Name: quantitative proteomics workflow using multiple reaction monitoring based detection of proteins from human brain tissue
Uploaded: 2021-08-28T13:00:00
Description: Watch this Scientific Journal Video about Quantitative Proteomics Workflow using Multiple Reaction Monitoring Based Detection of Proteins from Human Brain Tissue at JoVE.com

We acknowledge MHRD-UAY Project (UCHHATAR AVISHKAR YOJANA), project #34_IITB to SS and MASSFIITB Facility at IIT Bombay supported by the Department of Biotechnology (BT/PR13114/INF/22/206/2015) to carry out all MS-related experiments.
We extend our special thanks to Mr. Rishabh Yadav for making and editing of the entire video and Mr. Nishant Nerurkar for his work in editing the audio.

This study involves brain tissue samples from human participants, reviewed and approved by TMH and IITB IEC - (IITB-IEC/2018/019). The participants provided their informed and written consent to participate in this study.
1&#160;Protein extraction from brain tissue
<ol>
	<li>Weigh around 50 mg of brain tissue and wash the tissue with 300 &#181;L of 1x phosphate buffer saline (PBS) using a micropipette. 
	NOTE: This step is performed to remove any blood on the external surface of the tis...

<ol>
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R., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=A+targeted+proteomics-based+pipeline+for+verification+of+biomarkers+in+plasma.">A targeted proteomics-based pipeline for verification of biomarkers in plasma.</a> Nature Biotechnology. , (2011).</li><li>H&#252;ttenhain, R., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Reproducible+quantification+of+cancer-associated+proteins+in+body+fluids+using+targeted+proteomics.">Reproducible quantification of cancer-associated proteins in body fluids using targeted proteomics.</a> Science Translational Medicine. 4 (142), 94 (2012).</li><li>Mermelekas, G., Vlahou, A., Zoidakis, J. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=SRM/MRM+targeted+proteomics+as+a+tool+for+biomarker+validation+and+absolute+quantification+in+human+urine.">SRM/MRM targeted proteomics as a tool for biomarker validation and absolute quantification in human urine.</a> Expert Review of Molecular Diagnostics. 15 (11), 1441-1454 (2015).</li><li>Koldamova, R. P., Lefterov, I. M., Lefterova, M. I., Lazo, J. S. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Apolipoprotein+A-I+directly+interacts+with+amyloid+precursor+protein+and+inhibits+A&#946;+aggregation+and+toxicity.">Apolipoprotein A-I directly interacts with amyloid precursor protein and inhibits A&#946; aggregation and toxicity.</a> Biochemistry. , (2001).</li><li>Jiang, S. X., Slinn, J., Aylsworth, A., Hou, S. T. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Vimentin+participates+in+microglia+activation+and+neurotoxicity+in+cerebral+ischemia.">Vimentin participates in microglia activation and neurotoxicity in cerebral ischemia.</a> Journal of Neurochemistry. , (2012).</li><li>Liu, L. 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Techniques like Immunohistochemistry and Western blotting were considered as the gold standards for validation of protein targets for many years.&#160;These methods find use even today with minor modifications in the protocol and little dependence on technology making them very cumbersome and tedious. Besides this, they also involve the use of expensive antibodies which do not always show the same specificity across batches and require a great deal of expertise. Additionally, only a small fraction of proteins identified ...

