Studies on extracting solutions of endohedral rare-earth metallofullerenes by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry

Thirteen extracting solutions of rare-earth metallofullerenes containing La,Ce,Pr,Nd Sm,Eu,Gd,Tb,Dy,Ho,Er,Tm and Yb respectively have been investigated by means of matrix-assisted laser desorpuon/ ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry.The influences of the positive-ion/negative-ion mode,laser intensity,ma trix and mass discrimination to the analytical results are studied,based on which the optimal analytical conditions have been determined.The results show that the extracting solutions contain large quantities of rare-earth metallofullerenes besides empty fullerenes.On the basis of comparing their relative intensities,the different structure stabilities and solubilities of metallofullerenes with different rare-earth metals encapsulated into the fullerene cages,as well as some possible reasons to those differences,are discussed.

Detection of Sialylated N-Linked Glycans by Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption/Ionization Time-of-Flight Mass Spectrometry

Native and methyl-esterified sialylated glycans were analyzed with 2,4,6-trihydroxyacetophenone（THAP）and 2,5-dihydroxybenzoic acid（DHB）as matrix by a matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometer（MALDI-TOF MS）.High quality negative-ion spectra of commercial sialylated glycan were obtained with THAP as matrix.Detection limit of the glycan was less than 0.1 pmol.After methyl esterification of sialic acid（SA）residue,sialylated glycans were detected sensitively in the positive-ion mode using DHB as matrix.Neutral and sialylated glycans from the mixture of asialofetuin and fetuin were methylesterified and simultaneously recognized in one manipulation.Methyl esterification of SA residue offers a convenient and sensitive way to identify the structure of N-linked glycans for glycan profiling.

MicrobMatcher: a microbial comparison software based on matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization with time-of-flight mass spectrometry

Matrix-assisted Laser Desorption/Ionization with Time-of-flight Mass Spectrometry (MALDI-TOFMS) was investigated as a method for the rapid identifica-tion of species. Current demand in microbial identi-fication is how to compare unknown strains to the known one quickly, semi-automatically and accurately. In this paper, we present a software tool that allows flexibly microbial matching in a user-friendly way, by letting the users to customize comparison parameters including: in vitro transcription enzyme, mass tolerance,minimum fragment length, intensity threshold and corresponding weights. We provide three spectral scoring functions to compute the affin-ity between the species. Therefore, the precision of microbial comparison increases. To test and verify this tool, we employed experimental spectral data based on MALDI-TOFMS and the gene sequences of E.coli and Salmonella. This software is written in Java for cross-platform intention.

笼内金属富勒烯的合成与分析

自1985年,Smalley等人首次在飞行时间质谱仪中检测到C60以来[1],富勒烯碳原子族的研究便不断深入,最初发现的激光蒸发含稀土化合物的石墨只能得到微量的金属富勒烯,仅限于质谱检测,直到1990年,Kratschmer等人采用石墨电子弧放电首次得到宏观量的富勒烯[2],才使得富勒烯研究进入了实质性的研究阶段.……

新型富勒烯衍生物的激光质谱结构表征

对3种电化学方法合成的新型结构富勒烯衍生物进行了激光质谱表征,确认了1,2加成以及[5,6]开环富勒烯衍生物结构.质谱结果发现了富勒烯以及富勒烯衍生物与氧的结合峰,核磁共振结果进一步证明了富勒烯衍生物的结构,为含有C60结构衍生物的研究提供了有力的表征手段.

激光解吸电离质谱法分析富勒烯

论述了用激光解吸电离质谱法分析富勒烯。因在电离过程中富勒烯分子不发生裂解，因此这种方法可直接用于富勒烯混合物的分析而勿需任何预分离。还给出了用本法分析较大、较稳定富勒烯分子的质谱图。

Multiple skin abscesses associated with bacteremia caused by Burkholderia gladioli:A case report

