Original Paper

Pdf file on Synergy

omments

Acta Biochim Biophys Sin 2008, 40: 55�70

doi:10.1111/j.1745-7270.2008.00374.x

dataset of the plasma membrane proteome of nasopharyngeal carcinoma cell line HNE1 for uncovering protein function

 

Lijun Zhang1#, Xiaofang Jia1#, Xiaohui Liu1, Tingting Sheng1, Rui Cao1, Quanyuan He1, Zhen Liu1, Xia Peng1, Jixian Xiong1, Pengfei Zhang2, Ni Shi1, and Songping Liang1*

 

1 College of Life Sciences, Hunan Normal University, Changsha 410081, China

2 Key Laboratory of Cancer Proteomics of the Chinese Ministry of Health, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha 410081, China

 

Received: August 1, 2007�������

Accepted: September 18, 2007

This work was supported by the grants from the National 973 Project of China (No. 2001CB5102), the Chinese Human Liver Proteome Project (No. 2004 BA711A11), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Nos. 30000028 and 30240056), and the Program for Changjiang Scholars and Innovative Research Team in University (No. IRT0445)

# These authors contributed equally to this work

*Corresponding author: Tel, 86-731-8872556; Fax, 86-731-8861304; E-mail, [email protected]

 

Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is a commonly occurring tumor in southern China and Southeast Asia. The current study focused on developing an extensive analysis method for the peripheral and integral proteins of NPC cell line HNE1. The peripheral membrane proteins were extracted by biotinylated enrichment, 0.1 M Na2CO3, and H2O. Integral or total plasma membrane fractions were prepared using 30% Percoll density grade centrifugation with or without 0.1 M Na2CO3 treatment and evaluated by Western blot analysis. The proteins were subjected to two-dimensional electrophoresis combined with tandem mass spectrometry, sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis combined with tandem mass spectrometry, and shotgun analysis. We identified 371, 180, and 702 proteins from peripheral, integral, and total plasma membrane fractions, respectively. In all, 848 non-redundant proteins (534 groups) were identified. Binding, catalytic, and structural molecules were the major classes. In addition to the known cell surface markers of NPC cells, the analysis revealed 311 proteins involved in multiple cell-signaling pathways and 25 proteins in disease pathways that are characteristic of cancer cells. By searching the Differentially Expressed Protein Database (http://protchem.hunnu.edu.cn/depd/index.jsp), 199 proteins were found to be differentially expressed in previous cancer proteome research. A 671 protein-protein interaction network� was obtained, including 178 identified proteins in this work. The plasma membrane localization of five proteins� was confirmed by immunological techniques, validating this proteomic strategy. Our study could offer some help for understanding� the molecular mechanism of NPC.

 

Keywords������� nasopharyngeal carcinoma; plasma membrane; proteome; protein-protein interaction; immuno�cytochemistry

 

 

Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is a malignancy with high incidence in southern China and Southeast Asia [1]. Patients with NPC tend to present at an advanced stage of disease because the primary anatomical site of tumor growth is located in a silent area, and the tumors show a high metastatic potential [1-3]. Previous studies [3-6] have found that NPC might be related to Epstein-Barr virus� infection, certain environmental conditions, some genetic factors, and diet (e.g., nitrosamine and nitrite intake). However, the molecular basis for NPC is not fully understood. Therefore, it is very important to study the molecular mechanism and look for a rapid diagnostic assay� for early detection and treatment of NPC.

NPC cell lines have long been used by researchers as model systems for understanding the disease process itself� [6,7]. In proteomic research, direct measurement of protein� expression and regulation in cancer cells has become� a goal, the successful attainment of which could lead to a more fundamental understanding of the factors that lead to the onset and progression of nasopharyngeal cancer, thus to more effective diagnostic procedures and the identification of potential therapeutic targets. HNE1, one of the widest-used NPC cell lines bearing wild-type p53 [8], was used as a model for proteomics research in this work.

The cell surface membrane is of substantial interest with regard to various aspects of disease, from molecular diagnosis to therapeutics. Numerous cell surface proteins represent therapeutic targets. For example, the discovery that the gene for a growth factor receptor (HER2) is amplified in breast tumors and its protein product is consequently� overexpressed at the cell surface has led to an effective form of therapy for breast cancer using an antibody that targets HER2 [9]. Another example is annexin A1, a calcium-regulated membrane-binding protein known to be overexpressed in lung cancer cell plasma membrane (PM). Radio-immunotherapy to annexin A1 destroys tumors� and increases animal survival [10].

Thus, comprehensive profiles of PM proteins in HNE1 cells will facilitate our understanding of their critical roles in biological processes such as cell-to-cell adhesion, cell signaling, and ion transport. Additionally, profiling cell surface� proteins will increase our understanding of the biological process of NPC and facilitate target identification� for developing biomedical therapeutics. Comprehensive profiles of cell surface proteins in NPC, however, are not yet available.

