Faculty Bibliography

Nature uses a wide variety of protein post-translational modifications to regulate protein structure and activity and tandem mass spectrometry has emerged as the most powerful analytical approach to detect these moieties. However, modified peptides present special challenges for characterization. First, they are generally present at sub-stoichiometric levels, meaning that without enrichment strategies samples are dominated by unmodified peptides, so finding the modified peptides may be a challenge. Secondly, the modifications may have unique fragmentation behaviors in collision- induced dissociation (CID), which may need to be considered by database search engines. Finally, if there are multiple residues within a given peptide that could bear a particular modification type, then it is necessary to identify fragment ions that frame either side of the modification site in order to be able to localize the exact site of modification within the peptide. In this study the Proteome Informatics Research Group (iPRG) of the Association of Biomolecular Resource Facilities (ABRF) assessed participants' ability to find a variety of post-translationally modified peptides within a complex peptide mixture background. The dataset consisted of nearly twenty thousand high resolution and high mass accuracy tandem mass spectra. Within the sample there were peptides with a variety of different natural and chemical modifications. The data were provided in several formats and participants were required to submit their results in a provided Excel spreadsheet template, then complete a short survey to document their approach to data analysis. All submissions were anonymous. Overall spectrum identification performance was assessed, but particular emphasis was placed on their ability to detect and localize modifications of potential biological significance. A comparison of the different approaches and results achieved by all participants will be presented

Nature uses a wide variety of protein post-translational modifications to regulate protein structure and activity and tandem mass spectrometry has emerged as the most powerful analytical approach to detect these moieties. However, modified peptides present special challenges for characterization. First, they are generally present at sub-stoichiometric levels, meaning that without enrichment strategies samples are dominated by unmodified peptides, so finding the modified peptides may be a challenge. Secondly, the modifications may have unique fragmentation behaviors in collision-induced dissociation (CID), which may need to be considered by database search engines. Finally, if there are multiple residues within a given peptide that could bear a particular modification type, then it is necessary to identify fragment ions that frame either side of the modification site in order to be able to localize the exact site of modification within the peptide. In this study the Proteome Informatics Research Group (iPRG) of the Association of Biomolecular Resource Facilities (ABRF) assessed participants' ability to find a variety of posttranslationally modified peptides within a complex peptide mixture background. The dataset consisted of nearly twenty thousand high resolution and high mass accuracy tandem mass spectra. Within the sample there were peptides with a variety of different natural and chemical modifications. The data were provided in several formats and participants were required to submit their results in a provided Excel spreadsheet template, then complete a short survey to document their approach to data analysis. All submissions were anonymous. Overall spectrum identification performance was assessed, but particular emphasis was placed on their ability to detect and localize modifications of potential biological significance. A comparison of the different approaches and results achieved by all participants will be presented

Growth of axons and dendrites is a dynamic process that involves guidance molecules, adhesion proteins, and neurotrophic factors. Although neurite extension is stimulated by the neurotrophin nerve growth factor (NGF), we found that the precursor of NGF, proNGF, induced acute collapse of growth cones of cultured hippocampal neurons. This retraction was initiated by an interaction between the p75 neurotrophin receptor (p75(NTR)) and the sortilin family member SorCS2 (sortilin-related VPS10 domain-containing receptor 2). Binding of proNGF to the p75(NTR)-SorCS2 complex induced growth cone retraction by initiating the dissociation of the guanine nucleotide exchange factor Trio from the p75(NTR)-SorCS2 complex, resulting in decreased Rac activity and, consequently, growth cone collapse. The actin-bundling protein fascin was also inactivated, contributing to the destabilization and collapse of actin filaments. These results identify a bifunctional signaling mechanism by which proNGF regulates actin dynamics to acutely modulate neuronal morphology

