Project description:Identification of targets of the protein disulfide reductase thioredoxin using liquid chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) and thiol specific differential labeling with isotope-coded affinity tags (ICAT). Reduction of specific target disulfides is quantified by measuring ratios of cysteine residues labeled with the heavy (13C) and light (12C) ICAT reagents in peptides derived from tryptic digests of Trx-treated and non-treated samples. Keywords: protein, LC-MS/MS, ICAT
Project description:The transcription level of a rex-deficient S. aureus mutant in comparison to its parental strain S. aureus SH1000 was analyzed using DNA microarrays. S. aureus N315 microarrays were purchased from Scienion (Scienion AG, Berlin, Germany) and were produced by spotting 2,338 PCR products of the 2,593 ORFs comprising annotated genome of S. aureus N315 [reference identification: NC_002745] on a glass slide. Each ORF is present in duplicate on the microarray (further details can be found at http://www.scienion.com), cDNA was synthesized from total RNA with the LabelStar Array Kit from QIAGEN using the QIAGEN protocol with slight modifications: Random hexamer primer were used (Invitrogen, Karlsruhe, Germany) and Cy3- and Cy5-dCTP were purchased from Perkin-Elmer (Rodgau - Juegesheim, Germany). As recommended by Scienion, 10 µg RNA from either SH1000 or AK1 were used for cDNA synthesis. After hybridisation for 72 h, the microarrays were washed as recommended by the manufacturer. Data analysis. The hybridized microarrays were scanned with a GenePix 4000B microarray scanner (MDS Analytical Technologies GmbH, Ismaning, Germany). A geometric raster was laid over the resulting microarray picture to distinguish the signals from the background. After localization of single spots, intensities and global background were calculated automatically. The hybridization patterns and intensities were quantitatively analyzed using the Imagene 6 software (BioDiscovery, El Segundo, CA). The replicates were averaged, and the spots identified by Imagene 6 (BioDiscovery) as flawed were omitted. The data set was normalized by application of the LOWESS algorithm. In a next step, the intensity values of all arrays for each time point as well as for all time points combined were used for t tests. Genes with a change of <0.5- or â?¥2.0-fold were characterized as having significantly differing amounts of transcripts based on t tests with a P value cut-off of at least 0.05. Gene functions were assigned to the respective accession numbers and annotations as compiled on DOGAN, a web page for S. aureus N315 (http://www.bio.nite.go.jp/dogan/MicroTop?GENOME_ID=n315G1). The parental strain SH1000 and the Rex deficient mutant AK1 were applied on full-genome microarrays to get a detailed view on the differences in the transcriptional profiles which are caused â?? directly or indirectly â?? by the introduced mutation. More specifically, expression levels were compared at five time points, covering different growth phases. To highlight the general changes in the expression profile between SH1000 and the rex mutant, the microarray data of all five time points were also analyzed in a combined way using standard statistical methods. In further experiments, we focused on those genes, which seemed to flag the general difference between the investigated strains.
Project description:We describe the first in vitro model of dormancy in Staphylococcus aureus, showing that cells are generated which can be resuscitated by addition of spent medium supernatant taken from cultures of the same organism. Over 30 days, culturable counts in dormant cultures of S. aureus SH1000 fell from 10(6)-10(7) cfu/ml to <10 cfu/ml as measured by the Most Probable Number method in liquid culture, while total counts as determined by microscopy, and supported by data from RT-qPCR, remained around 10(6)-10(7) cells/ml. Supplementing cultures with 25-50% spent medium resulted in a >600-fold increase in bacterial growth. Resuscitation was a specific effect, greatly reduced by boiling or addition of trypsin to the spent supernatant. Supernatant also effected a reduction in lag phase of dormant cultures. SEM demonstrated the presence of small coccoid cells in dormant cultures. The results are similar to those seen with resuscitation promoting factors (Rpfs) in actinobacteria. This is the first time resuscitation has been demonstrated in Staphylococcus aureus, which is an important human pathogen. A better understanding of control and reactivation of dormant cells could lead to major improvements in managing staphylococcal infections; resuscitation could be an important step in restoring susceptibility to antibiotic treatment.
Project description:To identify the target of the monoclonal antibody, Immuoprecipitation (IP) was performed to pull-down target protein from cell culture extraction, corn or zebrafish tissue lysate. The IP product was validated on silver-stained SDS-PAGE and Western blot. The target band was cut out and performed LC-MS/MS for target protein identification.
Project description:Constitutional MLH1 epimutations are a rare cause of Lynch syndrome. Low methylation levels (≤10%) have been occasionally described. The aim of this study was the identification of patients with low levels of epigenetic mosaicism in MLH1 gene. Eighteen patients with MLH1 hypermethylated tumors and undetectable methylation in blood as assessed by Methylation-Specific Multiplex Ligation-Dependent Probe Amplification were included (MS-MLPA). Highly sensitive MS-Melting Curve Analysis (MS-MCA) at MLH1 promoter was used to screen for epigenetic mosaicism. Constitutional methylation was confirmed by other methods. Mutational analysis of hereditary cancer genes including MLH1 was performed. MS-MCA analysis identified one case (5.6%) with low levels of methylation (1-2%) in blood DNA. The patient had developed 3 gastrointestinal tumors at ages 22, 24 and 25, sharing MLH1 promoter hypermethylation and loss of heterozygosity associated with c.655A allele. The presence of low MLH1 methylation levels was confirmed by clonal bisulfite sequencing, evidencing the association with c.-93G allele (in phase with c.655G). The extension of the hypermethylated region overlaps with the reported in constitutional MLH1 epimutation carriers. No rare germline variants were identified. The use of highly sensitive techniques such as MS-MCA has demonstrated to be useful for the detection of low MLH1 methylation levels in blood.
