The beta subunit of the guanine nucleotide regulatory proteins: identification of its location on two-dimensional gels of brain tissue and its regional and subcellular distribution in brain

The beta subunit of the guanine nucleotide regulatory proteins (also termed G proteins) has been examined in both rat and human brain. Proteins contained within samples of fresh rat and human brain tissue were separated by two-dimensional gel electrophoresis and either stained with silver or reacted with various antisera raised against the G proteins. In both rat and human brain, a single protein of molecular weight 36,000 daltons and pI 5.8 reacted the antisera. This protein also comigrated with one of the proteins present in a purified preparation of bovine brain G proteins. Based upon molecular weight, pI, and reaction with specific antisera, it was concluded that this protein is the beta subunit of the G proteins in brain. Using this information, the regional and subcellular distribution of the G protein beta subunit was studied in rat brain. Of 25 distinct neuroanatomical areas examined, cortical regions were generally found to contain the largest amount of this protein. The subcellular distribution of the G protein beta subunit revealed that large amounts are present in the synaptic membrane, crude synaptic vesicles, and microsomes. These studies serve to identify another protein visible on silver-stained two-dimensional electrophoretograms of rat and human brain. The regional and subcellular distribution of the G protein beta subunit correlate well with the proposed physiological function of this protein.     

原发性脑创伤后人脑皮层差异蛋白质组研究

目的应用蛋白质组学技术，研究不同程度脑创伤后的人脑皮层蛋白质组表达变化的情况。方法将临床标本以GCS评分分为中度和重度损伤组，提取脑挫伤部位皮层的总蛋白。通过双向电泳．分离蛋白。应用胶内酶切、生物质谱，鉴定由图像分析软件所得出的具有表达差异的蛋白质点。结果通过比较，目前已发现12个蛋白质点，表达水平具有显著性差异变化。在已鉴定出的蛋白点中，属于10种蛋白质。依其功能可分为：细胞骨架、代谢反应、氧化应激反应、功能未知等几类。在重伤组中，一共有9个蛋白点、6种蛋白表达上调（α-烯醇化酶、磷酸丙糖异构酶、5’磷酸吡哆醇氧化酶、crtstalin、stathmin-1、NP25）；中度损伤组3个蛋白点、4种蛋白表达上调（谷氨酰胺S转移酶、5’3’核苷酸酶、HSPC108、proapolipoprotein）。结论外伤后，神经系统由于受伤程度的不同，蛋白表达水平会发生变化。原发性脑创伤的损伤程度不同将产生神经系统病生理反应的差异。     

人脑低级别星形细胞瘤及瘤周脑组织的差异蛋白表达

Differential protein expression between various pathological grades of glioma has been shown in studies of glioma proteomics. However, very little data is available regarding normal brain tissues and glioma differential protein expression, because normal human brain tissues are difficult to harvest. The present study selected samples from low-grade astrocytomas and peritumoral brain tissues to analyze differential protein expression by two-dimensional (2D) electrophoresis and mass spectrometry techniques. Results revealing 36 protein spots by 2D electrophoresis, including 23 spots revealing increased expression and 13 spots revealing decreased expression. However, 25 differential proteins were identified by mass spectrometry, including 16 proteins with increased expression and 9 with decreased expression. Western blot analysis confirmed the mass spectrometry results, i.e., heat shock protein 70 (HSP70) and human transthyretin (TTR) expressions were increased, but glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) was decreased, in astrocytomas. The present study constructed a 2D electrophoresis pattern between low-grade astrocytomas in the human brain and peritumoral tissues. Results demonstrated that a majority of differential proteins, such as HSP70, TTR, and GFAP, participate in malignant progression of gliomas.     