There are three quantitative phosphoproteomic strategies most commonly used to study receptor tyrosine kinase (RTK) signaling. These strategies quantify changes in: (1) all three forms of phosphosites (phosphoserine, phosphothreonine and phosphotyrosine) following enrichment of phosphopeptides by titanium dioxide or immobilized metal affinity chromatography; (2) phosphotyrosine sites following anti- phosphotyrosine antibody enrichment of phosphotyrosine peptides; or (3) phosphotyrosine proteins and their binding partners following anti-phosphotyrosine protein immunoprecipitation. However, it is not clear from literature which strategy is more effective. In this study, we assessed the utility of these three phosphoproteomic strategies in RTK signaling studies by using EphB receptor signaling as an example. We used all three strategies with stable isotope labeling with amino acids in cell culture (SILAC) to compare changes in phosphoproteomes upon EphB receptor activation. We used bioinformatic analysis to compare results from the three analyses. Our results show that the three strategies provide complementary information about RTK pathways

Receptor tyrosine kinases (RTKs) are proteins that upon ligand stimulation undergo dimerization and autophosphorylation. Eph receptors (EphRs) are RTKs that are found in different cell types, from both tissues that are developing and from mature tissues, and play important roles in the development of the central nervous system and peripheral nervous system. EphRs also play roles in synapse formation, neural crest formation, angiogenesis and in remodeling the vascular system. Interaction of EphRs with their ephrin ligands lead to activation of signal transduction pathways and formation of many transient protein-protein interactions that ultimately leads to cytoskeletal remodeling. However, the sequence of events at the molecular level is not well understood. We used blue native PAGE and MS to analyze the transient protein-protein interactions that resulted from the stimulation of EphB2 receptors by their ephrinB1-Fc ligands. We analyzed the phosphotyrosine-containing protein complexes immunoprecipitated from the cell lysates of both unstimulated (-) and ephrinB1-Fc-stimulated (+) NG108 cells. Our experiments allowed us to identify many signaling proteins, either known to be part of EphB2 signaling or new for this pathway, which are involved in transient protein-protein interactions upon ephrinB1-Fc stimulation. These data led us to investigate the roles of proteins such as FAK, WAVEs and Nischarin in EphB2 signaling

Characterizing the assembly of multi-protein complexes and the competition between multiple protein ligands for a given target are common challenges faced by core facilities. The MIRG2010 Benchmark study was designed to assess participants' ability to correctly describe the interactions between two protein ligands and their target protein using primarily biosensor technologies such as surface Plasmon resonance. Participants were provided with microgram quantities of three proteins (A, B and C) and asked to determine if a ternary A-B-C complex can form, or if ligands B and C bind competitively to protein A. This presentation will summarize the conclusions from the 2010 Benchmark Study, and provide perspective on the potential for future application of this system as a reference standard for quan- titative characterization of protein-protein interactions using biosensor technologies. The field of label-free biophysical technologies like surface plasmon resonance (SPR) and isothermal calorimetry (ITC) are becoming indispensable in translational research and in the discovery phase of biotherapeutics. Investigators are much more aware about the developments in biomolecular interaction analysis using SPR and ITC and usefulness of these technologies in designing better drugs based on biomolecules and vaccines. The Molecular Interaction Research Group (MIRG) of ABRF has conducted an on-line survey to capture the recent explosive developments in these technologies. The survey was targeted to both academia and pharmaceutical industry and the survey data will be presented during the meeting

The field of mass spectrometry based proteomics has seen several key innovations over the last several years, including novel experimental methods, new instruments, and unique fragmentation strategies. The latter, in the form of electron capture dissociation (ECD) and electron transfer dissociation (ETD) have captured the imaginations of many researchers, expanding their ability to identify and analyze peptides and proteins. However, since ECD/ETD spectra differ substantial from more traditional collision induced dissociation (CID) spectra in both their prominent ion series as well as their preferred bond-breaking characteristics, the (automatic) interpretation of ECD/ETD spectra requires novel algorithm optimizations. Efficient identification of ECD/ETD spectra thus remains an active and exciting field of proteomics informatics research. In this work, the ABRF Proteome Informatics Research Group (iPRG) presents the results of a collaborative study focusing on the analysis of an LC-MS/MS dataset from a yeast lysate digested with Lys-C and enriched for highly charged peptides using strong cation exchange fractionation. The data derived from one fraction analyzed exclusively by ETD was distributed to participants for analysis in several equivalent formats, along with a standardized sequence database derived from the UniProtKB/Swiss-Prot yeast complement, a decoy version of this database, and an applicable spectral library. Participants were free to use any and all methods available to them to identify this fraction, and results were to be submitted using an Excel template. All participant identities were subsequently anonymized, and a survey was used to collect information about participant experience and software tools used to produce the submitted analysis. This uniform collection of data has allowed a thorough comparison of participant results. A summary, including a comparison of results submitted by members of the iPRG, will be presented