In the present work, to investigate the cell surface proteome, one- and two-dimensional electrophoresis combined� with tandem mass spectrometry, and shotgun methods were used simultaneously. Together, 848 non-redundant� proteins were identified, of which 371 proteins were from cell peripheral PM, 702 from PM, and 180 from integral PM. Analysis of identified proteins indicated that HNE1 cells express a wide variety of cell surface markers, cancer-related proteins, and signaling molecules (such as receptors, transporters, and cell adhesion molecules). A complex network was constructed according to the interaction of proteins in the cell surface. Moreover, PM localization of five proteins was shown by immuno�cytochemistry.

This study serves four objectives: (1) to provide a set of methods to study cell surface proteins, (2) to characterize the HNE1 cell surface membrane proteome and identify� many new proteins that potentially play a critical role in NPC biogenesis and function, (3) to construct the network� of NPC cell surface proteins, and (4) to uncover the protein functions involved in disease or cancer pathways� and processes.

 

Materials and Methods

 

Materials

RPMI 1640, trypsin, and penicillin/streptomycin were obtained from Invitrogen (Carlsbad, USA). Fetal bovine serum was purchased from Tianjing Blood Institute (Tianjing, China). EZ-LinkTM sulfo-NHS-LC-biotin and ImmunoPure Monomeric Avidin kits were from Pierce (Rockford, USA). Proteomics Sequencing Grade trypsin, dithiothreitol, iodacetamide, trifluoroacetic acid, HEPES, 1-(4-trimethylammoniumphenyl)-6-phenyl-1,3,5-hexatriene p-toluenesulfonate, and Na2CO3 were obtained from Sigma-Aldrich (St. Louis, USA). Acrylamide, bis-acrylamide, urea, glycine, Percoll, Tris and sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) were from GE (Solon, USA). Centricon YM-3 columns and Immobilon-P polyvinylidene difluoride membranes were purchased from Millipore (Bedford, USA). Bio-Rad DC protein assay kit was from Bio-Rad Laboratories (Hercules, USA). Anti-NADH ubiquinol oxydoreductase 39, anti-fibrillarin, anti-valosin-containing� protein (VCP), and anti-non-metastatic 23 (nm23) were from abcam (Cambridge, UK). Anti-keratin 8 and anti-heat shock protein 70 were from Lab Vision (Fremont, USA). Anti-human galectin-1 was from Cytolab (Rehovot, Israel). Anti-flotillin immunoglobulin G (IgG) monoclonal antibody and horseradish peroxidase-conjugated anti-mouse IgG were obtained from BD Biosciences (San Jose, USA). LumiGLO Chemiluminescent Substrate and fluorescein�-isothiocyanate-conjugated or tetramethyl�rhodamine isothiocyanate-conjugated goat anti-rabbit or mouse IgG were from KPL (Gaithersburg, USA). HPLC-grade acetonitrile and acetone were from the Chinese National Medicine Group, Shanghai Chemical Reagent Company (Shanghai, China). Water was obtained from an Aquapro purification system (Chongqing, China). All other reagents were of analytical grade.

 

Cell culture

The HNE1 cell line was provided by the Cancer Research Institute of Xiangya Medicine College, Central South University, Changsha, China. The cells were cultured in RPMI 1640 medium supplemented with 10% fetal bovine serum, 200 U/ml penicillin, and 100 U/ml streptomycin in a water-saturated, 5% CO2 atmosphere at 37 �C in 75 cm2 flasks.

 

Preparation of peripheral proteins

Immunoaffinity enrichment and direct extraction were used to extract cell peripheral proteins. The immunoaffinity enrichment method presented here consisted of: (1) in situ biotinylation of surface proteins on intact cells using the membrane-impermeable reagent sulfo-NHS-LC-biotin, (2) extraction of peripheral proteins, and (3) affinity capture� of the biotinylated proteins with avidin [1113]. Direct extraction was carried out as follows. Cells in 75 cm2 flasks were washed twice with RPMI 1640, and twice with phosphate-buffered saline (PBS), and then the cell surface proteins were extracted directly with 0.1 M Na2CO3 or H2O. The change in cell morphology was observed microscopically. The extraction was stopped when the cell membranes were about to break.