急性重型脑外伤后脑蛋白表达变化的蛋白质组研究

目的应用蛋白质组学技术，研究重型人脑外伤后的脑皮层蛋白质组表达变化的情况。方法提取脑挫伤部位皮层的总蛋白。通过双向电泳，分离蛋白。应用胶内酶切、生物质谱，鉴定由图像分析软件所得出的具有表达差异的蛋白质点。结果在急性期8h内，目前已发现138个蛋白质点，表达水平具有显著性差异变化。在已鉴定出的83个蛋白点中，属于64种蛋白质。依其功能可分为：细胞骨架、代谢反应、核酸蛋白合成与更新、信号传导、氧化应激反应、功能未知等几类。在急性期，大多数差异蛋白表达水平呈波动变化。结论蛋白质组技术作为一个有力的大规模、高通量的分析蛋白质混合物工具，可快速的建立脑蛋白表达谱。在急性期，脑蛋白质表达呈剧烈变化主要为参与细胞代谢反应、结构修复等组织代偿反应。     

A multiplexed proteomics approach to differentiate neurite outgrowth patterns

We report here a method for proteomics pattern discovery by utilizing a self-organizing map approach to analyze data obtained from a novel multiplex iTRAQ proteomics method. Through the application of this technique, we were able to delineate the early molecular events preceding dorsal root ganglia neurite outgrowth induced by either nerve growth factor (NGF) or an immunophilin ligand, JNJ460. Following pattern analysis we discovered that each neurotrophic agent promoted mostly distinct increases in protein expression with few overlapping patterns. In the NGF-treated group, proteins possessing "biosynthesis function" (p < 0.002) and "ribosome localization" (p < 0.0003) were increased, while proteins promoting "organogenesis" (p < 0.004) and related "signal transduction" (p < 0.008) functions were notably increased in the JNJ460-treated group. This study suggests that the properties of neurite outgrowth triggered by NGF and JNJ460 can be distinguished at the proteome level. Multiplexed proteomics analysis, along with pattern discovery bioinformatics tools, has the capability to differentiate subtle neuroproteomics patterns.     

Proteomic and cellular localisation studies suggest non‐tight junction cytoplasmic and nuclear roles for occludin in astrocytes

Occludin is a component of tight junctions, which are essential structural components of the blood–brain barrier. However, occludin is expressed in cells without tight junctions, implying additional functions. We determined the expression and localisation of occludin in astrocytes in cell culture and in human brain tissue, and sought novel binding partners using a proteomic approach. Expression was investigated by immunocytochemistry and immunoblotting in the 1321N1 astrocytoma cell line and ScienCell human primary astrocytes, and by immunohistochemistry in human autopsy brain tissue. Recombinant N‐ and C‐terminal occludin was used to pull‐down proteins from 1321N1 cell lysates and protein‐binding partners identified by mass spectrometry analysis. Occludin was expressed in both the cytoplasm and nucleus of astrocytes in vitro and in vivo. Mass spectrometry identified binding to nuclear and cytoplasmic proteins, particularly those related to RNA metabolism and nuclear function. Occludin is expressed in several subcellular compartments of brain cell‐types that do not form tight junctions and the expression patterns in cell culture reflect those in human brain tissue, indicating they are suitable model systems. Proteomic analysis suggests that occludin has novel functions in neuroepithelial cells that are unrelated to tight junction formation. Further research will establish the roles of these functions in both cellular physiology and in disease states.     

Expression of the scaffolding PDZ protein glutaminase-interacting protein in mammalian brain

A human brain cDNA clone coding for a novel PDZ-domain protein of 124 amino acids was previously isolated in our laboratory. The protein was termed glutaminase-interacting protein (GIP), because it interacts with the C-terminal region of the human L-type glutaminase (LGA). The pattern of expression and functions of GIP in brain are completely unknown, so its significance remains undefined. Here we describe the expression of GIP mRNA and protein in mammalian brain. Northern blot analysis revealed that GIP mRNA was ubiquitous in most regions of human brain but was particularly abundant in spinal cord. The presence of the protein in rat and monkey brain was studied at the regional, cellular, and subcellular level by immunocytochemistry. The protein was found to be present in both neurons and astrocytes, with a cytosolic and mitochondrial subcellular localization. Double immunofluorescence labeling with anti-GIP and anti-LGA antibodies using confocal microscopy revealed colocalization of both proteins in astrocyte cell processes and their perivascular end feet. Electron microscopy of rat brain neurons revealed GIP immunoreactivity concentrated also in the nuclear envelope and the plasma membrane. The multiple locations for GIP in mammalian brain are in agreement with known protein interaction partners reported for this PDZ protein. The findings presented here support a role of GIP as an important scaffold in both astrocytes and neurons and point toward astrocytic processes and perivascular end feet as plausible anatomical substrates for interaction with glutaminase.     

