In the present research, we have established a new lipidomics approach for the comprehensive and precise identification of molecular species in a crude lipid mixture using a LTQ Orbitrap mass ...spectrometer (MS) and reverse-phase liquid chromatography (RPLC) combination with our newly developed lipid search engine “Lipid Search”. LTQ Orbitrap provides high mass accuracy MS spectra by Fourier-transform (FT) mass spectrometer mode and can perform rapid MS
n
by ion trap (IT) mass spectrometer mode. In this study, the negative ion mode was selected to detect fragment ions from phospholipids, such as fatty acid anions, by MS2 or MS3. We selected the specific detection approach by neutral loss survey-dependent MS3, for the identification of molecular species of phosphatidylcholine, sphingomyelin and phosphatidylserine. Identification of molecular species was performed by using both the high mass accuracy of the mass spectrometric data obtained from FT mode and structural data obtained from fragments in IT mode. Some alkylacyl and alkenylacyl species have the same
m/
z value as molecular-related ions and fragment ions, thus, direct acid hydrolysis analysis was performed to identify alkylacyl and alkenylacyl species, and then the RPLC–LTQ Orbitrap method was applied. As a result, 290 species from mouse liver and 248 species from mouse brain were identified within six different classes of phospholipid, only those in manually detected and confirmed. Most of all manually detected mass peaks were also automatically detected by “Lipid Search”. Adding to differences in molecular species in different classes of phospholipids, many characteristic differences in molecular species were detected in mouse liver and brain. More variable number of saturated and monounsaturated fatty acid-containing molecular species were detected in mouse brain than liver.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK
Pannexin 3 (Panx3), a member of the gap junction pannexin family is required for the development of hard tissues including bone, cartilage and teeth. However, the role of Panx3 in skin development ...remains unclear. Here, we demonstrate that Panx3 regulates skin development by modulating the transcription factor, Epiprofin (Epfn). Panx3
mice have impaired skin development and delayed hair follicle regeneration. Loss of Panx3 in knockout mice and suppression by shRNA both elicited a reduction of Epfn expression in the epidermis. In cell culture, Panx3 overexpression promoted HaCaT cell differentiation, cell cycle exit and enhanced Epfn expression. Epfn
mice and inhibition of Epfn by siRNA showed no obvious differences of Panx3 expression. Furthermore, Panx3 promotes Akt/NFAT signaling pathway in keratinocyte differentiation by both Panx3 ATP releasing channel and ER Ca
channel functions. Our results reveal that Panx3 has a key role factor for the skin development by regulating Epfn.
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IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, UL, UM, UPUK
Improving the reproducibility of proteome analysis systems presents a challenge; therefore, in this study, we developed a new insertion spray ionization (InSpIon) system wherein an InSpIon tube was ...designed with a spray tip inserted into the tube. This system stabilized the spray and subsequently improved the reproducibility of the analysis.
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IJS, KILJ, NUK, PNG, UL, UM
Blood is a commonly used biofluid for biomarker discovery. Although blood lipid metabolites are considered to be potential biomarker candidates, their fundamental properties are not well ...characterized. We aimed to (1) investigate the matrix type (serum vs. plasma) that may be preferable for lipid biomarker exploration, (2) elucidate age- and gender-associated differences in lipid metabolite levels, and (3) examine the stability of lipid metabolites in matrix samples subjected to repeated freeze-thaw cycles. Using liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry, we performed lipidomic analyses for fasting plasma and serum samples for four groups (15 subjects/group) of young and elderly (25-34 and 55-64 years old, respectively) males and females and for an additional aliquot of samples from young males, which were subjected to repeated freeze-thaw cycles. Lysophosphatidylcholine and diacylglycerol levels were higher in serum than in plasma samples, suggesting that the clotting process influences serum lipid metabolite levels. Gender-associated differences highlighted that the levels of many sphingomyelin species were significantly higher in females than in males, irrespective of age and matrix (plasma and serum). Age-associated differences were more prominent in females than in males, and in both matrices, levels of many triacylglycerols were significantly higher in elderly females than in young females. Plasma and serum levels of most lipid metabolites were reduced by freeze-thawing. Our results indicate that plasma is an optimal matrix for exploring lipid biomarkers because it represents the original properties of an individual's blood sample. In addition, the levels of some blood lipid species of healthy adults showed gender- and age-associated differences; thus, this should be considered during biomarker exploration and its application in diagnostics. Our fundamental findings on sample selection and handling procedures for measuring blood lipid metabolites is important for ensuring the quality of biomarkers identified and its qualification process.
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DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
The pannexin proteins represent a new gap junction family. However, the cellular functions of pannexins remain largely unknown. Here, we demonstrate that pannexin 3 (Panx3) promotes differentiation ...of osteoblasts and ex vivo growth of metatarsals. Panx3 expression was induced during osteogenic differentiation of C2C12 cells and primary calvarial cells, and suppression of this endogenous expression inhibited differentiation. Panx3 functioned as a unique Ca2+ channel in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER), which was activated by purinergic receptor/phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K)/Akt signaling, followed by activation of calmodulin signaling for differentiation. Panx3 also formed hemichannels that allowed release of ATP into the extracellular space and activation of purinergic receptors with the subsequent activation of PI3K–Akt signaling. Panx3 also formed gap junctions and propagated Ca2+ waves between cells. Blocking the Panx3 Ca2+ channel and gap junction activities inhibited osteoblast differentiation. Thus, Panx3 appears to be a new regulator that promotes osteoblast differentiation by functioning as an ER Ca2+ channel and a hemichannel, and by forming gap junctions.
Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) is the most common histological type of adult kidney cancer. In this study, we obtained lipidomic profiles of clear cell RCC (ccRCC), a major RCC subtype, by performing a ...lipidomic analysis of specimens of cancerous tissue and the surrounding normal renal cortex obtained from the same patients (N = 49). We also compared the lipidomic profiles with the lipogenic transcriptome of specimens of cancerous tissue and the surrounding normal renal cortex for an additional set of patient samples (N = 95). Overall, we detected 326 lipids, including phospholipids, sphingolipids, neutral lipids, and eicosanoids. The levels of more than 70% of the detected lipids were significantly different (P < 0.01, corrected by the false discovery rate). The cancerous tissue was distinguished by higher levels of ether-type phospholipids, cholesterol esters, and triacylglycerols, as well as by lower levels of phospholipids (except for phosphatidylcholines) and polyunsaturated fatty acids. Characteristic changes in the levels of mRNAs and metabolites suggested that the phosphatidylethanolamine (PE) synthesis pathway is suppressed in ccRCC and associated with cell proliferation. The present study represents the lipidomic profiles of ccRCC, which provides novel information about the metabolic changes in renal cancerous tissue and RCC pathophysiology.
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IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, UL, UM, UPUK
Cyclic phosphatidic acid (cPA) is a naturally occurring phospholipid mediator that, along with its chemically stabilized analogue 2-carba-cyclic phosphatidic acid (2ccPA), induces various biological ...activities in vitro and in vivo. Although cPA is similar to lysophosphatidic acid (LPA) in structure and synthetic pathway, some of cPA biological functions apparently differ from those reported for LPA. We previously investigated the pharmacokinetic profile of 2ccPA, which was found to be rapidly degraded, especially in acidic conditions, yielding an unidentified compound. Thus, not only cPA but also its degradation compound may contribute to the biological activity of cPA, at least for 2ccPA. In this study, we determined the structure and examined the biological activities of 2-carba-lysophosphatidic acid (2carbaLPA) as a 2ccPA degradation compound, which is a type of β-LPA analogue. Similar to LPA and cPA, 2carbaLPA induced the phosphorylation of the extracellular signal-regulated kinase and showed potent agonism for all known LPA receptors (LPA
) in the transforming growth factor-α (TGFα) shedding assay, in particular for LPA
and LPA
. 2carbaLPA inhibited the lysophospholipase D activity of autotaxin (ATX) in vitro similar to other cPA analogues, such as 2ccPA, 3-carba-cPA, and 3-carba-LPA (α-LPA analogue). Our study shows that 2carbaLPA is a novel β-LPA analogue with high potential for the activation of some LPA receptors and ATX inhibition.
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IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, UL, UM, UPUK
Canonical Wnt signaling and BMP promote the proliferation and differentiation of osteoprogenitors, respectively. However, the regulatory mechanism involved in the transition from proliferation to ...differentiation is unclear. Here, we show that Panx3 (pannexin 3) plays a key role in this transition by inhibiting the proliferation and promoting the cell cycle exit. Using primary calvarial cells and explants, C3H10T1/2 cells, and C2C12 cells, we found that Panx3 expression inhibited cell growth, whereas the inhibition of endogenous Panx3 expression increased it. We also found that the Panx3 hemichannel inhibited cell growth by promoting β-catenin degradation through GSK3β activation. Additionally, the Panx3 hemichannel inhibited cyclin D1 transcription and Rb phosphorylation through reduced cAMP/PKA/CREB signaling. Furthermore, the Panx3 endoplasmic reticulum Ca2+ channel induced the transcription and phosphorylation of p21, through the calmodulin/Smad pathway, and resulted in the cell cycle exit. Our results reveal that Panx3 is a new regulator that promotes the switch from proliferation to differentiation of osteoprogenitors via multiple Panx3 signaling pathways.
Background: The mechanism of the transition from osteoprogenitor cell proliferation to differentiation is unclear.
Results: Panx3 inhibits osteoprogenitor proliferation by blocking canonical Wnt signaling and promoting p21 activation.
Conclusion: A Panx3 hemichannel induces multiple Panx3 signaling pathways critical for the cell cycle exit.
Significance: Our findings reveal that Panx3 is a new regulator to switch the stage from proliferation to differentiation in osteoprogenitor cells.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UILJ, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZAGLJ, ZRSKP
Serum and plasma exhibit a broad dynamic range of protein concentrations, posing challenges for proteome analysis. Various technologies have been developed to reduce this complexity, including ...high-abundance depletion methods utilizing antibody columns, extracellular vesicle enrichment techniques, and trace protein enrichment using nanobead cocktails. Here, we employed lectins to address this, thereby extending the scope of biomarker discovery in serum or plasma using a novel approach. We enriched serum proteins using 37 different lectins and subjected them to LC-MS/MS analysis with data-independent acquisition.
lectin (STL) and
lectin (LEL) enabled the detection of more serum proteins than the other lectins. STL and LEL bind to N-acetylglucosamine oligomers, emphasizing the significance of capturing these oligomer-binding proteins when analyzing serum trace proteins. Combining STL and LEL proved more effective than using them separately, allowing us to identify over 3000 proteins from serum through single-shot proteome analysis. We applied the STL/LEL trace-protein enrichment method to the sera of systemic lupus erythematosus model mice. This revealed differences in >1300 proteins between the systemic lupus erythematosus model and control mouse sera, underscoring the utility of this method for biomarker discovery.
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IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, UL, UM, UPUK