Aberrant protein expression in plasma and kidney tissue during experimental obstructive nephropathy.

Kidney failure is a major health problem worldwide. Patients with end-stage renal disease require intensive medical support by dialysis or kidney transplantation. Current methods for diagnosis of kidney disease are either invasive or insensitive, and renal function may decline by as much as 50% before it can be detected using current techniques.

Evaluation of relaxin's antifibrotic action by SELDI-TOF mass spectrometry-based profiling of relaxin knockout mice, a model of progressive fibrosis.

Surface-enhanced laser desorption ionization-time-of-flight mass spectrometry was employed to identify potential biomarkers for early-onset fibrosis. These biomarkers were then used to evaluate the efficacy of relaxin to reverse or ameliorate the development of the condition.

SELDI-TOF mass spectrometry-based protein profiling of kidney tissue.

Protein profiling has numerous applications in renal research including the detection of protein biomarkers with aberrant expression levels during disease development. Such information is essential for early diagnosis and will aid the improvement of patient management and minimise the progression of disease. Further to this, data generated from these studies will assist the elucidation of the precise mechanisms of disease development and can lead to the discovery of potential drug targets.

Recombinant expression, purification and characterisation of the HMG domain of human SRY.

The HMG domain is a DNA binding and bending 'architectural' motif involved in chromatin re-modelling during transcription. Recombinant SRY HMG domain protein, 88 amino acids in length, has been produced in E. coli.

Restricted, but abundant, expression of the novel rat gene-3 (R3) relaxin in the dorsal tegmental region of brain.

Relaxin is a peptide hormone with known actions associated with female reproductive physiology, but it has also been identified in the brain. Only one relaxin gene had been characterized in rodents until recently when a novel human relaxin gene, human gene-3 (H3) and its mouse equivalent (M3) were identified. The current study reports the identification of a rat homologue, rat gene-3 (R3) relaxin that is highly expressed in a discrete region of the adult brain.

Purification and characterization of relaxin from the tammar wallaby (Macropus eugenii): bioactivity and expression in the corpus luteum.

The objective of this study was to isolate and purify prorelaxin or mature relaxin from the tammar wallaby corpus luteum (CL), determine their structure and bioactivity, and test the hypothesis that enzymatic cleavage of prorelaxin occurs in late gestation. Tammar relaxin peptides were extracted from pooled corpora lutea of late pregnant tammars using a combination of HPLC methods, and they were identified using Western blotting with a human (H2) relaxin antisera and matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization time of flight mass spectrometry. Although no prorelaxin was identified, multiple 6-kDa peptides were detected, which corresponded to the predicted mature tammar relaxin amino acid sequence, with an A chain of 24 amino acids, and different B chain lengths of 28, 29, 30, and 32 amino acids.