Neuroproteomics as a promising tool in Parkinson’s disease research

Despite the vast number of studies on Parkinson’s disease (PD), its effective diagnosis and treatment remains unsatisfactory. Hence, the relentless search for an optimal cure continues. The emergence of neuroproteomics, with its sophisticated techniques and non-biased ability to quantify proteins, provides a methodology with which to study the changes in neurons that are associated with neurodegeneration. Neuroproteomics is an emerging tool to establish disease-associated protein profiles, while also generating a greater understanding as to how these proteins interact and undergo post-translational modifications. Furthermore, due to the advances made in bioinformatics, insight is created concerning their functional characteristics. In this review, we first summarize the most prominent proteomics techniques and then discuss the major advances in the fast-growing field of neuroproteomics in PD. Ultimately, it is hoped that the application of this technology will lead towards a presymptomatic diagnosis of PD, and the identification of risk factors and new therapeutic targets at which pharmacological intervention can be aimed.     

Identification of nitrated proteins in the normal rat brain using a proteomics approach

BACKGROUND: The nitration of tyrosine has been suggested to play a role in the pathogenesis of neurodegenerative disorders such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), Parkinson's disease (PD) and Alzheimer's disease (AD).METHODS: In the present study, we identified four targets of protein nitration, T-complex polypeptide 1 alpha subunit (TCP-1), neurofilament L (NFL), glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) and clathrin heavy chain (CHC), in the normal rat cortex using a proteomics approach.CONCLUSIONS: There have been no reports on these proteins being identified by proteomics as nitrated forms in the brain. For further study, we have to investigate alterations in these nitrated proteins during aging and in neurodegenerative disorders.     

Regional and subcellular localization of luteinizing hormone releasing hormone in the adult human brain

The localization of luteinizing hormone releasing hormone (LHRH) in the post mortem adult human brain was investigated. LHRH was highly concentrated in medial basal hypothalamic tissue (1.14 ng/mg protein); lower levels of LHRH were present in tissue from the optic chiasm (0.05 ng/mg protein) and mammillary bodies (0.07 ng/mg protein). The concentrations of LHRH in hypothalamic tissue of men and women were similar. LHRH was undetectable (< 0.001 ng/mg protein) in the frontal cerebral cortex and cerebellum. When homogenates of the medial basal hypothalamus were fractionated on continuous or discontinuous sucrose density gradients, LHRH was found to be associated with subcellular particles. Upon examination by transmission electron microscopy, we found that these subcellular particles resembled isolated neuron terminals, i.e., synaptosomes. Low to undetectable amounts of LHRH were found in the cytosol or the myelin + microsome fraction of the gradients. The results of these studies are supportive of the view that LHRH is highly concentrated in neuron terminals of the adult human brain and may, therefore, be a central neurotransmitter or neuromodulator in the human.     

