scholarly journals Identification of proteins from 4200-year-old skin and muscle tissue biopsies from ancient Egyptian mummies of the first intermediate period shows evidence of acute inflammation and severe immune response

Author(s):  
Jana Jones ◽  
Mehdi Mirzaei ◽  
Prathiba Ravishankar ◽  
Dylan Xavier ◽  
Do Seon Lim ◽  
...  

We performed proteomics analysis on four skin and one muscle tissue samples taken from three ancient Egyptian mummies of the first intermediate period, approximately 4200 years old. The mummies were first dated by radiocarbon dating of the accompany-\break ing textiles, and morphologically examined by scanning electron microscopy of additional skin samples. Proteins were extracted, separated on SDS–PAGE (sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis) gels, and in-gel digested with trypsin. The resulting peptides were analysed using nanoflow high-performance liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry. We identified a total of 230 unique proteins from the five samples, which consisted of 132 unique protein identifications. We found a large number of collagens, which was confirmed by our microscopy data, and is in agreement with previous studies showing that collagens are very long-lived. As expected, we also found a large number of keratins. We identified numerous proteins that provide evidence of activation of the innate immunity system in two of the mummies, one of which also contained proteins indicating severe tissue inflammation, possibly indicative of an infection that we can speculate may have been related to the cause of death. This article is part of the themed issue ‘Quantitative mass spectrometry’.

2014 ◽  
Vol 989-994 ◽  
pp. 1020-1024
Author(s):  
Nan Nan ◽  
Xi Jing Liu

Radix Isatidis is a traditional Chinese medicine for treatment of influenza and inflammation in China. In this paper, in order to study the degradation situation of Radix Isatidis polypeptide in artificial gastrointestinal environment, the SDS-PAGE (Sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis) method was used to detect the degradation of Radix Isatidis polypeptide in artificial intestinal juice and gastric juice, and it showed that Radix Isatidis peptides could be degradated to different degrees. HPLC (High Performance Liquid Chromatography) was used to determine the change of peptides degradation, and it indicated that free amino acid levels did not change significantly. The result after degradation was also detected by BCA method, and it showed that there were still a large number of polypeptides in the liquid. From this experiment we can come to this conclusion that Radix Isatidis polypeptides in artificial gastrointestinal juice mostly degraded into a series of different molecular weight peptides.


2011 ◽  
Vol 94 (2) ◽  
pp. 446-452 ◽  
Author(s):  
Donglei Yu ◽  
Nathan Rummel ◽  
Badar Shaikh

Abstract An HPLC method was developed for the determination of albendazole (ABZ) and its metabolites, a sulfoxide (ABZSO), a sulfone (ABZSO2), and albendazole-2-aminosulfone (ABZ-2-NH2SO2), from yellow perch muscle tissue with adhering skin. The muscle tissue samples were made alkaline with potassium carbonate and extracted with ethyl acetate, followed by a series of liquidliquid extraction steps. After solvent evaporation, the residue was reconstituted in the initial mobile phase combination of the gradient. The mobile phase consisted of a buffer, 50 mM ammonium acetate (pH 4.0) in 10 methanolwater, and 100 acetonitrile. The gradient was from 20 acetonitrile to 85 acetonitrile. The analytes were chromatographed on an RP Luna C18(2) column and detected by fluorescence with excitation and emission wavelengths of 290 and 330 nm, respectively. The average recoveries from fortified muscle tissue for ABZ (20100 ppb), ABZ-SO (20200 ppb), ABZSO2 (8100 ppb), and ABZ-2-NH2SO2 (20100 ppb) were 85, 95, 101, and 86, respectively, with corresponding CV values of 9, 3, 6, and 4, respectively. Their LOQ values were 10, 10, 1, and 10 ppb, respectively. The procedure was applied to determine ABZ and its major metabolites in the incurred muscle tissue of yellow perch obtained after orally dosing the fish with ABZ.


Antioxidants ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (5) ◽  
pp. 435 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martina Loi ◽  
Silvana De Leonardis ◽  
Giuseppina Mulè ◽  
Antonio F. Logrieco ◽  
Costantino Paciolla

Dehydroascorbate reductases (DHARs) are important enzymes that reconvert the dehydroascorbic acid (DHA) into ascorbic acid (ASC). They are involved in the plant response to oxidative stress, such as that induced by the mycotoxin beauvericin (BEA). Tomato plants were treated with 50 µM of BEA; the main antioxidant compounds and enzymes were evaluated. DHARs were analyzed in the presence of different electron donors by native and denaturing electrophoresis as well as by western blot and mass spectrometry to identify a novel induced protein with DHAR activity. Kinetic parameters for dehydroascorbate (DHA) and glutathione (GSH) were also determined. The novel DHAR was induced after BEA treatment. It was GSH-dependent and possessed lower affinity to DHA and GSH than the classical DHARs. Interestingly, the mass spectrometry analysis of the main band appearing on sodium dodecyl sulphate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) revealed a chloroplast sedoheptulose 1,7-bisphosphatase, a key enzyme of the Calvin cycle, and a chloroplast mRNA-binding protein, suggesting that the DHA reducing capacity could be a side activity or the novel DHAR could be part of a protein complex. These results shed new light on the ascorbate-glutathione regulation network under oxidative stress and may represent a new way to increase the plant antioxidant defense system, plant nutraceutical value, and the health benefits of plant consumption.


Molecules ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 23 (12) ◽  
pp. 3235
Author(s):  
Min Zuo ◽  
Xiao-xiao Liu ◽  
Di Liu ◽  
Hang-yun Zhao ◽  
Lu-lu Xuan ◽  
...  

Semen Allii Fistulosi (PSAF) is the seed of Allium fistulosum L. of the Liliaceae family. The purpose of this study was to extract, characterize, and evaluate the antioxidant activity in vitro of proteins. Using single factor and orthogonal design, the optimum conditions of extraction were determined to be as follows: extraction time 150 min, pH 8.5, temperature 60 °C, and ratio (v/w, mL/g) of extraction solvent to raw material 35. The isoelectric point of the pH was determined to be about 4.4 and 10.2, by measuring the protein content of PSAF solutions at different pH values. The amino acid composition of PSAF was determined by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), and the results suggested that the species of amino acids contained in the PSAF was complete. Sodium dodecyl sulphate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS–PAGE) analysis showed the molecular weight was mainly between 40 and 55 kDa, and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) characterized prevalent protein absorption peaks. PSAF exhibited potent scavenging activities against DPPH assays, via targeting of hydroxyl and superoxide radicals, while chelating Fe2+ activity and demonstrating weak reducing power. This work revealed that PSAF possessed potential antioxidant activity in vitro, suggesting potential for use of PSAF as a natural antioxidant.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document