home

Proteomics

Residents of the Greek town of Metsovo who were exposed to asbestos via a locally used whitewash and developed malignant pleural mesothelioma presented different protein profiles depending on the presence or absence of pleural calcifications. The data suggest that the calcifications offer some protection against uncontrolled cell growth and tumour formation.

The present review covers modern aspects of combinatorial peptide ligand libraries as used to analyze the low-abundance proteome in association with mass spectrometry.

Proteomic profiling and genomic analysis have been integrated for the first time in cervical cancer studies to identify potential biomarkers from cervical swabs. The combination was made possible by a new technique for extracting high quality protein from the swabs

Enterotoxins originating from the pathogen <em>Staphylococcus aureus</em>, which is one of the most common causes of food-borne diseases, have been detected and quantified by mass spectrometry using isotopically labelled enterotoxins as internal standards. The procedure broadens the range of enterotoxins that can be detected by commercial ELISA kits.

The latest developments in imaging mass spectrometry and their relevance to clinical mass spectral analysis have been reviewed. The technique allows for high throughput analysis of tissue samples and is fully compatible with biostatistical analysis without prior knowledge of protein expression.

The molecular responses of two potato cultivars to growth under salty conditions, determined by a proteomic method, indicate that defence-associated proteins are increased to cope with higher salt levels.

Potential new markers for CJD have been identified in the cerebrospinal fluid of patients by researchers in Germany, who used an optimised 2D differential gel electrophoresis technique to compare the protein profiles with those of patients with other neurodegenerative diseases.

Seeds possess a high intrinsic capacity for protein production that makes them a desirable bioreactor platform for the manufacture of transgenic products. One strategy to enhance foreign protein production involves exchanging the capacity to produce intrinsic proteins for the capacity to produce a high level of foreign proteins.

A set of placental proteins associated with assisted human reproduction has been identified by Chinese scientists trying to uncover the molecular changes that lead to abnormal offspring outcomes, such as low birth weight and birth defects.

Two potential biomarkers for the cognitive impairment that occurs with advanced HIV-1 infection have been found in serum by a proteomics study and the results have been compared with those from similar work by the same group on cerebrospinal fluid.

This paper reviews the progress of the domesticated silkworm genome, particularly focusing on its genetic map, physical map and functional genome.

A comprehensive proteomics study has identified the largest number of proteins to date in royal jelly while research by a second group has examined how the proteins stand up to storage at different temperatures over 12 months.

The proteins on the outer surface of a parasitic bovine blood fluke that infects domestic and wild ruminants have been studied by a proteomics technique to identify potential targets for drug treatments.

Selected lines of investigation and approaches undertaken by the author's laboratory, drawing on more than 15 years of experience in bladder cancer proteomics, are reviewed to highlight a number of issues that may be useful for researchers entering the field.

An artificial tissue chamber for implantation into mice has been designed to study the host response to the bacterium responsible for acne in humans. This microenvironment offers a unique system for testing novel anti-acne drugs in vivo.

A new test for ricin has been developed with sufficient sensitivity to detect this potential chemical weapon in environmental and food samples. It relies on immunocapture of the toxin followed by the analysis of a trio of peptides obtained by digestion with trypsin.

This review considers aspects of redox signalling in the cardiovascular system, focusing on the molecular basis of redox sensing by proteins and the array of post-translational oxidative modifications that can occur.

Exercise affects metabolic proteins in the brain, say European scientists. Rats undertaking voluntary and forced exercise over several months showed different protein changes to sedentary rats in the part of the brain associated with cognitive functions.

Human exposure to non-fatal doses of nuclear radiation will be marked by changes in the urinary proteome, say researchers in the US, following studies on rats. The data will be useful in helping to formulate a point of care screening assay in the event of a major nuclear incident.

A total of 31 papers published between 1997 and 2007 are reviewed to provide an overview of proteomic studies in animal models of diabetes and to give some insight into the different methods available today in the rapidly developing field of proteomics.