The proteome of human brain after ischemic stroke

Although stroke is among the most common causes of death and chronic disability worldwide, the proteome of the ischemic human brain remains unknown. Only a few studies have investigated the ischemic brain proteome in rodent stroke models. We performed a proteomic study of the human brain after ischemic stroke using a 2-dimensional differential gel electrophoresis-based proteomic approach. In brain samples from 6 deceased stroke patients and 3 control subjects, there was an average of 1,442 ± 231 protein spots in the gels. Changes of at least 1.5-fold in the relative expression of 132 protein spots between different cerebral areas (infarct core, peri-infarct, and contralateral tissue) were identified (p < 0.05); 39 of these were successfully identified by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization-time of flight mass spectrometry. Among the identified protein spots, we validated the results of 10 proteins by Western blot and determined the cellular localization in brain parenchyma for 3 of the identified proteins: dihydropyrimidinase-related protein 2, vesicle-fusing ATPase, and Rho dissociation inhibitor 1. These results contribute to understanding the processes that follow cerebral ischemia; moreover, some of the identified proteins may be therapeutic targets or biologic markers for determining the diagnosis and prognosis of stroke.     

Human brain protein phosphorylation in vitro: Cyclic AMP stimulation of electrophoretically-separated substrates

In vitro phosphorylation of electrophoretically-separated brain proteins was studied in human frontal cortex obtained 3-16 h post-mortem from 13 patients ages 3 days-82 years with extensive, mild or no neuropathological involvement. In 12 of the 13 cases, cyclic AMP increased incorporation of phosphate into acid-precipitable protein. Analysis of the autoradiographic profiles of separate proteins indicated that phosphorylation of the doublet of molecular weight 86-80,000 was stimulated by cyclic AMP in certain samples. This doublet corresponded to the cyclic AMP stimulated doublet from rat frontal cortex we have termed band D-1,2 (proteins Ia and Ib of Ueda and Greengard). Of special interest was the fact that, while co-migration was observed in the other phosphoprotein bands studied, band D-1,2 of humans consistently migrated slightly less than rat protein band D-1,2. This difference was not a function of post-mortem time, subcellular fraction or buffer used in the reaction phosphorylation assay. The use of post-mortem tissue was not a contributing factor as the retardation in band D-1,2 migration was still observed when post-mortem rat brain was used for comparison. In two human post-mortem samples, there was no measureable band D-1,2 phosphorylation even in the presence of cyclic AMP. This was the case in both homogenate and crude synaptosome/mitochondrial preparations. Band F-1 (mol. wt. = 47,000) was not observed in any of the human samples studied. This is consistent with prior studies in rat which show that band F-1 phosphorylation is not detected in post-mortem brain, Band F-2 (mol. wt. 41,000) recently identified as pyruvate dehydrogenase, was lightly phosphorylated under the reaction conditions used in this study.     

Comparative distribution of voltage-gated sodium channel proteins in human brain

Antisera directed against unique peptide regions from each of the human brain voltage-gated sodium channel alpha subunits were generated. In immunoblots these were found to be highly specific for the corresponding recombinant polypeptides and to recognise the native holoprotein in human brain membrane preparations. These antisera were used to perform a comparative immunohistochemical distribution analysis of all four brain sodium channel subtypes in selected human CNS regions. Distinct but heterogeneous distribution patterns were observed for each of the alpha subunits. In general, these were complimentary to that previously shown for the corresponding human mRNAs. A high degree of conservation with respect to the distribution found in rat was also evident. The human alpha subunit proteins exhibited distinct subcellular localisation patterns. Types I, III and VI immunoreactivity was predominantly in neuronal cell bodies and proximal processes, whereas type II was concentrated along axons. This is similar to rat brain and suggests the different the sodium channel subtypes have distinct functions which are highly conserved between human and rodents. A notable difference was that the type III protein was detected in all human brain regions examined, unlike in rat brain where expression in adults is very restricted. Also in contrast to rat brain, the human type VI protein was not detected in axons of unmyelinated neurons. These differences may reflect true species variation and could have important implications for understanding the function of the sodium channel subtypes and their roles in human disease.     