BACKGROUND Burkholderia gladioli(B.gladioli)is regarded as a rare opportunistic pathogen.Only a few patients with abscesses caused by B.gladioli infections have been reported,and these are usually abscesses at the incision caused by traumatic surgery.CASE SUMMARY A 74-year-old male patient with abscesses and pain throughout his body for 1 mo was admitted to our hospital.Some of the abscesses had ruptured with purulent secretions on admission.Color Doppler ultrasound examination of the body surface masses showed mixed masses 75 mm×19 mm,58 mm×17 mm,17 mm×7 mm,and 33 mm×17 mm in size in the muscle tissues of both the right and left forearms,the posterior area of the right knee and the left leg,respectively.Abscess secretions and blood cultures grew B.gladioli.The following 3 methods were used to jointly identify the bacterium:an automatic microbial identification system,matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry,and full-length 16 S rDNA sequencing.After 27 d of treatment with meropenem,etimicin,trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole and other antibiotics,most of his skin abscesses were flat and he was discharged without any symptoms.CONCLUSION This is the first reported case of multiple skin abscesses associated with bacteremia caused by B.gladioli.Our study provides important reference values for the clinical diagnosis and treatment of B.gladioli infections.

利用基质辅助激光解吸电离飞行时间质谱快速鉴定产气荚膜梭菌

分别采用基质辅助激光解吸电离飞行时间质谱方法(matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-offlight mass spectrometry,MALDI-TOF MS)、16S rRNA基因测序、VITEK 2 COMPACT和传统生化方法(牛乳汹涌发酵实验)鉴定实验室保存的51株产气荚膜梭菌,以评估MALDI-TOF MS方法是否适用于产气荚膜梭菌的快速鉴定。MALDI-TOF MS方法将51株菌均鉴定为产气荚膜梭菌且鉴定分值在2. 300以上,达到鉴定到种的要求。16S rRNA基因序列比对结果与MALDI-TOF MS方法结果一致。VITEK 2 COMPACT将49株菌鉴定为产气荚膜梭菌,2株菌未能成功鉴定。47株菌的牛乳汹涌发酵实验呈阳性,4株菌为牛乳汹涌发酵实验阴性,且这4株菌经其他3种方法均鉴定为产气荚膜梭菌。结果表明,无论是牛乳汹涌发酵实验还是VITEK 2 COMPACT,在检测产气荚膜梭菌时都有可能发生漏检。相比牛乳汹涌发酵实验、VITEK 2 COMPACT和16S rRNA测序方法,MALDI-TOF MS方法更加快速、准确和低成本,适用于产气荚膜梭菌的快速鉴定。

Upregulation of macrophage migration inhibitory factor and calgizzarin by androgen in TM4 mouse Sertoli cells

Aim： To identify proteins induced by androgen in Sertoli cells during spermatogenesis. Methods： We analyzed protein profiles in TM4 Sertoli cells treated with dihydrotestosterone （DHT） using surface enhanced laser desorption ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry （SELDI-TOF-MS）. Results： We found increases in the expression of a 5.0-kDa protein at 15 min, an 11.3-kDa protein at 24 h and 4.3 kDa, 5.7 kDa, 5.8 kDa, 9.95 kDa and 9.98 kDa proteins at 48 h after the treatment. In contrast, the expression of 6.3 kDa and 8.6 kDa proteins decreased at 30 min, and 4.9 kDa, 5.0 kDa, 12.4 kDa and 19.8 kDa proteins at 48 h after the treatment. The ll.3-kDa protein was identified as macrophage migration inhibitory factor （MIF） known to having various functions. The 9.98-kDa protein was identified as calgizzarin related to calcium channels. The timing of their expression suggests that MIF and calgizzarin are involved in late regulation of spermatogenesis in Sertoli cells by androgen. Conclusion： MIF and calgizzarin are two important androgen-responsive proteins produced by Sertoli cells and they might play a role in regulating spermatogenesis.

Rapid Determination of Endogenous 20-Hydroxyecdysone in Plants on MALDI-TOF/TOF Mass Spectrometry via Chemical Labeling Based on Boronate Affinity

