targeted cells. To validate this integration, PCK2 protein expression is studied within Langerhans islets of normal and diabetic rats. Our results show significant overexpression of PCK2 in Langerhans islets of rats with long-term diabetes.

Complex Interplay of Genes Underlies Invasiveness in Fibrosarcoma Progression Model.

Sarcomas are a heterogeneous group of mesenchymal tumours, with a great variability in their clinical behaviour. While our knowledge of sarcoma initiation has advanced rapidly in recent years, relatively little is known about mechanisms of sarcoma progression. JUN-murine fibrosarcoma progression series consists of four sarcoma cell lines, JUN-1, JUN-2, JUN-2fos-3, and JUN-3. JUN-1 and -2 were established from a single tumour initiated in a H2K/v-jun transgenic mouse, JUN-3 originates from a different tumour in the same animal, and JUN-2fos-3 results from a targeted in vitro transformation of the JUN-2 cell line. The JUN-1, -2, and -3 cell lines represent a linear progression from the least transformed JUN-2 to the most transformed JUN-3, with regard to all the transformation characteristics studied, while the JUN-2fos-3 cell line exhibits a unique transformation mode, with little deregulation of cell growth and proliferation, but pronounced motility and invasiveness. The invasive sarcoma sublines JUN-2fos-3 and JUN-3 show complex metabolic profiles, with activation of both mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation and glycolysis and a significant increase in spared respiratory capacity. The specific transcriptomic profile of invasive sublines features very complex biological relationships across the identified genes and proteins, with accentuated autocrine control of motility and angiogenesis. Pharmacologic inhibition of one of the autocrine motility factors identified, Ccl8, significantly diminished both motility and invasiveness of the highly transformed fibrosarcoma cell. This progression series could be greatly valuable for deciphering crucial aspects of sarcoma progression and defining new prognostic markers and potential therapeutic targets.

Hippocampal mitochondrial dysfunction and psychiatric-relevant behavioral deficits in spinocerebellar ataxia 1 mouse model.

Spinocerebellar ataxia 1 (SCA1) is a devastating neurodegenerative disease associated with cerebellar degeneration and motor deficits. However, many patients also exhibit neuropsychiatric impairments such as depression and apathy; nevertheless, the existence of a causal link between the psychiatric symptoms and SCA1 neuropathology remains controversial. This study aimed to explore behavioral deficits in a knock-in mouse SCA1 (SCA1154Q/2Q) model and to identify the underlying neuropathology. We found that the SCA1 mice exhibit previously undescribed behavioral impairments such as increased anxiety- and depressive-like behavior and reduced prepulse inhibition and cognitive flexibility. Surprisingly, non-motor deficits characterize the early SCA1 stage in mice better than does ataxia. Moreover, the SCA1 mice exhibit significant hippocampal atrophy with decreased plasticity-related markers and markedly impaired neurogenesis. Interestingly, the hippocampal atrophy commences earlier than the cerebellar degeneration and directly reflects the individual severity of some of the behavioral deficits. Finally, mitochondrial respirometry suggests profound mitochondrial dysfunction in the hippocampus, but not in the cerebellum of the young SCA1 mice. These findings imply the essential role of hippocampal impairments, associated with profound mitochondrial dysfunction, in SCA1 behavioral deficits. Moreover, they underline the view of SCA1 as a complex neurodegenerative disease and suggest new avenues in the search for novel SCA1 therapies.

Specific adsorption of some complement activation proteins to polysulfone dialysis membranes during hemodialysis.

Dialyser bioincompatibility is an important factor contributing to complications of hemodialysis with well known systemic consequences. Here we studied the local processes that occur on dialysis membranes by eluting proteins adsorbed to the polysulfone dialyser membranes of 5 patients after 3 consecutive routine maintenance hemodialysis sessions. At the end of each procedure, a plasma sample was also collected. These eluates and their accompanying plasma samples were separated by 2-dimensional gel electrophoresis; all proteins that were present in all patients were analyzed by tandem mass spectrometry; and a ratio of the relative spot intensity of the eluate to plasma was calculated. Of 153 proteins detected, 84 were found in all patients, 57 of which were successfully identified by mass spectrometry as 38 components of 23 unique proteins. In 10 spots the relative eluate intensity differed significantly from that in the plasma, implying preferential adsorption. These proteins included ficolin-2, clusterin, complement C3c fragment, and apolipoprotein A1. Our finding of a selective binding of ficolin-2 to polysulfone membranes suggests a possible role of the lectin complement pathway in blood-dialyser interactions.

Altered plasma proteome during an early phase of peritonitis-induced sepsis.