During the last decade, rapid developments in mass spectrometry (MS) coupled with increased understanding of chromatography techniques have greatly helped in advancement of MS-based proteomics. Molecular biology-based techniques such as western blotting and immunohistochemistry have long suffered from reproducibility issues, slow turnaround time, inter-observer variability and their inability to accurately quantify proteins, to name a few. To this end, the superior sensitivity of high-throughput proteomics approaches continues to offer molecular biologists an alternate and more reliable tool in their quest to better understand the roles of proteins in cells. However, shotgun proteomics approaches (Data dependent Acquisition or DDA) often fail to detect low abundant proteins in complex tissues besides being heavily reliant on the sensitivity and resolution of the instrument. Over the last couple of years, labs around the world have been developing techniques like Data Independent Acquisition (DIA) that require increased computing power and reliable software that can handle these highly complex datasets. However, these techniques are still a work in progress and not very user friendly. Targeted MS-based proteomics approaches provide a perfect balance between the high throughput nature of MS approaches and the sensitivity of molecular biology approaches like ELISA. A targeted mass spectrometry-based proteomics experiment focuses on detecting hypothesis driven proteins or peptides from discovery-based-shotgun proteomics experiments or through available literature1,2. Multiple Reaction Monitoring (MRM) is one such targeted MS approach that uses a tandem quadrupole mass spectrometer for accurate detection and quantification of proteins/peptides from complex samples. The technique offers higher sensitivity and specificity despite requiring the use of a low-resolution instrument.
A quadrupole is made of 4 parallel rods, with each rod connected to the diagonally opposite rod. A fluctuating field is created between the quadrupole rods by applying alternating RF and DC voltages. The trajectory of the ions inside the quadrupole is influenced by the presence of the same voltages across opposite rods. By applying the RF to DC voltage, the trajectory of the ions can be stabilized. It is this property of the quadrupole that allows it to be used as a mass filter which can selectively let specific ions to pass through. Depending on the need, a quadrupole can be operated in either the static mode or the scanning mode. The static mode allows only ions with a specified m/z to pass through, making the mode highly selective and specific to the ion of interest. The scanning mode on the other hand allows ions across the entire m/z range to pass through. Thus, tandem quadrupole mass spectrometers can operate in 4 possible ways: i) the first quadrupole operating in the static mode while the second operating in scanning mode; ii) the first quadrupole operating in the scanning mode while the second operating in the static mode; iii) both quadrupoles operating in the scanning mode; and iv) both quadrupoles operating in static mode3. In a typical MRM experiment, both the quadrupoles operate in the static mode allowing specific precursors and their resulting products after fragmentation to be monitored. This makes the technique very sensitive and selective allowing accurate quantification.
For molecular biologists, the human brain tissue and its cells are a treasure trove. These remarkable units of an ever-interesting organ of the human body can provide molecular and cellular insights into its functioning. Proteomic investigations of the brain tissue can not only help us understand the systemic functioning of a healthy brain but also the cellular pathways that get dysregulated when inflicted by some disease4. However, the brain tissue with all its heterogeneity is a very complex organ to analyze and requires a concerted approach for a better understanding of the changes at the molecular level. The following work describes the entire workflow starting right from extracting proteins from brain tissue, creating and optimising the methods for MRM assay, to validation of the targets (Figure 1). Here, we have systematically highlighted the major steps involved in a successful MRM based experiment using human brain tissue with an aim to introduce the technique and its challenges to a broader research community.

