L9 - Proteomics Flashcards

1
Q

What is the purpose of running a mixture of proteins on a gel in proteomics?

A

Proteins are separated by size so that the gel can be sliced into sections for subsequent analysis.

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2
Q

What role does in‐gel digestion play in protein sequencing?

A

In‐gel digestion uses trypsin to cleave proteins into peptides for mass spectrometric analysis.

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3
Q

Where does trypsin specifically cut proteins?

A

Trypsin cleaves on the C-terminal side of the basic amino acid residues lysine and arginine.

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4
Q

How are peptides separated after digestion?

A

The peptides are separated by chromatography before entering the mass spectrometer.

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5
Q

What does MS1 measure in a mass spectrometry experiment?

A

MS1 records the mass-to-charge ratio of the intact peptides.

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6
Q

What is measured during the MS2 phase of mass spectrometry?

A

MS2 measures the mass-to-charge ratios of fragmented peptide ions produced by smashing up the peptide.

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7
Q

How does the computer determine the identity of a peptide in MS/MS?

A

The software compares experimental spectra (MS1 and MS2) with theoretical spectra generated in silico from a provided protein list.

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8
Q

What is the ‘score’ or PEP in the context of MS/MS analysis?

A

It is a value that indicates how well a real spectrum fits a theoretical spectrum.

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9
Q

What is a decoy database and why is it used in proteomics?

A

A decoy database is a reversed version of the real protein list, used to estimate the rate of false-positive identifications.

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10
Q

Why must the protein search space be carefully defined in proteomics?

A

If all known proteins were searched, the decoy list would be excessively large, resulting in many false-positive hits.

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11
Q

What does a 1% False Discovery Rate (FDR) imply?

A

It implies that approximately one in every 100 reported matches is likely to be a false positive.

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12
Q

How is SILAC used to enhance immunoprecipitation experiments?

A

By differentially labelling samples, SILAC allows discrimination between specific and non-specific protein interactions.

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13
Q

What is the purpose of fusing a viral protein (e.g. NS1) to EGFP in these experiments?

A

The fusion protein is used as bait to pull down interacting proteins, which can then be quantitatively compared using SILAC.

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14
Q

How are non-specific interactions distinguished in SILAC-based immunoprecipitation?

A

Non-specific binding proteins typically show a 1:1 ratio between labelled samples, unlike specific interactors.

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15
Q

What is the benefit of combining proteomics and RNAseq data?

A

It allows the detection of anomalies where mRNA levels do not correlate with protein abundance, revealing post-transcriptional regulation.

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16
Q

How can integrated omics data indicate active protein degradation?

A

A protein whose transcription remains constant while its protein level declines suggests targeted degradation.

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17
Q

What example was provided to illustrate protein degradation without transcriptional change?

A

The apparent disappearance of MRE11 in adenovirus-infected cells.

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18
Q

Why is integration of omics data important in understanding virus-host interactions?

A

It provides a comprehensive view that can uncover novel targets and mechanisms not evident from a single type of data.

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19
Q

How can deep sequencing refine proteomics analysis in adenovirus research?

A

It enables re-inference of the proteome by identifying proteins that may be absent from the official protein list.

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20
Q

What was discovered using combined proteomics and RNAseq approaches in adenovirus?

A

A novel adenovirus protein that had not been previously reported was detected.

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21
Q

Why might an adenovirus protein be missing from the official list yet detected by these techniques?

A

The integrated approach can reveal proteins that standard databases overlook due to limitations in annotation.

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22
Q

How did proteomics contribute to the understanding of SARS-CoV-2 strains?

A

Proteomics revealed the presence of two SARS-CoV-2 strains, including one with a deletion in the spike protein.

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23
Q

What is the significance of the deleted region in the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein?

A

The deletion alters the peptides generated and has been linked to differences in viral pathogenesis.

24
Q

How was the existence of the deleted spike protein version confirmed?

A

By detecting the specific peptides corresponding to the deletion using MS/MS.