 

Preparation of PM and integral PM

The PM was isolated as previously described [14,15]. All steps were carried out at 4 �C. Briefly, adherent cells (2108) were washed three times with PBS, scraped using� a plastic cell lifter, and broken using a glass homogenizer. For integral PM proteins, the post-nuclear supernatant was treated with 0.1 M Na2CO3 for 30 min, then the post-nuclear supernatant with or without 0.1 M Na2CO3 was diluted with 100% Percoll to make a 30% Percoll solution, then centrifuged at 84,000 g for 30 min using an SW-41 rotor (Beckman, USA). Fractions of 1.0 ml (typically 13 fractions in total) were collected from the top of the gradient. To characterize the contents of these subcellular� fractions, all fractions (1 ml sample) were analyzed by western blot with antibodies against known molecular markers for several organelles, flotillin for the PM, NADH ubiquinol oxydoreductase 39 for the mitochondrial apparatus, and fibrillarin for the nucleus. Fractions 2 and 3 (a visible band) containing flotillin but less NADH ubiquinol oxydoreductase 39 or fibrillarin were precipitated� with acetone and represented the PM. The 0.1 M Na2CO3 treated sample was named the integral PM protein.

 

Gel separation, in-gel digestion, and mass spectro�metry analysis

These experiments were carried out according to our previous� reports [1621].

 

Data analysis and bioinformatics

Perl software (http://www.perl.com/download.csp) was written to pick up significant hits from Mascot output files (html files) into tab-delimited data files suitable for subsequent data analysis as described in a previous report [21]. The molecular weight, score, and peptides matched were included. The protein location and function, such as the pathway, were obtained through a Gene Ontology (GO) database search (http://www.geneontology.org/). Furthermore, the protein accession numbers from Swiss-Prot (http://expasy.org/sprot/) were searched against the Differentially Expressed Protein Database (DEPD; http://protchem.hunnu.edu.cn/depd/index.jsp) (data not shown).

 

Protein-protein interaction (PPI) network

To create the PPI network, we searched against the local BIND database (version 2.0) [22] using proteins we identified� as input. The network file was created by our Proteomics Profile Analyzer and drawn by Pajek software (version 1.21) (http://vlado.fmf.uni-lj.si/pub/networks/pajek).

 

Immunocytochemistry and fluorescence microscopy

Cells were washed with PBS, fixed with 4% para�formaldehyde/PBS for 15 min, and permeabilized with acetone/methanol (1:1) at room temperature for 30 s. Cells were washed with PBS four times and blocked by exposure to PBS buffer containing 5% normal goat serum� for 30 min. The cells were incubated with primary antibodies� for 1.5 h at room temperature. Dilutions of primary rabbit or mouse antibodies were: Na+/K+-ATPase, nm23, human galectin-1 and VCP, 1:250; keratin 8, 1:150; and heat shock protein 70, 1:70. After rinsing with PBS, cells were incubated with fluorescein-isothiocyanate-conjugated or tetramethylr�hodamine isothiocyanate-conjugated� goat anti-rabbit or mouse IgG (KPL) diluted� 1:1000 in 1% normal goat serum in PBS. Some slides were stained by 1-(4-trimethylam���moniumphenyl)-6-phenyl�-1,3,5-hexatriene p-toluenesulfonate. All slides were viewed with a Zeiss Axioskop2 Plus fluorescence microscope� (Carl Zeiss, Jena, Germany) and digitized images were processed using AxioVision 3.1 software (Carl Zeiss).

 

Results

 

Profiling the peripheral PM proteome enriched by biotinylation

According to the study by Peirce et al [13], biotin could penetrate to the inner membrane and result in the contamination� of cytoplast proteins. So in this research, we collected cell peripheral protein from intact cells after the cells were biotinylated [Fig. 1(A,B)].

 

Profiling the peripheral PM proteome enriched by Na2CO3 or H2O treatment

Although the biotinylation-affinity method is a classical method for extraction of cell surface proteins, it has some limitations. Only those proteins with lysine residues exposed� on the cell surface can be labeled by the biotinylation reagent [23]. So, in our study, we also explored� two convenient ways to obtain more peripheral PM proteins� on the basis that these proteins dissolve easily in water and high salt solution. We used 0.1 M Na2CO3 or H2O for extraction. It was found that they can extract peripheral� PM proteins with intact cells [Fig. 1(C-E)]; these proteins� were used for proteomics analysis.

 

Preparation of PM

Thirty percent Percoll was used as the medium for PM separation in our research. After ultracentrifugation, the fractions were dotted to polyvinylidene difluoride membranes, and analyzed using organelle-specific antibodies. Fractions 2 and 3 containing flotillin (a PM-specific marker) but less NADH ubiquinol oxydoreductase 39 (mitochondrial-specific marker) and no fibrillarin (nucleus-specific protein), were pooled for proteome analysis (Fig. 2). A relatively pure PM was obtained and used for all subsequent proteomics investigations.

 

Preparation of integral PM proteins

In order to enrich integral PM proteins, we treated the post-nuclear supernatant with Na2CO3 at a final concentration of 0.1 M. Similarly, PM-enriched fractions 2 and 3 were pooled and used for integral PM protein analysis (data not shown).

