A prospective, proteomics study identified potential biomarkers of encapsulating peritoneal sclerosis in peritoneal effluent.

Encapsulating peritoneal sclerosis (EPS) is a potentially devastating complication of peritoneal dialysis (PD). Diagnosis is often delayed due to the lack of effective and accurate diagnostic tools. We therefore examined peritoneal effluent for potential biomarkers that could predict or confirm the diagnosis of EPS and would be valuable in stratifying at-risk patients and driving appropriate interventions.

Structure-function studies of an engineered scaffold protein derived from stefin A. I: Development of the SQM variant.

Non-antibody scaffold proteins are used for a range of applications, especially the assessment of protein-protein interactions within human cells. The search for a versatile, robust and biologically neutral scaffold previously led us to design STM (stefin A triple mutant), a scaffold derived from the intracellular protease inhibitor stefin A. Here, we describe five new STM-based scaffold proteins that contain modifications designed to further improve the versatility of our scaffold.

Proteomic analysis of IgE-mediated secretion by LAD2 mast cells.

The LAD2 cell line is a relatively recent addition to the range of mast cell analogues and is of particular importance as it is the only human analogue which can be stimulated to degranulate in an IgE-dependent manner. Mast cells are tissue-based effector cells which have historically been shown to play an important role in the adaptive immune response, though there is now gathering evidence of their significance as a component of the innate immune system. These functions can be attributed to the ability of mast cells to regulate secretion of a wide variety of potent biologically active mediators through immediate and delayed responses.

Peptide aptamers in label-free protein detection: 2. Chemical optimization and detection of distinct protein isoforms.

The early detection and diagnosis of cancer lies central to successful treatment and improved patient outcome. Current techniques are limited by the nature of the biological receptor and the assays available. This paper reports the use of novel biological probes, peptide aptamers, in detecting cyclin-dependent protein kinases (CDKs) whose activity is important in proliferating and cancerous cells.