Project description:To unravel molecular targets involved in glycopeptide resistance, three isogenic strains of Staphylococcus aureus with different susceptibility levels to vancomycin or teicoplanin were subjected to whole-genome microarray-based transcription and quantitative proteomic profiling. Quantitative proteomics performed on membrane extracts showed exquisite inter-experimental reproducibility permitting the identification and relative quantification of >30% of the predicted S. aureus proteome. In the absence of antibiotic selection pressure, comparison of stable resistant and susceptible strains revealed 94 differentially expressed genes and 178 proteins. As expected, only partial correlation was obtained between transcriptomic and proteomic results during stationary-phase. Application of massively parallel methods identified one third of the complete proteome, a majority of which was only predicted based on genome sequencing, but never identified to date. Several over‑expressed genes represent previously reported targets, while series of genes and proteins possibly involved in the glycopeptide resistance mechanism were discovered here, including regulators, global regulator attenuator, hyper‑mutability factor or hypothetical proteins. Gene expression of these markers was confirmed in a collection of genetically unrelated strains showing altered susceptibility to glycopeptides. Our proteome and transcriptome analyses have been performed during stationary‑phase of growth on isogenic strains showing susceptibility or intermediate level of resistance against glycopeptides. Altered susceptibility had emerged spontaneously after infection with a sensitive parental strain, thus not selected in vitro. This combined analysis allows the identification of hundreds of proteins considered, so far as hypothetical protein. In addition, this study provides not only a global picture of transcription and expression adaptations during a complex antibiotic resistance mechanism but also unravels potential drug targets or markers that are constitutively expressed by resistant strains regardless of their genetic background, amenable to be used as diagnostic targets. Keywords: Molecular markers, antibiotic resistance, glycopeptides, growth-phase
Project description:BackgroundBiological parameters are useful tools for understanding and monitoring complicated disease processes. In this study, we attempted to identify proteins associated with active pulmonary tuberculosis (TB) using a proteomic approach.MethodsTo assess TB-associated changes in the composition of human proteins, whole blood supernatants were collected from patients with active TB and healthy control subjects. Two-dimensional difference gel electrophoresis (2D-DIGE) was performed to analyze proteins with high molecular weights (approximately >20 kDa). Baseline protein levels were initially compared between patients with active TB and control subjects. Possible changes of protein patterns in active TB were also compared ex vivo between whole blood samples incubated with Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb)-specific antigens (stimulated condition) and under unstimulated conditions. Immunoblot and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA) were performed to confirm differences in identified proteins.ResultsUnder the baseline condition, we found that the levels of retinol-binding protein 4 (RBP4), fetuin-A (also called ?-HS-glycoprotein), and vitamin D-binding protein differed between patients with active TB and control subjects on 2D gels. Immunoblotting results confirmed differential expression of RBP4 and fetuin-A. ELISA results further confirmed significantly lower levels of these two proteins in samples from patients with active TB than in control subjects (P < 0.0001). Mtb-specific antigen stimulation ex vivo altered clusterin expression in whole blood samples collected from patients with active TB.ConclusionsWe identified TB-associated proteins in whole blood supernatants. The dynamics of protein expression during disease progression may improve our understanding of the pathogenesis of TB.
Project description:Each condition (cellular interaction with bacteria or with bacterial supernatant) was hybridized on 6 slides (3 slides, corresponding to different interactions and RNA extractions, were swapped). Keywords: parallel sample
Project description:Extracellular proteins made by group A Streptococcus (GAS) play critical roles in the pathogenesis of human infections caused by this bacterium. Although many extracellular GAS proteins have been identified and characterized, there has been no systematic analysis of culture supernatant proteins. Proteins present in the culture supernatant of strains of serotype M1 (MGAS 5005) and M3 (MGAS 315) mutants lacking production of the major extracellular cysteine protease were separated by two-dimensional gel electrophoresis and identified by amino-terminal amino acid sequencing and interrogation of available databases, including a serotype M1 genome sequence. In the aggregate, amino-terminal amino acid sequence data for 66 protein spots were generated, 53 unique sequences were obtained, and 44 distinct proteins were identified. Sixteen of the 44 proteins had apparent secretion signal sequences and 27 proteins did not. Eight of the 16 proteins with apparent secretion signal sequences have not been previously described for GAS. Antibodies against most of the apparently secreted proteins were present in sera from mice infected subcutaneously with MGAS 5005 or MGAS 315. Humans with documented GAS infections (pharyngitis, acute rheumatic fever, and severe invasive disease) also had serum antibodies reacting with many of the apparently secreted proteins, indicating that they were synthesized in the course of GAS-human interaction. The genes encoding four of the eight previously undescribed and apparently secreted culture supernatant proteins were cloned, and the proteins were overexpressed in Escherichia coli. Western blot analysis with these recombinant proteins and sera from GAS-infected mice and humans confirmed the immunogenicity of these proteins. Taken together, the data provide new information about the molecular aspects of GAS-host interactions.