 

Overview of peripheral, integral, and total PM protein� separation and identification

The peripheral, integral, and total PM proteins of NPC cells were extracted into complementary protein populations, separated and identified by SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (PAGE)-MS/MS, 2DE-MS/MS or shotgun, as depicted in Fig. 3. Representative 1DE and 2DE are shown in Fig. 4. Such extensive fractionation will aid the identification of proteins with low expression levels and provide information relevant to function. In addition, we used different strategies to improve the success� rate of protein identification by MS.

Three complementary subproteomes were generated, including: (1) a cell peripheral PM subproteome [Fig. 3(A) and Fig. 4(A)], (2) the total PM proteome [Fig. 3(B) and Fig. 4], and (3) the integral PM proteome [Fig. 3(C) and Fig. 4]. A total of 848 non-redundant proteins were identified (data not shown), of which 371 proteins were from peripheral PM fractions, 702 from total PM fractions, and 180 from integral PM fractions. Only 76 proteins were identified as present in all three kinds of fractions (Fig. 5). For the 371 peripheral PM proteins, 277 were from Na2CO3 extraction, 103 from H2O extraction, and 83 from the fraction enriched by biotinylation. Among the 702 proteins� identified from the PM fraction, 54 were identified� by 2DE-MS (some protein spots are marked in fig. 4), 354 by high capacity trap, and 518 by SDS-PAGE-MS (Table 1). When a protein was identified by several methods, only the protein identification information with the highest score was picked. This includes the protein names, molecular weight, function, and location of the protein according to GO annotation.

Although some proteins were identified by only a single peptide, 72% of the proteins contributed by electronic spray ionization quadrupole-time of flight mass spectrometer were identified by two or more peptides at the 95% confidence level (p<0.05); for proteins identified by shotgun, 96% of proteins were identified by two or more peptides at the 95% confidence level (p<0.05). For those proteins identified by only one peptide, the MS/MS profile� was checked manually; only proteins identified by peptides� with continuous three Y or B ions were selected. For 54 proteins identified by matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization�-time of flight-time of flight (MALDI-TOF-TOF), all were analyzed by PSD with at least one peptide. Most were overlapped with those from other methods, except that two proteins for only protein spots with high abundance� were cut and identified in this work (data not shown).

 

Physicochemical characteristics of the identified proteins�

The analysis of identified proteins by the TMHMM program� (http://www.cbs.dtu.dk/services/TMHMM/TMHMM2.0b.guide.php) predicted transmembrane (TM) segments for four proteins (1.1%) from the peripheral fractions, 45 (6.3%) from the PM fractions, and 18 (10.0%) from the integral fractions that had molecular characteristics� typical of integral membrane proteins. The number of TM domains in the molecules ranged from one (41 proteins) to 10 (one protein) (data not shown). Because peripheral proteins are soluble and loosely combined� with integral membrane protein or phospholipid, the methods for peripheral protein extraction presented here yielded only 1.0% proteins with TM regions, indicating� that the method was efficient. Furthermore, because� 20%-30% of all open reading frames encoded by the genome have been predicted to be integral membrane� proteins [24,25], the method for integral membrane extraction� presented here concentrated potential TM proteins� not very efficiently.

To validate the present procedure, the subcellular locations� of the identified proteins were categorized according� to the universal GO cellular component annotation. Four hundred and eighty (56.4%) proteins had a GO annotation for cellular component or cellular locations, of which 168 (35%) were PM or PM-related proteins. The proteins annotated as intermediate filament, cytoskeleton, and membrane were also considered as PM or PM-related proteins. The remaining proteins were localized� primarily to intracellular region (20%) or cytoplasm� (23%), as shown in Fig. 6. mitochondrial, and nuclear proteins were also identified, perhaps due to other organelles in close contact with the PM, or the existence� of proteins at more than one site in the cell. Of course, during sample preparation, some intracellular or cytoplasmic proteins were extracted, with peripheral, PM, and integral PM proteins collected by acetone precipitation.

