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Biomedical subjects

Phillip Cash

Publications and source records attributed to Phillip Cash.

7 recordsLinked to original sources

An investigation of the effects of endometriosis on the proteome of human eutopic endometrium: a heterogeneous tissue with a complex disease.

The pathogenesis of endometriosis includes the proliferation of heterogeneous endometrial cells and their invasion into ectopic sites within the peritoneal cavity. This may be due to abnormalities of the eutopic endometrium itself, predisposing the cells to survive and implant ectopically. We investigated the applicability of 2-DE gels and peptide mass mapping to identify candidate endometrial proteins with a role in endometriosis. Despite the heterogeneous nature of endometrium, our results show that combining the analysis of 2-DE gels and peptide mass mapping yields consistent data. We identified dysregulated proteins in women with endometriosis which included: (i) molecular chaperones including heat shock protein 90 and annexin A2, (ii) proteins involved in cellular redox state, such as peroxiredoxin 2, (iii) proteins involved in protein and DNA formation/breakdown, including ribonucleoside-diphosphate reductase, prohibitin and prolyl 4-hydroxylase, and (iv) secreted proteins, such as apolipoprotein A1. These proteins have functions which suggest that they could play a role in the pathogenesis of endometriosis. This study demonstrated that 2-DE gel analysis and mass spectroscopic protein identification are suitable for the identification of proteins with candidate associations with endometriosis. These techniques should be used on a larger scale to identify endometriosis-related proteins, thus improving the understanding of this complex disease.

Adult↗

Enrichment of Escherichia coli proteins by column chromatography on reactive dye columns.

The reliable identification and analysis of the low abundance proteins expressed by a cell remains a key challenge in the study of cellular proteomes. The analysis of low abundance proteins is a particular problem when using two-dimensional gel electrophoresis (2-DE) to resolve the cellular proteins since the technology is unable to display the wide dynamic range of protein levels typically synthesized by cells. We have investigated the use of reactive dye compounds for the enrichment of low abundance cellular proteins prior to analysis by 2-DE. The capacity of reactive dye compounds to bind specific protein species was used as the basis for a general chromatographic tool for protein enrichment. Six reactive dye compounds were investigated in detail for the analysis of Escherichia coli proteins. Whole bacterial cell lysates were passed down columns prepared with the reactive dye compounds. The bound proteins were eluted with 1.5 M NaCl and analyzed by 2-DE. Distinctive protein profiles were observed for the bound proteins recovered from the different reactive dye compounds. Selected proteins enriched by these methods were identified by peptide mass mapping. The enrichment procedure developed using reactive dye compounds were used to investigate acid-induced changes in the proteome of E. coli grown at either pH 7.0 or pH 5.8. Increased levels of expression were observed for a number of proteins (for example, GdhA, PanC, ProC, TkrA, EF-TS and YodA) were observed for E. coli grown at pH 5.8. Five identified proteins (AroG, FabI, GlyA, PurA and EF-Tu) showed reduced levels of synthesis for bacteria grown at pH 5.8 compared to pH 7.0. In the case of PanC and FabI the altered expression profiles were only reliably demonstrated using the enrichment protocols. One theme emerging from these data was that the expression of proteins concerned with one-carbon metabolism was perturbed at pH 5.8, which may point to a previously unrecognized affect of low pH stress on the physiology of E. coli cells. We conclude that the prefractionation of cell lysates on reactive dye columns will serve as a valuable generic tool for the analysis of low abundance proteins expressed by both prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells.

Coloring Agents↗

Proteomics of bacterial pathogens.