25
What two new techniques are making a significant impact on modern biological research?
Next Generation Sequencing and high throughput tandem Mass Spectrometry.
26
How do these techniques complement each other in integrated omics?
They allow simultaneous analysis of genetic and proteomic content, providing a detailed picture of cellular processes
27
Why is integrated omics especially valuable in virology?
It enables researchers to monitor viral gene expression, protein changes, and host responses on a large scale.
28
What is one major benefit of using quantitative proteomics in virus research?
It reveals alterations in protein abundance that might not be apparent from gene expression studies alone.
29
What is the first step in sample preparation for proteomic analysis from cell cultures?
Cells are lysed in a strong buffer containing detergents and reducing agents to release proteins while maintaining their solubility.
30
Why must proteins be reduced and alkylated before digestion?
Reduction breaks disulfide bonds and alkylation prevents them from reforming, ensuring complete unfolding and better access for enzymatic digestion.
31
What happens after in-gel digestion but before MS analysis?
Peptides are extracted from the gel pieces using solvents and concentrated for subsequent chromatographic separation.
32
Why is liquid chromatography used before mass spectrometry in proteomics?
It separates peptides based on hydrophobicity, reducing complexity and allowing better resolution during MS analysis.
33
What is the function of the electrospray ionisation (ESI) process in mass spectrometry?
ESI converts peptides into gas-phase ions by applying a high voltage to a liquid, enabling their introduction into the mass spectrometer.
34
How are ions selected for MS2 in a tandem mass spectrometry experiment?
The most intense ions from the MS1 scan are selected for fragmentation in the MS2 scan, a process known as data-dependent acquisition.
35
What is the purpose of fragmenting peptides during MS2 analysis?
Fragmentation generates a series of product ions that reveal the peptide’s amino acid sequence when analysed.
36
How is a protein identified from peptide sequences in MS/MS?
Peptide sequences derived from MS2 spectra are matched to theoretical digests of known proteins using database search algorithms.
37
What is meant by 'peptide-spectrum match' (PSM) in proteomics?
It refers to the alignment of an experimental MS/MS spectrum with a theoretical peptide sequence to infer identity.
38
How is a decoy database generated for FDR estimation in MS-based proteomics?
The sequences of the real database are reversed or scrambled to create a set of non-existent proteins used to assess false positive rates.
39
What does the term "shotgun proteomics" refer to?
A high-throughput approach where complex protein mixtures are digested into peptides and analysed by LC-MS/MS to identify and quantify proteins.
40
What key assumption is made when using a decoy database to calculate FDR?
That decoy hits occur randomly and at the same rate as false positives among real protein hits, allowing estimation of error rates.
41
What role does MaxQuant play in proteomics data analysis?
MaxQuant is software that processes MS data, performs peak detection, matches spectra to peptides, and quantifies proteins.
42
Why is label-free quantification (LFQ) used in some proteomic experiments?
LFQ enables quantification of protein abundance across samples without the need for isotopic labelling by comparing peptide ion intensities.
43
What challenge does missing data present in label-free proteomics?
Some peptides may not be detected in all samples due to stochastic sampling or low abundance, complicating quantitative comparisons.
44
How can deep coverage be achieved in proteomics experiments?
By fractionating peptide samples before LC-MS/MS analysis to reduce sample complexity and increase the number of identified peptides.
45
How does data-independent acquisition (DIA) differ from data-dependent acquisition (DDA)?
DIA fragments all ions within defined m/z windows, capturing comprehensive data regardless of ion intensity, while DDA selects only the most intense ions for MS2.
46
Why is RNA fragmented before Illumina sequencing?
Illumina sequencing technology can only process fragments up to ~300 nucleotides long. Longer fragments impair sequencing performance due to technological limitations, not biological constraints.
47
How does peptide charge affect separation during liquid chromatography?
Peptides are separated by their net charge or hydrophobicity; peptides with different amino acid compositions will exhibit different chemical properties, enabling their separation before mass spectrometry.
48
What is the principle behind Orbitrap mass spectrometry?
Ionized peptides rotate within a magnetic field and emit radio waves. The frequency of these waves is proportional to the peptide’s mass-to-charge ratio, enabling precise mass measurement.
49
Why is protein database selection critical for peptide identification?
If viral or relevant proteins are not included in the search list, the software cannot identify them, potentially missing true peptides due to lack of theoretical spectra to match against.
50
How can genetic variation affect proteomics analysis?
Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) that alter amino acids can prevent correct peptide identification if the altered sequence isn’t represented in the protein database.
51
What is the purpose of slicing gels before proteomics analysis?
Slicing reduces sample complexity, increasing the chance that all peptides in a slice are selected for MS2 fragmentation, improving coverage and depth of analysis.
52
Why are decoy databases used to estimate false discovery rate (FDR)?
They simulate random matches by using reversed protein sequences. Hits to decoys help estimate how many matches to real proteins may be false positives, enabling score thresholding.
53
What is the principle of SILAC in quantitative proteomics?
Cells are grown in media with heavy isotopes of lysine/arginine, which are incorporated into proteins. These proteins are indistinguishable chemically but are distinguishable by mass in MS1, enabling ratio comparisons.
54
How does tandem mass tagging (TMT) work?
TMT uses isobaric tags that fragment during MS2. The reporter ions vary in mass, allowing simultaneous quantification of up to 16 samples based on reporter ion intensity.
55
Why must proteomics data be validated through replicates and variance checks?
Individual peptide measurements vary in reliability. Confirming fold changes across replicates and low variance across many peptides increases confidence in observed protein abundance changes.