Spatial, temporal and subcellular localization of islet-brain 1 (IB1), a homologue of JIP-1, in mouse brain

Islet-brain 1 (IB1) was recently identified as a DNA-binding protein of the GLUT2 gene promoter. The mouse IB1 is the rat and human homologue of the Jun-interacting protein 1 (JIP-1) which has been recognized as a key player in the regulation of c-Jun amino-terminal kinase (JNK) mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathways. JIP-1 is involved in the control of apoptosis and may play a role in brain development and aging. Here, IB1 was studied in adult and developing mouse brain tissue by in situ hybridization, Northern and Western blot analysis at cellular and subcellular levels, as well as by immunocytochemistry in brain sections and cell cultures. IB1 expression was localized in the synaptic regions of the olfactory bulb, retina, cerebral and cerebellar cortex and hippocampus in the adult mouse brain. IB1 was also detected in a restricted number of axons, as in the mossy fibres from dentate gyrus in the hippocampus, and was found in soma, dendrites and axons of cerebellar Purkinje cells. After birth, IB1 expression peaks at postnatal day 15. IB1 was located in axonal and dendritic growth cones in primary telencephalon cells. By biochemical and subcellular fractionation of neuronal cells, IB1 was detected both in the cytosolic and membrane fractions. Taken together with previous data, the restricted neuronal expression of IB1 in developing and adult brain and its prominent localization in synapses suggest that the protein may be critical for cell signalling in developing and mature nerve terminals.     

Cellular distribution of torsin A and torsin B in normal human brain

BACKGROUND: Early-onset torsion dystonia is a hyperkinetic movement disorder caused by a deletion of 1 glutamic acid residue in torsin A protein, a novel member of the AAA family of adenosine triphosphatases. No mutation has been found so far in the closely related torsin B protein. Little is known about the molecular basis of the disease, and the cellular functions of torsin proteins remain to be investigated. OBJECTIVE: To study the regional, cellular, and subcellular distribution of the torsin A and torsin B proteins. METHODS: Expression of torsin proteins in the central nervous system was analyzed by Western blot analysis and immunohistochemistry in human postmortem brain tissues. RESULTS: We generated polyclonal antipeptide antibodies directed against human torsin A and torsin B proteins. In Western blot analysis of normal human brain homogenates, the antibodies specifically recognized 38-kd endogenous torsin A and 62-kd endogenous torsin B. Absorption controls showed that labeling was blocked by cognate peptide used for immunization. Immunolocalization studies revealed that torsin A and torsin B were widely expressed throughout the human central nervous system. Both proteins displayed cytoplasmic distribution, although torsin B localization in some neurons was perinuclear. Strong labeling of neuronal processes was detected for both proteins. CONCLUSIONS: Torsin A and torsin B have similar distribution in the central nervous system, although their subcellular localization is not identical. Strong expression in neuronal processes points to a potential role for torsin proteins in synaptic functioning.     

脑出血患者血肿周围组织神经元凋亡与Bcl-2、Bax蛋白表达关系的研究

目的探讨脑出血(ICH)患者血肿周围组织神经元凋亡与凋亡相关基因Bcl2、Bax蛋白表达的关系。方法采用缺口末端标记法、免疫组化法分别检测ICH患者血肿周围组织神经元凋亡率和Bcl2、Bax表达水平,分析神经元凋亡率与Bcl2、Bax表达及Bax/Bcl2值的关系;出血量与Bcl2、Bax表达及Bax/Bcl2值的关系,以及神经元凋亡率与出血量、病程、神经功能缺损程度评分(NDS)的关系。结果ICH患者血肿周围组织神经元凋亡率及Bcl2、Bax表达明显高于正常对照组(均P<0.01);血肿周围组织神经元凋亡率与Bcl2表达呈负相关(r=-0.682,P<0.01),与Bax、Bax/Bcl2值表达呈正相关(r=0.592、0.740,均P<0.01)。出血量与血肿周围组织Bcl2表达呈负相关(r=-0.677,P<0.01),与Bax表达及Bax/Bcl2值呈正相关(r=0.654、0.751,均P<0.01)。细胞凋亡率与出血量及NDS呈正相关(r=0.829、0.897,均P<0.01),与病程不相关。结论细胞凋亡机制参与了ICH后继发性神经元损伤;Bcl2、Bax蛋白及Bax/Bcl2值对凋亡具有调控作用。