The rapid growth of proteomics that has been built upon the available bacterial genome sequences has opened provided new approaches to the analysis of bacterial functional genomics. In the study of pathogenic bacteria the combined technologies of genomics, proteomics and bioinformatics has provided valuable tools for the study of complex phenomena determined by the action of multiple gene sets. The review considers some of the recent developments in the establishment of proteomic databases as well as attempts to define pathogenic determinants at the level of the proteome for some of the major human pathogens. Proteomics can also provide practical applications through the identification of immunogenic proteins that may be potential vaccine targets as well as in extending our understanding of antibiotic action. There is little doubt that proteomics has provided us with new and valuable information on bacterial pathogens and will continue to be an important source of information in the coming years.

Animals↗

A 60-66 kDa protein with gonadotrophin surge attenuating factor bioactivity is produced by human ovarian granulosa cells.

We aimed to confirm the ovarian site of gonadotrophin surge-attenuating factor (GnSAF) production and produce granulosa/luteal cell-conditioned medium (G/LCM) containing GnSAF for purification studies. Blue dye affinity chromatography followed by pseudochromatofocusing of G/LCM yielded bioactive fractions at pH 5.74 and 5.77. The former had a major 60-66 kDa band with an internal amino acid sequence of EPQVYVHAP following tryptic digestion. A rat polyclonal antiserum (rPAb) raised against this band completely blocked in-vitro GnSAF bioactivity in human follicular fluid, serum and G/LCM. GnSAF bioactivity was localized to a 64 kDa band of serum-free G/LCM and following 2D gel electrophoresis, one of the spots recognized by Western blotting with the GnSAF rPAb had an N-terminal amino acid sequence of NH-XVPQGNAXXN. Neither amino acid sequence had significant homology with proteins in the human genome database. When ovarian tissues from spontaneously cycling women were cultured under serum-free conditions, neither theca- nor stroma-conditioned media contained GnSAF bioactivity. However, granulosa cell-conditioned medium significantly reduced GnRH-induced LH secretion, an effect that was reversed by incubation with the GnSAF rPAb. In conclusion, we have confirmed that human granulosa cells produce GnSAF within the ovary and have two candidate amino acid sequences for GnSAF. We have also demonstrated that serum-free granulosa cell culture constitutes the method of choice for the characterization of GnSAF since recovery of bioactivity is superior in the presence of fewer serum proteins.

Biological Factors↗

Molecular epidemiology of erythromycin resistance in Streptococcus pneumoniae isolates from blood and noninvasive sites.

Erythromycin-resistant isolates of Streptococcus pneumoniae from blood cultures and noninvasive sites were studied over a 3-year period. The prevalence of erythromycin resistance was 11.9% (19 of 160) in blood culture isolates but 4.2% (60 of 1,435) in noninvasive-site isolates. Sixty-two of the 79 resistant isolates were available for study. The M phenotype was responsible for 76% (47 of 62) of resistance, largely due to a serotype 14 clone, characterized by multilocus sequence typing as ST9, which accounted for 79% (37 of 47) of M phenotype resistance. The ST9 clone was 4.8 times more common in blood than in noninvasive sites. All M phenotype isolates were PCR positive for mef(A), but sequencing revealed that the ST9 clone possessed the mef(A) sequence commonly associated with Streptococcus pyogenes. All M phenotype isolates with this mef(A) sequence also had sequences consistent with the presence of the Tn1207.1 genetic element inserted in the celB gene. In contrast, isolates with the mef(E) sequence normally associated with S. pneumoniae contained sequences consistent with the presence of the mega insertion element. All MLS(B) isolates carried erm(B), and two isolates carried both erm(B) and mef(E). Fourteen of the 15 MLS(B) isolates were tetracycline resistant and contained tet(M). However, six M phenotype isolates of serotypes 19 (two isolates) and 23 (four isolates) were also tetracycline resistant and contained tet(M). MICs for isolates with the mef(A) sequence were significantly higher than MICs for isolates with the mef(E) sequence (P < 0.001). Thus, the ST9 clone of S. pneumoniae is a significant cause of invasive pneumococcal disease in northeast Scotland and is the single most important contributor to M phenotype erythromycin resistance.

Anti-Bacterial Agents↗