Protein profile of mouse ovarian follicles grown in vitro.

Study Question: Could the follicle proteome be mapped by identifying specific proteins that are common or differ between three developmental stages from the secondary follicle (SF) to the antrum-like stage?

Summary Answer: From a total of 1401 proteins identified in the follicles, 609 were common to the three developmental stages investigated and 444 were found uniquely at one of the stages.

What Is Known Already: The importance of the follicle as a functional structure has been recognized; however, up-to-date the proteome of the whole follicle has not been described. A few studies using proteomics have previously reported on either isolated fully-grown oocytes before or after meiosis resumption or cumulus cells.

Molecular analysis of vascular smooth muscle cells from patients with giant cell arteritis: Targeting endothelin-1 receptor to control proliferation.

Objective: The pathophysiology of giant cell arteritis (GCA) and the mechanisms underlying vascular remodeling, are poorly understood. We aimed to compare vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) from patients with GCA and controls by a proteomic and gene expression profile approach and to identify the signaling pathways involved in proliferation.

Methods: VSMCs were cultured from temporal artery biopsies (TABs) from patients with biopsy-proven GCA (TAB-GCA), biopsy-negative GCA (TAB-GCA), and diagnosis other than GCA (GCA-control).

Identification of brain substrates of transglutaminase by functional proteomics supports its role in neurodegenerative diseases.

Transglutaminases are calcium-dependent enzymes that catalyze the formation of ε-(γ-glutamyl)lysine isopeptide bonds between specific glutamine and lysine residues. Some transglutaminase isoforms are present in the brain and are thought to participate in the protein aggregation characteristic of neurological diseases such as Huntington, Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease. We have developed a functional proteomics strategy in which biotinylated amine-donor and amine-acceptor probes were used to identify the transglutaminase substrates present in brain.

Proteomic analysis of vascular smooth muscle cells in physiological condition and in pulmonary arterial hypertension: Toward contractile versus synthetic phenotypes.

Vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) are highly specialized cells that regulate vascular tone and participate in vessel remodeling in physiological and pathological conditions. It is unclear why certain vascular pathologies involve one type of vessel and spare others. Our objective was to compare the proteomes of normal human VSMC from aorta (human aortic smooth muscle cells, HAoSMC), umbilical artery (human umbilical artery smooth muscle cells, HUASMC), pulmonary artery (HPASMC), or pulmonary artery VSMC from patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH-SMC).

How the edaphic Bacillus megaterium strain Mes11 adapts its metabolism to the herbicide mesotrione pressure.

Toxicity of pesticides towards microorganisms can have a major impact on ecosystem function. Nevertheless, some microorganisms are able to respond quickly to this stress by degrading these molecules. The edaphic Bacillus megaterium strain Mes11 can degrade the herbicide mesotrione.

Pathogenic Neisseria meningitidis utilizes CD147 for vascular colonization.

Neisseria meningitidis is a cause of meningitis epidemics worldwide and of rapidly progressing fatal septic shock. A crucial step in the pathogenesis of invasive meningococcal infections is the adhesion of bloodborne meningococci to both peripheral and brain endothelia, leading to major vascular dysfunction. Initial adhesion of pathogenic strains to endothelial cells relies on meningococcal type IV pili, but the endothelial receptor for bacterial adhesion remains unknown.

Identification of target antigens of anti-endothelial cell antibodies in patients with anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibody-associated vasculitides: a proteomic approach.

Anti-endothelial cell antibodies (AECAs) have been reported to cause endothelial cell dysfunction, but their specific targets have never been identified in anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibody (ANCA)-associated vasculitides (AAVs). Proteins from human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) were separated by 2-dimensional electrophoresis (2-DE). 2-D immunoblots were used to compare serum IgG reactivities from 30 patients with AAV and 12 healthy controls (HCs).

Differential protein expression profiles between Plasmodium falciparum parasites isolated from subjects presenting with pregnancy-associated malaria and uncomplicated malaria in Benin.

Background: Plasmodium falciparum is responsible for severe malaria, including pregnancy-associated malaria (PAM). During intra-erythrocytic maturation, the infected erythrocyte (iE) membrane is modified by insertion of parasite-derived proteins, primarily consisting of variant surface antigens such as P. falciparum erythrocyte membrane protein-1.

Proteomes of umbilical vein and microvascular endothelial cells reflect distinct biological properties and influence immune recognition.

Human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC) are widely used as a source of endothelial cells (EC). However, HUVEC characteristics cannot be extrapolated to other types of EC, particularly microvascular ECs. Our objective was to compare the proteomes of microvascular ECs and HUVEC.

Guanine nucleotide-binding protein Gαi2: a new partner of claudin-5 that regulates tight junction integrity in human brain endothelial cells.

The blood-brain barrier (BBB) selectively controls the exchanges between the blood and the brain: it is formed by tight junctions (TJs) between adjacent microvascular endothelial cells. The transmembrane protein claudin-5 is known as a key TJ protein at the BBB, although, the molecular mechanisms by which it regulates TJ tightness are poorly understood. To identify putative claudin-5 partners that contribute to TJ integrity, claudin-5-enriched membrane microdomains were prepared by cell fractionation, using the human brain endothelial cell line hCMEC/D3 and claudin-5 immunoprecipitates were submitted to tandem mass spectrometry.

Identification of target antigens of anti-endothelial cell and anti-vascular smooth muscle cell antibodies in patients with giant cell arteritis: a proteomic approach.

Introduction: Immunological studies of giant cell arteritis (GCA) suggest that a triggering antigen of unknown nature could generate a specific immune response. We thus decided to detect autoantibodies directed against endothelial cells (ECs) and vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) in the serum of GCA patients and to identify their target antigens.

Methods: Sera from 15 GCA patients were tested in 5 pools of 3 patients' sera and compared to a sera pool from 12 healthy controls (HCs).

Identification of new autoantibody specificities directed at proteins involved in the transforming growth factor β pathway in patients with systemic sclerosis.

Introduction: Antinuclear antibodies (ANAs), usually detected by indirect immunofluorescence on HEp-2 cells, are identified in 90% of patients with systemic sclerosis (SSc). Thus, approximately 10% of SSc patients have no routinely detectable autoantibodies, and for 20% to 40% of those with detectable ANAs, the ANAs do not have identified specificity (unidentified ANAs). In this work, we aimed to identify new target autoantigens in SSc patients.