Biology subjects

Silbern, I.

Publications and source records attributed to Silbern, I..

7 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2024

Calcium-triggered (de)ubiquitination events in synapses

Neuronal communication relies on neurotransmitter release from synaptic vesicles (SVs), whose dynamics are controlled by calcium-dependent pathways, as many thoroughly studied phosphorylation cascades. However, little is known about other post-translational modifications, as ubiquitination. To address this, we analysed resting and stimulated synaptosomes (isolated synapses) by quantitative mass spectrometry. We identified more than 5,000 ubiquitination sites on [~]2,000 proteins, the majority of which participate in SV recycling processes. Several proteins showed significant changes in ubiquitination in response to calcium influx, with the most pronounced changes in CaMKII and the clathrin adaptor protein AP180. To validate this finding, we generated a CaMKII mutant lacking the ubiquitination target site (K291) and analysed it both in neurons and non-neuronal cells. K291 ubiquitination influences CaMKII activity and synaptic function by modulating its autophosphorylation at a functionally important site (T286). We suggest that ubiquitination in response to synaptic activity is an important regulator of synaptic function.

neuroscience↗

bioRxiv2023

Phosphatases modified by LH signaling in rat ovarian follicles and their role in regulating the NPR2 guanylyl cyclase

In response to luteinizing hormone, multiple proteins in rat and mouse granulosa cells are rapidly dephosphorylated, but the responsible phosphatases remain to be identified. Because the phosphorylation state of phosphatases can regulate their interaction with substrates, we searched for phosphatases that might function in LH signaling by using quantitative mass spectrometry. We identified all proteins in rat ovarian follicles whose phosphorylation state changed detectably in response to a 30-minute exposure to LH, and within this list, identified protein phosphatases or phosphatase regulatory subunits that showed changes in phosphorylation. Phosphatases in the PPP family were of particular interest because of their requirement for dephosphorylating the natriuretic peptide receptor 2 (NPR2) guanylyl cyclase in the granulosa cells, which triggers oocyte meiotic resumption. Among the PPP family regulatory subunits, PPP1R12A and PPP2R5D showed the largest increases in phosphorylation, with 4-10 fold increases in signal intensity on several sites. Although follicles from mice in which these phosphorylations were prevented by serine-to-alanine mutations in either Ppp1r12a or Ppp2r5d showed normal LH-induced NPR2 dephosphorylation, these regulatory subunits and others could act redundantly to dephosphorylate NPR2. Our identification of phosphatases and other proteins whose phosphorylation state is rapidly modified by LH provides clues about multiple signaling pathways in ovarian follicles. Graphical Abstract O_FIG O_LINKSMALLFIG WIDTH=200 HEIGHT=150 SRC="FIGDIR/small/544636v2_ufig1.gif" ALT="Figure 1"> View larger version (38K): org.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@2622cdorg.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@1b6eef7org.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@102da9borg.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@5e3221_HPS_FORMAT_FIGEXP M_FIG C_FIG Summary sentenceQuantitative mass spectrometric analysis of phosphatases whose phosphorylation state is rapidly modified by luteinizing hormone provides clues about how LH signaling dephosphorylates NPR2 as well as a resource for future studies.

cell biology↗

bioRxiv2022

Npl3 functions in mRNP assembly by recruitment of mRNP components to the transcription site and their transfer onto the mRNA

RNA-binding proteins (RBPs) control every RNA metabolic process by multiple protein-RNA and protein-protein interactions. Their roles have largely been analyzed by crude mutations, which abrogate multiple functions at once and likely impact the structural integrity of the large messenger ribonucleoprotein particle (mRNP) assemblies, these proteins often function in. Using UV-induced RNA-protein crosslinking and subsequent mass spectrometric analysis, we first identified more than 100 in vivo RNA crosslinks in 16 nuclear mRNP components in S. cerevisiae. For functional analysis, we chose Npl3, for which we determined crosslinks in its two RNA recognition motifs (RRM) and in the flexible linker region connecting the two. Using NMR and structural analyses, we show that both RRM domains and the linker uniquely contribute to RNA recognition. Interestingly, mutations in these regions cause different phenotypes, indicating distinct functions of the different RNA-binding domains of Npl3. Notably, the npl3-Linker mutation strongly impairs recruitment of several mRNP components to chromatin and incorporation of further mRNP components into nuclear mRNPs, establishing a function of Npl3 in nuclear mRNP assembly. Taken together, we determined the specific function of the RNA-binding activity of the nuclear mRNP component Npl3, an approach that can be applied to many RBPs in any RNA metabolic process.

biochemistry↗

bioRxiv2021

Co-localization of different Neurotransmitter Transporters on the same Synaptic Vesicle is Bona-fide yet Sparse