 

Characterization of cell surface proteins

Functional classification�� The molecular functions of the proteins identified in this study were classified according� to the GO database (Fig. 7). Proteins with binding� activity were the largest subgroup in all fractions, consisting of 45%, 41%, and 47% of total identified PM, peripheral, and integral proteins, respectively. Compared with this ratio in all identified proteins (44%), the ratio in integral PM fractions was 3% higher, and that in peripheral� PM fractions was 3% lower. This group included many important proteins such as CD68 antigen variant, a widely used marker for cancer detection [26,27], alkaline phosphatase, T-complex protein 1 (gamma subunit), putative� S100 calcium-binding protein, and calmodulin. Proteins with catalytic activity were the second-largest subgroup. The ratio of catalytic activity protein to total protein was highest in the peripheral PM fraction of the three fractions (total PM, peripheral, and integral PM). In all, 220 such proteins were identified, including 4F2 cell surface antigen heavy chain (also named CD98 antigen), splice isoform 1 of 3-hydroxyacyl-CoA dehydrogenase type II, and migration inhibitory factor protein. The CD98 antigen involved in cell growth is up-regulated in oral squamous� cell carcinoma and might have an important role in the early stages of multistep oral carcinogenesis [28]. Another major category was structural proteins (24% of the 848 identified proteins). This study also identified five kinds of other functional proteins, including� enzyme regulator activity proteins, transporters, and antioxidant molecules. Approximately 10% (85 proteins) had no annotated� functions and, therefore, were classified� as unknown. Through prediction, we found that many new proteins might play important roles in cell function. For example, hypothetical protein FLJ16459, International Protein Index (IPI) accession No. IPI00442122 (http://apr2005.archive.ensembl.org/IPI/), is an unknown protein� with 71% similarity to tropomyosin 2 beta that plays a central role in the calcium-dependent regulation of vertebrate� striated muscle contraction. Hypothetical protein� FLJ46846 (IPI00418700) is a protein with 78% similarity to neuroblast differentiation-associated protein AHNAK, required for neuronal cell differentiation. Hypothetical protein� FLJ32377 (IPI00387164) is 84% similar to ubiquitin C that acts as an E3 ubiquitin-protein� ligase and accepts ubiquitin from specific E2 ubiquitin-conjugating enzymes. Hypothetical protein (IPI00604713) is 89% similar� to CKAP4 protein, a cell surface protein with binding� activity. Hypothetical protein FLJ27077 (IPI00442522) is 94% similar to L-lactate dehydrogenase A chain, whose defects cause exertional myoglobinuria.

Cell-signaling molecules��� The 311 proteins identified are involved in 91 kinds of pathways. Of these, 126 non-redundant proteins have potential roles in many cell-signaling pathways, including 37 cell communication molecules and 22 calcium-signaling pathway proteins (data not shown). Among these signaling molecules, many proteins� with roles in multiple pathways were found, such as transforming protein Ras homolog gene family, member� A variant, and titin. We found four proteins of the CD44 gene (CD44 antigen, CD44 antigen precursor, hypothetical� protein DKFZp451K1918, and splice isoform CD44 of the CD44 antigen precursor). CD44 antigen is involved in the extracellular matrix receptor interaction pathway. It is a protein up-regulated in many tumor cells [29,30] and serves as a marker for many cancers.

Proteins involved in disease pathways��� The cell surface membrane is a subcellular component of substantial interest� in regard to various aspects of disease, from molecular diagnosis to therapeutics. Through the KEGG search, we found nine disease pathways (25 non-redundant proteins) including Huntington's disease (eight proteins), cholera infection (eight proteins), Parkinson's disease (four proteins), prion disease (three proteins), and neurodegenerative disorders (three proteins) (Table 2). For example, clathrin heavy chain 1 (IPI00024067) is a very important PM protein involved in the Huntington's disease pathway. It is the major protein of the polyhedral coat of coated pits and vesicles, and was found to have increased expression in a neck and head cancer cell line [31]. Calmodulin (IPI00075248), another very important PM protein, was found to be involved in Huntington's disease. Calmodulin plays a role in the calcium signaling pathway, the phosphatidylinositol signaling system, and insulin signaling pathway, and was found to be expressed differentially in many cancer cells [32,33].

Proteins found in DEPD��� Apart from this general function research, we analyzed protein function through DEPD, a database including 3000 differentially expressed proteins manually extracted from published reports, largely from studies of serious human diseases including lung cancer, breast cancer, and liver cancer [34]. A total of 199 proteins differentially expressed in cancer were found (data not shown), including proteins involved in breast, prostate, brain, liver, stomach, colon, blood, kidney, and vein cancer. Many proteins were found to be up-regulated in different cancers, for example, T-complex protein 1, delta subunit (up-regulated in breast cancer), prohibitin (up-regulated in gliomas), annexin V (up-regulated in colorectal, pituitary, colon, vein, stomach, and skin cancer), and pyruvate kinase 3 isoform 1 variant (up-regulated in breast, kidney, pancreas, colon, blood, and breast cancer). Splice isoform 1 of heat shock cognate 71 kDa protein, found in total PM, peripheral PM, and integral PM protein fractions, is a very important cell surface protein involved in many cancers such as colon, breast, liver, thymus, blood, lung, prostate, and womb cancer. Furthermore, other proteins were also found that were down-regulated after treatment with anti-cancer drugs, such as tubulin-specific chaperone A and phosphatidylethanolamine-binding protein. Some of these proteins identified by 2DE-MS/MS are shown in Fig. 4.