20-Hydroxyecdysone(20E)derived from plants has a wide range of physiological and pharmacological ef ects on animals and humans,and rapid and sensitive methods for screening of the endogenous 20E in plants are thus required.Herein,a matrixassisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-f ight tandem mass spectrometry(MALDI-TOF/TOF MS)method is described for rapid and sensitive determination of endogenous 20E in plants.It is based on the use of the(3-(acridin-9-ylamino)phenyl)boronic acid(AYPBA)as the mass tag to assist the MS and tandem MS(MS^(n))analysis of 20E on MALDI-TOF/TOF MS.Good linearity was obtained with a determination coef cient(R^(2))larger than 0.99 in the range of 0.025–2.5μΜ.The limit of detection(LOD)was 2.4 fmol.Acceptable precision and accuracy were gained by intra-and inter-day analysis with relative standard deviations less than 19.5%and relative recoveries ranging from 85.7 to 105.2%.In addition,the AYPBA labeled 20E produced abundant characteristic fragment ions under the high energy collision-induced dissociation,which facilitated the identif cation of 20E by MS^(2)analysis on MALDI-TOF/TOF MS.Using the method,we enabled the identif cation and quantif cation of endogenous 20E in four herbs including Cyanotis arachoidea,Achyranthes bidentata,Spinacia oleracea and Chenopodium quinoa willd.,demonstrating the feasibility of the proposed method for screening of the endogenous 20E in plants.

Arsenic trioxide inhibits metastatic potential of mouse hepatoma H22 cells in vitro and in vivo

BACKGROUND:It has been pointed out that only low-dose arsenic trioxide(ATO)presents therapeutic benefits outweighing the toxic side effects.Low-dose ATO can effectively alleviate acute promyelocytic leukemia(APL). However,it is quite challenging in treating solid tumors. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of ATO at low concentrations on the metastatic potential of mouse hepatoma H22 cells and the anti-metastatic mechanism of ATO. METHODS:The metastatic potential of H22 cells was evaluated by adhesion,migration and invasion assays after exposure to a low dose of ATO in vitro.The mouse lung metastatic model induced by injection of H22 cells via the tail vein was adopted for the evaluation of metastatic potential. Different proteins in the lysate of H22 cells exposed to ATO at different concentrations were investigated by surface- enhanced laser desorption and ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry(SELDI-TOF-MS).Finally,Western blotting analyses were made to detect the expression pattern of MMP-2 and nm23-M1 proteins. RESULTS:Significant cell death started at ATO concentrations above 2μmol/L.The growth and adhesion potential of H22 cells was inhibited in a time-and dose- dependent manner,and the migration and invasion potential of H22 cells was inhibited in a dose-dependent manner while ATO concentration was below 2μmol/L. Mice injected with ATO at a dose of 0.5 mg/kg had fewer lung metastases.However,mice injected with ATO at a dose of 2 mg/kg or 4 mg/kg had a high mortality rate and more liver injuries.A total of 15 different protein peaks were identified between the lysate of H22 cells treated with ATO and controls.Two proteins that peaked atm/z 5302 and 17207 coincided with MMP-2(fragment) and nm23-M1,respectively.Western blotting analyses demonstrated that MMP-2 and MMP-2 fragments were down-regulated and nm23-M1 was up-regulated in H22 cells treated with 2μmol/L ATO for 48 hours. CONCLUSIONS:ATO at a low dose inhibits the metastatic potential of mouse hepatoma H22 cells in vitro and in vivo, and involves down-regulation of MMP-2 and up-regulation of nm23-M1.

Radial Basis Function Networks Applied in Bacterial Classification Based on MALDI-TOF-MS

The radial basis function networks were applied to bacterial classification based on the matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometric (MALDI-TOF-MS) data. The classification of bacteria cultured at different time was discussed and the effect of the network parameters on the classification was investigated. The cross-validation method was used to test the trained networks. The correctness of the classification of different bacteria investigated changes in a wide range from 61.5% to 92.8%. Owing to the complexity of biological effects in bacterial growth, the more rigid control of bacterial culture conditions seems to be a critical factor for improving the rate of correctness for bacterial classification.

Obligate aerobic, gram-positive, weak acid-fast, nonmotile bacilli, Tsukamurella tyrosinosolvens: Minireview of a rare opportunistic pathogen