Human JAK2 tyrosine kinase mediates signaling through numerous cytokine receptors. The JAK2 JH2 domain functions as a negative regulator and is presumed to be a catalytically inactive pseudokinase, but the mechanism(s) for its inhibition of JAK2 remains unknown. Mutations in JH2 lead to increased JAK2 activity, contributing to myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPNs). Here we show that JH2 is a dual-specificity protein kinase that phosphorylates two negative regulatory sites in JAK2: Ser523 and Tyr570. Inactivation of JH2 catalytic activity increased JAK2 basal activity and downstream signaling. Notably, different MPN mutations abrogated JH2 activity in cells, and in MPN (V617F) patient cells phosphorylation of Tyr570 was reduced, suggesting that loss of JH2 activity contributes to the pathogenesis of MPNs. These results identify the catalytic activity of JH2 as a previously unrecognized mechanism to control basal activity and signaling of JAK2

Being gated by high-energy nucleotides, cardiac ATP-sensitive potassium (K(ATP)) channels are exquisitely sensitive to changes in cellular energy metabolism. An emerging view is that proteins associated with the K(ATP) channel provide an additional layer of regulation. Using putative sulfonylurea receptor (SUR) coiled-coil domains as baits in a 2-hybrid screen against a rat cardiac cDNA library, we identified glycolytic enzymes (GAPDH and aldolase A) as putative interacting proteins. Interaction between aldolase and SUR was confirmed using GST pulldown assays and coimmunoprecipitation assays. Mass spectrometry of proteins from K(ATP) channel immunoprecipitates of rat cardiac membranes identified glycolysis as the most enriched biological process. Coimmunoprecipitation assays confirmed interaction for several glycolytic enzymes throughout the glycolytic pathway. Immunocytochemistry colocalized many of these enzymes with K(ATP) channel subunits in rat cardiac myocytes. The catalytic activities of aldolase and pyruvate kinase functionally modulate K(ATP) channels in patch-clamp experiments, whereas d-glucose was without effect. Overall, our data demonstrate close physical association and functional interaction of the glycolytic process (particularly the distal ATP-generating steps) with cardiac K(ATP) channels.-Hong, M., Kefaloyianni, E., Bao, L., Malester, B., Delaroche, D., Neubert, T. A., Coetzee, W. A. Cardiac ATP-sensitive K(+) channel associates with the glycolytic enzyme complex

We previously reported that expression of NRIF3 (nuclear receptor interacting factor-3) rapidly and selectively leads to apoptosis of breast cancer cells. DIF-1 (also known as interferon regulatory factor-2 binding protein 2 [IRF-2BP2]), the cellular target of NRIF3, was identified as a transcriptional repressor, and DIF-1 knockdown leads to apoptosis of breast cancer cells but not other cell types. Here, we identify IRF-2BP1 and EAP1 (enhanced at puberty 1) as important components of the DIF-1 complex mediating both complex stability and transcriptional repression. This interaction of DIF-1, IRF-2BP1, and EAP1 occurs through the conserved C4 zinc fingers of these proteins. Microarray studies were carried out in breast cancer cell lines engineered to conditionally and rapidly increase the levels of the death domain (DD1) region of NRIF3. The DIF-1 complex was found to repress FASTKD2, a putative proapoptotic gene, in breast cancer cells and to bind to the FASTKD2 gene by chromatin immunoprecipitation. FASTKD2 knockdown prevents apoptosis of breast cancer cells from NRIF3 expression or DIF-1 knockdown, while expression of FASTKD2 leads to apoptosis of both breast and nonbreast cancer cells. Thus, regulation of FASTKD2 by NRIF3 and the DIF-1 complex acts as a novel death switch that selectively modulates apoptosis in breast cancer