PPI network��� Networks of protein interactions mediate many cellular responses to environmental stimuli and direct the execution of developmental programmers. Each protein typically interacts and reacts with interacting partners to execute its functions. Two essential questions that concern us are how proteins coming from other subcellular organelles interact with PM proteins, and how PM proteins interact with each other (such as integral membrane proteins with peripheral membrane proteins). To investigate these issues, we searched the BIND database, the largest database for protein interaction, against proteins we identified as seeds. As shown in Fig. 8 and table 3, 178 seed proteins were involved in 671 interactions with 345 other proteins or small molecules. In the network, all seed proteins are grouped into seven categories based on the fractions of sample (peripheral and/or integral and/or total PM), and are shown in different colors. The topology of the network suggests that some proteins interact with many partners, such as calmodulin (spot1, IPI00075248), MIF protein (spot39, IPI00293276), and voltage-dependent anion-selective channel protein 1 (spot96, IPI00216308) interacting with 28, 4, and 2 proteins, respectively.

As shown in Fig. 8, several proteins identified from peripheral, integral, and PM fractions interact with paxillin (spot51, gi|27735219), a cytoskeletal protein (http://www.expasy.org/uniprot/P49023), and calnexin precursor (spot98, IPI00020984) interacts with calreticulin precursor (spot191, IPI00020599) through another protein. These interacting proteins usually have very important functions in the PM. For example, voltage-dependent anion-selective channel protein 1 (spot96, IPI00216308) interacts with two partners and forms a channel through the PM, which participates in the formation of the permeability transition pore complex responsible for the release of mitochondrial products that trigger apoptosis [35]. Caveolin-1 (spot134, IPI00009236) interacts with nine partners, including G-protein alpha subunits, and acts as a scaffolding protein within caveolar membranes (www.expasy.org, Q03135).

In summary, this PPI analysis highlighted many important membrane proteins as well as interactions between them.

 

Immunocytochemistry analysis

To further validate the present procedure, the subcellular localizations of five proteins with annotated localization on cytoplasm or nucleus were studied by immunocytochemistry in HNE1 cells. These were galectin-1, nm23, and keratin 8, annotated to be cytoplasmic proteins, and heat shock protein 70 and VCP, annotated to be nuclear and cytoplasmic proteins. Immunofluorescence experiments using mouse anti-galectin-1, anti-nm23, anti-keratin 8, anti-VCP, and anti-heat shock protein 70 showed that they were widely distributed in PM and confirmed their identification (Fig. 9).

 

Discussion

 

Organelle proteomics, which is being used increasingly to analyze cellular fractions, is advantageous in two respects. One is the decreased complexity of the samples to be analyzed and the other is the information provided on the subcellular localization of protein components. Unfortunately, such analysis has never been reported in NPC research. In this paper, we have attempted to characterize PM proteins based on the construction of the PM and their extractability under three different treatment conditions. One of our goals was to develop a methodology to categorize peripheral, integral, and total PM proteome. In this work, peripheral proteins were enriched by Na2CO3, H2O, and biotinylation. During their extraction, the cells were intact by microscopic observation, so as to decrease contamination by intracellular proteins. Highly purified PM and integral PM were obtained by Percoll density gradient centrifugation and verified by Western blot analysis. The proteins were separated and identified by different methods, including 2DE-MS/MS, 1DE-MS/MS, and shotgun. From our analysis, using a set of stringent identification criteria (e.g., for MALDI, peptide mass fingerprinting, 50 ppm, lift, 0.5 Da; and for ESI, MS, 0.6 Da; and for MS/MS, 0.3 Da) according to previous reports [16-21], we identified 848 non-redundant proteins. This is the first comprehensive proteomic study of NPC cell surface proteins.

In this study, approximately 36% of proteins were annotated to be proteins from other organelles, in spite of the stringent experiment control of PM preparations. To further validate our results, five proteins that were annotated to locate on cytoplasm or nuclear membrane, were confirmed to be at multiple locations, including PM, by immunocytochemistry. So our results indicated that some of these annotated contaminating proteins might potentially be cell surface components. However, it was still difficult to distinguish them from contamination, because intracellular proteins might penetrate to extracellular sites and be extracted as peripheral proteins. So it was necessary to develop new methods to separate and verify PM proteome.