Tsukamurella species are obligate aerobic,gram-positive,weak acid-fast,nonmotile bacilli.They are found in various environments,such as soil,water,sludge,and petroleum reservoir wastewater,and belong to the order Actinomycetales.In 2016,there was a reclassification of species within the genus Tsukamurella,merging the species Tsukamurella tyrosinosolvens(T.tyrosinosolvens)and Tsukamurella carboxydivorans.Tsukamurella species are clinically considered to be a rare opportunistic pathogen,because most reported cases have been related to bacteremia and intravascular prosthetic devices and immunosuppression.To date,it has been isolated only from human specimens,and has always been associated with clinical disease;human infections are very rare.Reported infections have included pneumonia,brain abscesses,catheter-related bloodstream infections,ocular infections,bacteremia,and sepsis presenting with septic pulmonary emboli in patients who are immunocompromised.To date,there is no commercially available test for identification.On the other hand,sequence-based identification,including matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry,is an alternative method for identifying clinical isolates that are either slow growers or difficult to identify through biochemical profiling.The golden standards for diagnosis and optimal management still remain to be determined.However,newer molecular biological techniques can provide accurate identification,and contribute to the appropriate selection of definitive therapy for infections caused by this organism.Combinations of several antimicrobial agents have been proposed for treatment,though the length of treatment for infections has yet to be determined,and should be individualized according to clinical response.Immunocompromised patients often experience severe cases due to infection,and life-threatening T.tyrosinosolvens events associated with dissemination and/or failure of source control have occurred.Favorable prognoses can be achieved through earlier identification of the cause of infection,as well as successful management,including appropriate antibiotic therapy together with source control.Further analyses of similar cases are required to establish the most adequate diagnostic methods and treatment regimens for infections.

Identification of Biomarkers for Endometriosis Using Clinical Proteomics

Background：We investigated possible biomarkers for endometriosis （EM） using the ClinProt technique and proteomics methods.Methods：We enrolled 50 patients with EM,34 with benign ovarian neoplasms and 40 healthy volunteers in this study.Serum proteomic spectra were generated by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry （MS） combined with weak cationic exchange （WCX） magnetic beads.Possible biomarkers were analyzed by a random and repeat pattern model-validation method that we designed,and ClinProtools software,results were refined using online liquid chromatography-tandem MS.Results：We found a cluster of 5 peptides （4210,5264,2660,5635,and 5904 Da）,using 3 peptides （4210,5904,2660 Da） to discriminate EM patients from healthy volunteers,with 96.67％ sensitivity and 100％ specificity.We selected 4210 and 5904 m/z,which differed most between patients with EM and controls,and identified them as fragments of ATP1B4,and the fibrinogen alpha （FGA） isoform 1/2 of the FGA chain precursor,respectively.Conclusions：ClinProt can identify EM biomarkers,which-most notably-distinguish even early-stage or minimal disease.We found 5 stable peaks at 4210,5264,2660,5635,and 5904 Da as potential EM biomarkers,the strongest of which were associated with ATP1B4 （4210 Da） and FGA （5904 Da）; this indicates that ATP1B4 and FGA are associated with EM pathogenesis.

Proteomic Alterations of Antarctic Ice Microalga Chlamydomonas sp.Under Low-Temperature Stress

Antarctic ice microalga can survive and thrive in cold channels or pores in the Antarctic ice layer. In order to understand the adaptive mechanisms to low temperature, in the present study we compared two-dimensional polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis （2-DE） profiles of normal and low temperature-stressed Antarctic ice microalga Chlamydomonas sp. cells. In addition, new protein spots induced by low temperature were identified with peptide mass fingerprinting based on matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry （MALDI-TOF-MS） and database searching. Well-resolved and reproducible 2-DE patterns of both normal and low temperature-stressed cells were acquired. A total of 626 spots was detected in control cells and 652 spots were detected in the corresponding low temperature-stressed cells. A total of 598 spots was matched between normal and stressed cells. Two newly synthesized proteins （a and b） in low temperature-stressed cells were characterized. Protein spot A （53 kDa, pl 6.0） was similar to isopropylmalate/homocitrate/citramalate synthases, which act in the transport and metabolism of amino acids. Protein spot b （25 kDa, pl 8.0） was related to glutathione S-transferase, which functions as a scavenger of active oxygen, free radicals, and noxious metabolites. The present study is valuable for the application of ice microalgae, establishing an ice microalga Chlamydomonas sp. proteome database, and screening molecular biomarkers for further studies.