Sepsis is a systemic response to infection commonly found in critically ill patients and is associated with multi-organ failure and high mortality rate. Its pathophysiology and molecular mechanisms are complicated and remain poorly understood. In the present study, we performed a proteomics investigation to characterize early host responses to sepsis as determined by an altered plasma proteome in a porcine model of peritonitis-induced sepsis, which simulated several clinical characteristics of human sepsis syndrome. Haemodynamics, oxygen exchange, inflammatory responses, oxidative and nitrosative stress, and other laboratory parameters were closely monitored. Plasma samples were obtained from seven pigs before and 12 h after the induction of sepsis, and plasma proteins were resolved with two-dimensional gel electrophoresis (n=7 gels/group; before being compared with during sepsis). The resolved proteins were stained with the SYPRO Ruby fluorescence dye and subjected to quantitative and comparative analyses. From approx. 1500 protein spots visualized in each gel, levels of 36 protein spots were significantly altered in the plasma of animals with sepsis (sepsis/basal ratios or degrees of change ranged from 0.07 to 21.24). Q-TOF (quadrupole-time-of-flight) MS and MS/MS (tandem MS) identified 30 protein forms representing 22 unique proteins whose plasma levels were increased, whereas six forms of five unique proteins were significantly decreased during sepsis. The proteomic results could be related to the clinical features of this animal model, as most of these altered proteins have important roles in inflammatory responses and some of them play roles in oxidative and nitrosative stress. In conclusion, these findings may lead to a better understanding of the pathophysiology and molecular mechanisms underlying the sepsis syndrome.

Cellular Mechanisms of Myocardial Depression in Porcine Septic Shock.

The complex pathogenesis of sepsis and septic shock involves myocardial depression, the pathophysiology of which, however, remains unclear. In this study, cellular mechanisms of myocardial depression were addressed in a clinically relevant, large animal (porcine) model of sepsis and septic shock. Sepsis was induced by fecal peritonitis in eight anesthetized, mechanically ventilated, and instrumented pigs of both sexes and continued for 24 h. In eight control pigs, an identical experiment but without sepsis induction was performed. In vitro analysis of cardiac function included measurements of action potentials and contractions in the right ventricle trabeculae, measurements of sarcomeric contractions, calcium transients and calcium current in isolated cardiac myocytes, and analysis of mitochondrial respiration by ultrasensitive oxygraphy. Increased values of modified sequential organ failure assessment score and serum lactate levels documented the development of sepsis/septic shock, accompanied by hyperdynamic circulation with high heart rate, increased cardiac output, peripheral vasodilation, and decreased stroke volume. In septic trabeculae, action potential duration was shortened and contraction force reduced. In septic cardiac myocytes, sarcomeric contractions, calcium transients, and L-type calcium current were all suppressed. Similar relaxation trajectory of the intracellular calcium-cell length phase-plane diagram indicated unchanged calcium responsiveness of myofilaments. Mitochondrial respiration was diminished through inhibition of Complex II and Complex IV. Defective calcium handling with reduced calcium current and transients, together with inhibition of mitochondrial respiration, appears to represent the dominant cellular mechanisms of myocardial depression in porcine septic shock.

Proteomic approaches to the study of renal mitochondria.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Dysfunction of kidney mitochondria plays a critical role in the pathogenesis of a number of renal diseases. Proteomics represents an untargeted attempt to reveal the remodeling of mitochondrial proteins during disease. Combination of separation methods and mass spectrometry allows identification and quantitative analysis of mitochondrial proteins including protein complexes. The aim of this review is to summarize the methods and applications of proteomics to renal mitochondria. METHODS: Using keywords "mitochondria", "kidney", "proteomics", scientific databases (PubMed and Web of knowledge) were searched from 2000 to August 2015 for articles describing methods and applications of proteomics to analysis of mitochondrial proteins in kidney. Included were publications on mitochondrial proteins in kidneys of humans and animal model in health and disease. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: Proteomics of renal mitochondria has been/is mostly used in diabetes, hypertension, acidosis, nephrotoxicity and renal cancer. Integration of proteomics with other methods for examining protein activity is promising for insight into the role of renal mitochondria in pathological states. Several challenges were identified: selection of appropriate model organism, sensitivity of analytical methods and analysis of mitochondrial proteome in different renal zones/biopsies in the course of various kidney disorders.

Renal Proteomic Responses to Severe Sepsis and Surgical Trauma: Dynamic Analysis of Porcine Tissue Biopsies.