This research provides new directions for studying the molecular mechanisms of NPC, including not only new experimental methods, but also new methods for the discovery of protein function. The protein functions were studied in five ways: (1) functional classification; (2) cell-signaling molecules; (3) disease pathways; (4) DEPD searching; and (5) PPI analysis. We profiled not only the functional distribution of cell surface proteins, but also a complex PPI network. We found many important proteins, including CD68 antigen variant and CD44 antigen. Through searching DEPD, we found 199 proteins differentially expressed in cancer. Although DEPD is not a comprehensive database, it is the only database available for differential proteome research. In any case, many cancer-related PM proteins were found in this research. To our knowledge, this study has constructed the first PPI network of NPC cell surface proteins. These cell surface proteins are connected to each other by shared components. The network that resulted is a topological description of the cell surface proteome. It is expected that this might provide drug discovery programs with a molecular context for the choice and evaluation of drug targets.

In summary, we isolated three cell surface fractions, peripheral, integral, and total PM proteins. For the first time, we have provided a proteome-wide analysis of the PM in NPC by using a combination of subcellular separation and proteome identification, and constructed the first PPI network in NPC PM. A comprehensive understanding of the proteome of NPC could help elucidate how cells fulfill their biological function in a context of a biological system. Cell surface interaction mapping of NPC can contribute to an understanding of how proteins carry out their functions at the cell surface. Differences in protein expression patterns between different cells as well as changes occurring during disease are of great interest in experimental medicine for diagnosis and treatment. The technology described here could help exploit such possibilities in the future.

 

 

References

 

 1�� Chan AT, Teo PM, Johnson PJ. Controversies in the management of locoregionally advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma. Curr Opin Oncol 1998, 10: 219-225

 2�� Chan AS, To KF, Lo KW, Mak KF, Pak W, Chiu B, Tse GM et al. High frequency of chromosome 3p deletion in histologically normal nasopharyngeal epithelia from southern Chinese. Cancer Res 2000, 60: 5365-5370

 3�� Raab-Traub N. Epstein-Barr virus in the pathogenesis of NPC. Semin Cancer Biol 2002, 12: 431-441

 4�� Ward MH, Pan WH, Cheng YJ, Li FH, Brinton LA, Chen CJ, Hsu MM et al. Dietary exposure to nitrite and nitrosamines and risk of nasopharyngeal carcinoma in Taiwan. Int J Cancer 2000, 86: 603-609

 5�� Jia WH, Feng BJ, Xu ZL, Zhang XS, Huang P, Huang LX, Yu XJ et al. Familial risk and clustering of nasopharyngeal carcinoma in Guangdong, China. Cancer 2004, 101: 363-369

 6�� Zhang B, Nie X, Xiao B, Xiang J, Shen S, Gong J, Zhou M et al. Identification of tissue-specific genes in nasopharyngeal epithelial tissue and differentially expressed genes in nasopharyngeal carcinoma by suppression subtractive hybridization and cDNA microarray. Genes Chromosomes Cancer 2003, 38: 80-90

 7�� Tan C, Li J, Wang J, Xiang Q, Zhang X, Dong L, Shen S et al. Proteomic analysis of differential protein expression in human nasopharyngeal carcinoma cells induced by NAG7 transfection. Proteomics 2002, 2: 306-312

 8�� Yao KT, Zhang HY, Zhu HC, Wang FX, Li GY, Wen DS, Li YP et al. Establishment and characterization of two epithelial tumor cell lines (HNE-1 and HONE-1) latently infected with Epstein-Barr virus and derived from nasopharyngeal carcinomas. Int J Cancer 1990, 45: 83-89

 9�� Slamon DJ, Leyland-Jones B, Shak S, Fuchs H, Paton V, Bajamonde A, Fleming T et al. Use of chemotherapy plus a monoclonal antibody against HER2 for metastatic breast cancer that overexpresses HER2. N Engl J Med 2001, 344: 783-792

10Oh P, Li Y, Yu J, Durr E, Krasinska KM, Carver LA, Testa JE et al.Subtractive proteomic mapping of the endothelial surface in lung and solid tumours for tissue-specific therapy. Nature 2004, 429: 629-635

11Jang JH, Hanash S. Profiling of the cell surface proteome. Proteomics 2003, 3: 1947-1954

12Shin BK, Wang H, Yim AM, Le Naour F, Brichory F, Jang JH, Zhao R et al. Global profiling of the cell surface proteome of cancer cells uncovers an abundance of proteins with chaperone function. J Biol Chem 2003, 278: 7607-7616

13Peirce MJ, Wait R, Begum S, Saklatvala J, Cope AP. Expression profiling of lymphocyte plasma membrane proteins. Mol Cell Proteomics 2004, 3: 56-65

14Smart EJ, Ying YS, Mineo C, Anderson RG. A detergent-free method for purifying caveolae membrane from tissue culture cells. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 1995, 92: 10104-10108

15Lehner I, Niehof M, Borlak J. An optimized method for the isolation and identification of membrane proteins. Electrophoresis 2003, 24: 1795-1808