Serum peptidome profiling for identifying pathological patterns in patients with primary nephrotic syndrome

Background Renal biopsy is necessary for diagnosing the pathological changes of primary nephrotic syndrome （NS）. However, it is invasive, time-consuming and can not be performed frequent on the same patient. Thus, development of a non-invasive and rapid diagnostic method may improve clinical patient management. Methods Proteomic tool magnetic bead-based matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry （MB-based MALDI TOF MS） was applied to serum to determine peptidome patterns that are characteristic of different pathological changes. Results Serum specimen from 114 patients with NS （62 were minimal change disease （MCD）, 30 were membranous nephropathy （MN）, and 22 were focal segmental glomerulosclerosis （FSGS）） and 60 normal individuals were analyzed using MB-based MALDI TOF MS. The peptidome pattern was generated by genetic algorithms using a training set of 31 MCD, 15 MN, 11 FSGS and 30 normal individuals and was validated by an independent testing set of the remaining samples. The serum peptidome pattern, based on a panel of 14 peaks, accurately recognized samples from MCD, MN, FSGS and healthy control with sensitivities of 93.5%, 86.7%, 63.6% and 90.0%, and specificities of 98.2%, 94.4%, 100% and 89.5%, respectively. Moreover, one peptide from peptidome pattern was identified by liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry （LC MS/MS） as fibrinogen A. Conclusion Detection of the serum peptidome pattern is a rapid, non-invasive, high-throughout, and reproducible method for identifying the pathological patterns of patients with nephrotic syndrome.

Comparative Proteomic Analysis of Arabidopsis Mature Pollen and Germinated Pollen

Proteomic analysis was applied to generating the map of Arabidopsis mature pollen proteins and analyzing the differentially expressed proteins that are potentially involved in the regulation of Arabidopsis pollen germination. By applying 2-D electrophoresis and silver staining, we resolved 499 and 494 protein spots from protein samples extracted from pollen grains and pollen tubes, respectively. Using the matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry method, we identified 189 distinct proteins from 213 protein spots expressed in mature pollen or pollen tubes, and 75 new identified proteins that had not been reported before in research into the Arabidopsis pollen proteome. Comparative analysis revealed that 40 protein spots exhibit reproducible significant changes between mature pollen and pollen tubes. And 21 proteins from 17 downregulated and six upregulated protein spots were identified. Functional category analysis indicated that these differentially expressed proteins mainly involved in signaling, cellular structure, transport, defense/stress responses, transcription, metabolism, and energy production. The patterns of changes at protein level suggested the important roles for energy metabolism-related proteins in pollen tube growth, accompanied by the activation of the stress response pathway and modifications to the cell wall.

Isolation and purification of uremic middle molecules by multi-step liquid chromatography

Isolation and comparison of uremic sera and urine and normal sera and urine were performed by gel permeation chromatography, anion exchange chromatography and re-versed-phase high performance liquid chromatography. Two uremic middle molecular fractions (A and B) were obtained from uremic sera and urine and normal urine by gel permeation chromatography, but not from normal sera. The anion exchange chromatographic results of fraction A from different origins demonstrate that subfraction A-3 could be excreted in urine by healthy subject, but accumulated in uremic serum for renal failure of patient with uremia. After desalinization subfraction A-3 was analyzed by MALDI-TOF-MS. The results show that subfraction A-3 consists of six compounds with molecular weight 839, 873, 1007.94, 1106, 1680 and 2015 respectively. Finally, by reversed-phase high performance liquid chromatography, subfraction A-3 was further resolved into six independent fractions. Thus, the isolation and purification of six middle molecular

Sol-gel-derived Poly（dimethylsiloxane） Enzymatic Reactor for Microfluidic Peptide Mapping

The silica-based poly（dimethylsiloxane） （PDMS） microfluidic enzymatic reactor was reported along with its analytical features in coupling with MALDI TOF and ESI MS. Microfluidic chip was fabricated using PDMS casting and O2-plasma techniques, and used for the preparation of enzymatic reactor. Plasma oxidation for PDMS enabled the channel wall of microfluidics to present a layer of silanol （SiOH） groups. These SiOH groups as anchors onto the microchannel wall were linked covalently with the hydroxy groups of trypsin-encapsulated sol matrix. As a result, the leakage of sol-gel matrix from the microchannel was effectively prevented. On-line protein analysis was performed with the microfluidic enzymatic reactor by attachment of stainless steel tubing electrode and replaceable tip, The success of trypsin encapsulation was investigated by capillary electrophoresis （CE） detection, and MALDI TOF and ESI MS analysis. The lab-made device provided excellent extent of digestion even at the fast flow rate of 7.0 μL/min with very short residence time of ca. 2 s. In addition, the encapsulated trypsin exhibits increased stability even after continuous use. These features are the most requisite for high-throughput protein identification.