<table border="1" fo:keep-together.within-page="1" fo:keep-with-next.within-page="always">
	<tbody>
		<tr>
			<td>Reagents</td>
			<td></td>
			<td></td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Acetonitrile (MS grade)</td>
			<td>Fisher Scientific</td>
			<td>A/0620/21</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Bovine Serum Albumin</td>
			<td>HiMedia</td>
			<td>TC194-25G</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Calcium chloride</td>
			<td>Fischer Scienific</td>
			<td>BP510-500</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Formic acid (MS grade)</td>
			<td>Fisher Scientific</td>
			<td>147930250</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Iodoacetamide</td>
			<td>Sigma</td>
			<td>1149-25G</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Isopropanol (MS grade)</td>
			<td>Fisher Scientific</td>
			<td>Q13827</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Magnesium Chloride</td>
			<td>Fischer Scienific</td>
			<td>BP214-500</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Methanol (MS grade)</td>
			<td>Fisher Scientific</td>
			<td>A456-4</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>MS grade water</td>
			<td>Pierce</td>
			<td>51140</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Phosphate Buffer Saline</td>
			<td>HiMedia</td>
			<td>TL1006-500ML</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Protease inhibitor cocktail</td>
			<td>Roche Diagnostics</td>
			<td>11873580001</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Sodium Chloride</td>
			<td>Merck</td>
			<td>DF6D661300</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>TCEP</td>
			<td>Sigma</td>
			<td>646547</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Tris Base</td>
			<td>Merck</td>
			<td>648310</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Trypsin (MS grade)</td>
			<td>Pierce</td>
			<td>90058</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Urea</td>
			<td>Merck</td>
			<td>MB1D691237</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Supplies</td>
			<td></td>
			<td></td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Hypersil Gold C18 column</td>
			<td>Thermo</td>
			<td>25002-102130</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Micropipettes</td>
			<td>Gilson</td>
			<td>F167380</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Stage tips</td>
			<td>MilliPore</td>
			<td>ZTC18M008</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Zirconia/Silica beads</td>
			<td>BioSpec products</td>
			<td>11079110z</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Equipment</td>
			<td></td>
			<td></td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Bead beater (Homogeniser)</td>
			<td>Bertin Minilys</td>
			<td>P000673-MLYS0-A</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Microplate reader (spectrophotometer)</td>
			<td>Thermo</td>
			<td>MultiSkan Go</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>pH meter</td>
			<td>Eutech</td>
			<td>CyberScan pH 510</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Probe Sonicator</td>
			<td>Sonics Materials, Inc</td>
			<td>VCX 130</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Shaking Drybath</td>
			<td>Thermo</td>
			<td>88880028</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>TSQ Altis mass spectrometer</td>
			<td>Thermo</td>
			<td>TSQ02-10002</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>uHPLC - Vanquish</td>
			<td>Thermo</td>
			<td>VQF01-20001</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Vacuum concentrator</td>
			<td>Thermo</td>
			<td>Savant ISS 110</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
	</tbody>
</table>

quantitative proteomics workflow using multiple reaction monitoring based detection of proteins from human brain tissue

The proteomic analysis of the human brain tissue over the last decade has greatly enhanced our understanding of the brain. However, brain related disorders continue to be a major contributor of deaths around the world, necessitating the need for even greater understanding of their pathobiology. Traditional antibody-based techniques like western blotting or immunohistochemistry suffer from being low-throughput besides being labor-intensive and qualitative or semi-quantitative. Even conventional mass spectrometry-based shotgun approaches fail to provide conclusive evidence to support a certain hypothesis. Targeted proteomics approaches are largely hypothesis driven and differ from the conventional shotgun proteomics approaches that have been long in use. Multiple reaction monitoring is one such targeted approach that requires the use of a special mass spectrometer called the tandem quadrupole mass spectrometer or triple quadrupole mass spectrometer. In the current study, we have systematically highlighted the major steps involved in performing a successful tandem quadrupole mass spectrometry-based proteomics workflow using human brain tissue with an aim to introduce this workflow to a broader research community.

We performed relative quantification of 3 proteins from 10 samples, 5 samples from each group of patients with abnormalities in the brain. These proteins included Apolipoprotein A-I (APOA-I), Vimentin (VIM) and Nicotinamide phosphoribosyltransferase (NAMPT) which are known to perform diverse roles in the brain cells. Post-run analysis of the data was performed using Skyline-daily (Ver 20.2.1.286). A total of 10 peptides corresponding to 3 proteins were monitored. These included 3 peptides for APOA-I, 4 peptides for VIM a...

Watch this Scientific Journal Video about Quantitative Proteomics Workflow using Multiple Reaction Monitoring Based Detection of Proteins from Human Brain Tissue at JoVE.com

Quantitative Proteomics Workflow using Multiple Reaction Monitoring Based Detection of Proteins from Human Brain Tissue

The protocol aims to introduce the use of a triple quadrupole mass spectrometer for Multiple Reaction Monitoring (MRM) of proteins from clinical samples. We have provided a systematic workflow starting from sample preparation to data analysis for clinical samples with all the necessary precautions to be taken.

The proteomic analysis of the human brain tissue over the last decade has greatly enhanced our understanding of the brain. However, brain related ...

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