16Washburn MP, Wolters D, Yates JR 3rd. Large-scale analysis of the yeast proteome by multidimensional protein identification technology. Nat Biotechnol 2001, 19: 242-247

17Delahunty C, Yates JR 3rd. Protein identification using 2D-LC-MS/MS. Methods 2005, 35: 248-255

18Durr E, Yu J, Krasinska KM, Carver LA, Yates JR, Testa JE, Oh P et al. Direct proteomic mapping of the lung microvascular endothelial cell surface in vivo and in cell culture. Nat Biotechnol 2004, 22: 985-992

19Zhang L, Liu X, Zhang J, Cao R, Lin Y, Xie J, Chen P et al. Proteome analysis of combined effects of androgen and estrogen on the mouse mammary gland. Proteomics 2006,6: 487-497

20Zhang L, Xie J, Wang X, Liu X, Tang X, Cao R, Hu W et al. Proteomic analysis of mouse liver plasma membrane: use of differential extraction to enrich hydrophobic membrane proteins. Proteomics 2005, 5: 4510-4524

21 Cao R, Li X, Liu Z, Peng X, Hu W, Wang X, Chen P et al. Integration of a two-phase partition method into proteomics research on rat liver plasma membrane proteins. J Proteome Res 2006, 5: 634-642

22Bader GD, Donaldson I, Wolting C, Ouellette BF, Pawson T, Hogue CW. BIND - The Biomolecular Interaction Network Database. Nucleic Acids Res 2001, 29: 242-245

23Hurley WL, Finkelstein E, Holst BD. Identification of surface proteins on bovine leukocytes by a biotin�avidin protein blotting technique. J Immunol Methods 1985,85: 195-202

24Mouse Genome Sequencing Consortium, Waterston RH, Lindblad-Toh K, Birney E, Rogers J, Abril JF, Agarwal P et al. Initial sequencing and comparative analysis of the mouse genome. Nature 2002, 420: 520-562

25Okazaki Y, Furuno M, Kasukawa T, Adachi J, Bono H, Kondo S, Nikaido I et al. Analysis of the mouse transcriptome based on functional annotation of 60,770 full-length cDNAs. Nature 2002, 420: 563-573

26Vicandi B, Jim�nez-Heffernan JA, L�pez-Ferrer P, Hardisson D, P�rez-Campos A, Gonz�lez-Peramato P, Viguer JM. Fine needle aspiration cytology of mammary carcinoma with osteoclast-like giant cells. Cytopathology 2004, 15: 321-325

27Svec A, Velenska Z. Renal epithelioid angiomyolipoma - a close mimic of renal cell carcinoma. Report of a case and review of the literature. Pathol Res Pract 2005, 200: 851-856

28Kim DK, Ahn SG, Park JC, Kanai Y, Endou H, Yoon JH. Expression of L-type amino acid transporter 1 (LAT1) and 4F2 heavy chain (4F2hc) in oral squamous cell carcinoma and its precusor lesions. Anticancer Res 2004, 24: 1671-1675

29Oertl A, Castein J, Engl T, Beecken WD, Jonas D, Melamed R, Blaheta RA. Endothelial adhesion of synchronized gastric tumor cells changes during cell cycle transit and correlates with the expression level of CD44 splice variants. World J Gastroenterol 2005, 11: 6243-6248

30Karadag A, Fedarko NS, Fisher LW. Dentin matrix protein 1 enhances invasion potential of colon cancer cells by bridging matrix metalloproteinase-9 to integrins and CD44. Cancer Res 2005, 65: 11545-11552

31Schmidt M, Schler G, Gruensfelder P, Hoppe F. Differential gene expression in a paclitaxel-resistant clone of a head and neck cancer cell line. Eur Arch Otorhinolaryngol 2006, 263: 127-134

32Castagna A, Antonioli P, Astner H, Hamdan M, Righetti SC, Perego P, Zunino F et al. A proteomic approach to cisplatin resistance in the cervix squamous cell carcinoma cell line A431. Proteomics 2004, 4: 3246-3267

33Zheng JH, Shi D, Zhao Y, Chen ZL. Role of calcium signal in apoptosis and protective mechanism of colon cancer cell line SW480 in response to 5-aminolevulinic acid-photodynamic therapy. Ai Zheng 2006, 25: 683-688

34He QY, Cao J, Liu XH, Li MX, Liu YS, Xie JY, Liang SP. DEPD: a novel database for differentially expressed proteins. Bioinformatics 2005, 21: 3694-3696

35Verrier F, Mignotte B, Jan G, Brenner C. Study of PTPC composition during apoptosis for identification of viral protein target. Ann NY Acad Sci 2003, 1010: 126-142