Anita Preininger | PubMed Health

PubMed2007

Quantification of diacylglycerol species from cellular extracts by electrospray ionization mass spectrometry using a linear regression algorithm.

Diacylglycerols (DAGs) play significant roles in both intermediate metabolism and signal transduction. These lipid species are second messengers involved in modulating a plethora of cellular processes. Evaluation of DAG species concentrations has been hampered by the lack of a reliable method for molecular species analysis within a complex mixture of cellular lipids. We describe a new method for quantitative analysis of DAG species from complex biological extracts based on positive mode electrospray ionization mass spectrometry without prior derivatization. Quantification is achieved using internal standards and calibration curves constructed by spiking cell extracts with different concentrations of DAG species containing various acyl chain lengths and degrees of unsaturation. The new mass spectral data processing algorithm incorporates a multiple linear regression model including a factor accountable for possible interactions between experimental preparations and the slope of the curve for the standards, allowing the examinations of the effects of sample origin conditions (such as cell types, phenotypes, etc.) and instrument variability on this slope. Internal standards provide a basis for quantification of 28 DAG molecular species detected in RAW 264.7 cells after stimulation of a G-protein coupled receptor with platelet activating factor. This method displays excellent reproducibility over the established range of concentrations with variations of < or =10% and is highly sensitive with a detection limit of 0.1-0.4 pmol/microL depending upon acyl chain composition. We have shown differential effects on various DAGs in response to a ligand which illustrates the importance of examining lipids at the molecular species level rather than as a single homogeneous entity.

Algorithms↗

PubMed2003

Insights into G protein structure, function, and regulation.

In multicellular organisms from Caenorhabditis elegans to Homo sapiens, the maintenance of homeostasis is dependent on the continual flow and processing of information through a complex network of cells. Moreover, in order for the organism to respond to an ever-changing environment, intercellular signals must be transduced, amplified, and ultimately converted to the appropriate physiological response. The resolution of the molecular events underlying signal response and integration forms the basis of the signal transduction field of research. An evolutionarily highly conserved group of molecules known as heterotrimeric guanine nucleotide-binding proteins (G proteins) are key determinants of the specificity and temporal characteristics of many signaling processes and are the topic of this review. Numerous hormones, neurotransmitters, chemokines, local mediators, and sensory stimuli exert their effects on cells by binding to heptahelical membrane receptors coupled to heterotrimeric G proteins. These highly specialized transducers can modulate the activity of multiple signaling pathways leading to diverse biological responses. In vivo, specific combinations of G alpha- and G beta gamma-subunits are likely required for connecting individual receptors to signaling pathways. The structural determinants of receptor-G protein-effector specificity are not completely understood and, in addition to involving interaction domains of these primary acting proteins, also require the participation of scaffolding and regulatory proteins.

Animals↗