Profiling constitutive proteolytic events in vivo.

Most known organisms encode proteases that are crucial for constitutive proteolytic events. In the present paper, we describe a method to define these events in proteomes from Escherichia coli to humans. The method takes advantage of specific N-terminal biotinylation of protein samples, followed by affinity enrichment and conventional LC (liquid chromatography)-MS/MS (tandem mass spectrometry) analysis.

Identification of proteolytic cleavage sites by quantitative proteomics.

The identification of natural substrates and their cleavage sites is pivotal to defining proteolytic pathways. Here we report a novel strategy for the identification of the signature of proteolytic cleavage events based on quantitative proteomics. Lysine residues in proteins are blocked by guanidination so that free N-terminals can be labeled with amine-specific iTRAQ reagents.

Characteristics of the caspase-like catalytic domain of human paracaspase.

Human paracaspase has been predicted to be a member of the protein structural fold that encompasses protease clan CD. To determine whether paracaspase has catalytic activity we have expressed the region corresponding to the catalytic domain and used protease activity-based chemical probes to profile the putative active site. A leucine-based acyloxymethyl ketone probe that covalently labels cysteine proteases discloses a hydrophobic P 1 preference in the putative active site.