Vesicular transporters (VTs) define the type of neurotransmitter that synaptic vesicles (SVs) store and release. While certain neurons in mammalian brain release multiple transmitters, the prevalence, physiology of such pluralism and if the release occurs from same or distinct vesicle pools is not clear. Using quantitative single vesicle imaging, we show that a small population of neuronal SVs indeed contain different VTs to accomplish corelease. Surprisingly, this population is highly diverse (27 types), expressing distinct dual transporters suggesting corelease of various combinations of neurotransmitters. Using glutamatergic vesicles as an example, we demonstrate that transporter colocalization not only determine the transmitter type but also influences the SV content and synaptic quantal size. Thus, presence of diverse transporters on the same vesicle is bona-fide and, depending on the VT types, this may act as one mechanism to regulate neurotransmitter type, content and release in space and time.

neuroscience↗

bioRxiv2021

Evaluation and Optimization of High-Field Asymmetric Waveform Ion Mobility Spectrometry for Multiplexed Quantitative Site-specific N-glycoproteomics

The heterogeneity and complexity of glycosylation hinder the depth of site-specific glycoproteomics analysis. High-field asymmetric-waveform ion-mobility spectrometry (FAIMS) has shown to improve the scope of bottom-up proteomics. The benefits of FAIMS for quantitative N-glycoproteomics have not been investigated yet. In this work, we optimized FAIMS settings for N-glycopeptide identification, with or without the tandem mass tag (TMT) label. The optimized FAIMS approach significantly increased the identification of site-specific N-glycopeptides derived from the purified IgM protein or human lymphoma cells. We explored in detail the changes in FAIMS mobility caused by N-glycopeptides with different characteristics, including TMT labeling, charge state, glycan type, peptide sequence, glycan size and precursor m/z. Importantly, FAIMS also improved multiplexed N-glycopeptide quantification, both with the standard MS2 acquisition method and with our recently developed Glyco-SPS-MS3 method. The combination of FAIMS and Glyco-SPS-MS3 provided the highest quantitative accuracy and precision. Our results demonstrate the advantages of FAIMS for improved mass-spectrometry-based qualitative and quantitative N-glycoproteomics. O_FIG O_LINKSMALLFIG WIDTH=200 HEIGHT=75 SRC="FIGDIR/small/436434v1_ufig1.gif" ALT="Figure 1"> View larger version (28K): org.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@126b92forg.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@147d6e5org.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@16d6eb0org.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@17dfe2a_HPS_FORMAT_FIGEXP M_FIG C_FIG

biochemistry↗

bioRxiv2020

Post-Translational Modifications Soften Intermediate Filaments

The mechanical properties of biological cells are determined by the cytoskeleton, a composite biopolymer network consisting of microtubules, actin filaments and intermediate filaments (IFs). By differential expression of cytoskeletal proteins, modulation of the network architecture and interactions between the filaments, cell mechanics may be adapted to varying requirements on the cell. Here, we focus on the intermediate filament protein vimentin and introduce post-translational modifications as an additional, much faster mechanism for mechanical modulation. We study the impact of phosphorylation on filament mechanics by recording force-strain curves using optical traps. Partial phosphorylation softens the filaments. We show that binding of the protein 14-3-3 to phosphorylated vimentin IFs further enhances this effect and speculate that in the cell 14-3-3 may serve to preserve the softening and thereby the altered cell mechanics. We explain our observation by the additional charges introduced during phosphorylation.

biophysics↗

bioRxiv2020

SugarQuant: a streamlined pipeline for multiplexed quantitative site-specific N-glycoproteomics

Site-specific regulation of protein N-glycosylation is essential in human cells. However, accurate quantification of glycosylation sites and their individual glycan moieties in a cell-wide manner is still technically challenging. Here, we introduce SugarQuant, an integrated mass spectrometry-based pipeline comprising fast protein aggregation capture (PAC)-based sample preparation, optimized multi-notch MS3 LC-MS acquisition (Glyco-SPS-MS3) and a data-processing tool (GlycoBinder) that allows for confident, global identification and quantification of intact glycopeptides in complex biological samples. PAC greatly reduces the overall samplehandling time without compromising sensitivity. Glyco-SPS-MS3 combines high-resolution MS2 and MS3 scans, resulting in enhanced reporter signals of isobaric mass tags, improved detection of N-glycopeptide fragments, and significantly lowered interference in multiplexed quantification. GlycoBinder enables streamlined processing of Glyco-SPS-MS3 data, followed by a two-step database search which increases the identification rates of intact glycopeptides by up to 22% when compared with one-step database search strategies. SugarQuant was applied to identify and quantify more than 5,000 unique glycoforms in Burkitts lymphoma cells, and determined complex site-specific glycosylation changes that occurred upon inhibition of fucosylation at high confidence.

biochemistry↗