Although the burden of septic acute kidney injury continues to increase, the molecular pathogenesis remains largely obscure. The aim of this exploratory study was a discovery-driven analysis of dynamic kidney tissue protein expression changes applied for the first time in a classic large mammal model of sepsis. To achieve this goal, analyses of protein expression alterations were performed in serial samples of kidney cortical biopsies (before, 12 and 22 h of sepsis) in mechanically ventilated pigs challenged with continuous infusion of pseudomonas aeruginosa and compared with sham-operated control data. Global protein expression was analyzed using two-dimensional gel electrophoresis and mass spectrometry-based proteomics. Normodynamic sepsis was associated with 43% reduction in glomerular filtration. The exposure to surgical stress per se altered the renal protein expression profile, while sepsis induced distinct and highly dynamic proteome evolution shifting the balance toward cellular distress phenotype. We identified 20 proteins whose expression changes discriminated effects of sepsis from those induced by surgery. The data implicate endoplasmic reticulum stress, oxidative stress, mitochondrial energy metabolism, immune/inflammatory signaling, and tubular transport as major activated pathways. Thus, by coupling the power of sequential tissue proteomics with whole-animal physiological studies, our study helped to establish a first global overview of critical renal proteomic events occurring during surgical trauma and early sepsis in a porcine model. The study supports the notion that multiple potentially subtle and even transient changes in several proteins which are members of key functional interrelated systems appear to play a role in septic acute kidney injury.

Effects of the czech propolis on sperm mitochondrial function.

Propolis is a natural product that honeybees collect from various plants. It is known for its beneficial pharmacological effects. The aim of our study was to evaluate the impact of propolis on human sperm motility, mitochondrial respiratory activity, and membrane potential. Semen samples from 10 normozoospermic donors were processed according to the World Health Organization criteria. Propolis effects on the sperm motility and mitochondrial activity parameters were tested in the fresh ejaculate and purified spermatozoa. Propolis preserved progressive motility of spermatozoa in the native semen samples. Oxygen consumption determined in purified permeabilized spermatozoa by high-resolution respirometry in the presence of adenosine diphosphate and substrates of complex I and complex II (state OXPHOSI+II) was significantly increased in the propolis-treated samples. Propolis also increased uncoupled respiration in the presence of rotenone (state ETSII) and complex IV activity, but it did not influence state LEAK induced by oligomycin. Mitochondrial membrane potential was not affected by propolis. This study demonstrates that propolis maintains sperm motility in the native ejaculates and increases activities of mitochondrial respiratory complexes II and IV without affecting mitochondrial membrane potential. The data suggest that propolis improves the total mitochondrial respiratory efficiency in the human spermatozoa in vitro thereby having potential to improve sperm motility.

Proteomic profiling of blood-dialyzer interactome reveals involvement of lectin complement pathway in hemodialysis-induced inflammatory response.

PURPOSE: dialysis-induced inflammatory response including leukocyte and complement activation is considered a significant cofactor of chronic morbidity in long-term hemodialysis (HD) patients. The aim of this study was to provide better insight into its molecular background. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN: in 16 patients, basic biocompatibility markers, i.e. leukocyte counts and C5a levels, were monitored during HD on a polysulfone membrane. Proteins adsorbed to dialyzers were eluted and separated by 2-DE. Selected proteins were identified by MS; ficolin-2 plasma levels were assessed. Data are given as medians (quartile ranges). RESULTS: in total, 7.2 (34.7) mg proteins were retrieved from dialyzer eluates and were resolved into 217 protein spots. The proteins most enriched in eluates (and hence selectively adsorbed) were those involved in complement activation (C3c, ficolin-2, mannan-binding lectin serine proteases, properdin) and cell adhesion (actin, caldesmon, tropomyosin, vitronectin, vinculin). A significant decrease of plasma ficolin-2 (41% [4.7], p<0.001) was evidenced during one HD session, associated with leukopenia (r=0.73, p=0.001) and C5a production (r=-0.62, p=0.01) at 15 min. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: ficolin-2 adsorption to polysulfone dialyzer initiates the lectin pathway of complement activation, mediates dialysis-induced leukopenia, and results in a significant depletion of ficolin-2, an essential component of innate immunity.

Proteomic analysis of proteins bound to adsorption units of extracorporeal liver support system under clinical conditions.

Fractionated Plasma Separation, Adsorption and Dialysis (Prometheus) has a well-documented capacity to remove protein-bound organic toxins in patients with liver failure. However, the compositions of adsorbed proteins remain unknown. Elution of both adsorbers constituting Prometheus system was performed following a 6-h session in a patient with acute on chronic liver failure. Sodium dodecylsulphate was employed to elute proteins from the neutral adsorber (P1), while acetic acid was applied to the cationic one (P2). Eluted proteins were resolved by two-dimensional gel electrophoresis (2-DE) and identified by mass spectrometry (MS). Totally, 4113 and 8280 mg of proteins were obtained from P1 and P2 eluates, 2-DE yielded 148 and 163 protein fractions in P1 and P2, respectively. MS identified 18 unique proteins in P1, and 30 unique proteins in P2 sample. Proteins with the highest selective adsorption (as determined by eluate to plasma ratio) included transthyretin (37), trypsin-2 (29), prothrombin (23), hyaluronan-binding protein 2 (13) and plasma retinol-binding protein (8.7), all of which adsorbed to P2. We identified a large number of proteins removed by extracorporeal liver support system. A selective adsorption was demonstrated in a subset of proteins depending on the type of adsorber and proteins' characteristics.