Applications for cathepsin zymography
Detection of cancer
Zymography for detection of cancer with cathepsins as biomarkers [3]
Cathepsin zymography is a technique for quantifying enzymatic activity of the cathepsin family of cysteine proteases. It is based on SDS-PAGE whereby samples tested for cathepsin activity are loaded into a polyacrylamide gel and then separated by molecular weight. Gelatin is embedded in the gel itself, providing a substrate for the enzymes to hydrolyze.
While the proform of cathepsins are generally stable, once activated, proteases such as cathepsin K are vulnerable to inactivation in neutral pH environments. This loss of activity complicates detection of these enzymes. Zymography, through its high sensitivity and multiplex nature allows for the simultaneous distinction between multiple cathepsins. Very small amounts of enzymatic activity can be elucidated and is capable of resolving a femtomole of cathepsin K activity.
Tissue samples are lysed in buffer supplemented with leupeptin to maintain enzymatic activity. The samples are standardized for protein concentration and then loaded into a polyacrylamide gel for SDS-PAGE. After separation of proteins by molecular weight is complete, the gel is incubated in a renaturing buffer to restore enzymatic activity. During loading, a non-reducing buffer was used to preserve protein disulfide bonds. After the renaturing period, the gel is then incubated in assay buffer to allow the now active cathepsins to proteolyze the gelatin impregnated in the gel. This process takes place overnight. The next day, the gel is analyzed for regions of gelatin degradation by coomassie blue staining. Patches of gel that are no longer blue following a destain wash are noted. These bands are then correlated to their respective molecular weights in order to identify which cathepsins were active in the sample.
Cathepsin K detection by zymography [1]
Zymographic techniques for detection of cathepsins K, L, S, and V [2]
Zymography for detection of cancer with cathepsins as biomarkers [3]
Gel electrophoresis is a method for separation and analysis of macromolecules and their fragments, based on their size and charge. It is used in clinical chemistry to separate proteins by charge or size and in biochemistry and molecular biology to separate a mixed population of DNA and RNA fragments by length, to estimate the size of DNA and RNA fragments or to separate proteins by charge.
A Southern blot is a method used in molecular biology for detection of a specific DNA sequence in DNA samples. Southern blotting combines transfer of electrophoresis-separated DNA fragments to a filter membrane and subsequent fragment detection by probe hybridization.
Polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (PAGE) is a technique widely used in biochemistry, forensic chemistry, genetics, molecular biology and biotechnology to separate biological macromolecules, usually proteins or nucleic acids, according to their electrophoretic mobility. Electrophoretic mobility is a function of the length, conformation and charge of the molecule. Polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis is a powerful tool used to analyze RNA samples. When polyacrylamide gel is denatured after electrophoresis, it provides information on the sample composition of the RNA species.
The western blot, or western blotting, is a widely used analytical technique in molecular biology and immunogenetics to detect specific proteins in a sample of tissue homogenate or extract.
Protein purification is a series of processes intended to isolate one or a few proteins from a complex mixture, usually cells, tissues or whole organisms. Protein purification is vital for the specification of the function, structure and interactions of the protein of interest. The purification process may separate the protein and non-protein parts of the mixture, and finally separate the desired protein from all other proteins. Separation of one protein from all others is typically the most laborious aspect of protein purification. Separation steps usually exploit differences in protein size, physico-chemical properties, binding affinity and biological activity. The pure result may be termed protein isolate.
Protein electrophoresis is a method for analysing the proteins in a fluid or an extract. The electrophoresis may be performed with a small volume of sample in a number of alternative ways with or without a supporting medium: SDS polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, free-flow electrophoresis, electrofocusing, isotachophoresis, affinity electrophoresis, immunoelectrophoresis, counterelectrophoresis, and capillary electrophoresis. Each method has many variations with individual advantages and limitations. Gel electrophoresis is often performed in combination with electroblotting immunoblotting to give additional information about a specific protein. Because of practical limitations, protein electrophoresis is generally not suited as a preparative method.
Zymography is an electrophoretic technique for the detection of hydrolytic enzymes, based on the substrate repertoire of the enzyme. Three types of zymography are used; in gel zymography, in situ zymography and in vivo zymography For instance, gelatin embedded in a polyacrylamide gel will be digested by active gelatinases run through the gel. After Coomassie staining, areas of degradation are visible as clear bands against a darkly stained background.
Cathepsins are proteases found in all animals as well as other organisms. There are approximately a dozen members of this family, which are distinguished by their structure, catalytic mechanism, and which proteins they cleave. Most of the members become activated at the low pH found in lysosomes. Thus, the activity of this family lies almost entirely within those organelles. There are, however, exceptions such as cathepsin K, which works extracellularly after secretion by osteoclasts in bone resorption. Cathepsins have a vital role in mammalian cellular turnover.
The southwestern blot, is a lab technique that involves identifying as well as characterizing DNA-binding proteins by their ability to bind to specific oligonucleotide probes. Determination of molecular weight of proteins binding to DNA is also made possible by the technique. The name originates from a combination of ideas underlying Southern blotting and Western blotting techniques of which they detect DNA and protein respectively. Similar to other types of blotting, proteins are separated by SDS-PAGE and are subsequently transferred to nitrocellulose membranes. Thereafter southwestern blotting begins to vary with regards to procedure as since the first blotting’s, many more have been proposed and discovered with goals of enhancing results. Former protocols were hampered by the need for large amounts of proteins and their susceptibility to degradation while being isolated.
A dot blot is a technique in molecular biology used to detect proteins. It represents a simplification of the western blot method, with the exception that the proteins to be detected are not first separated by electrophoresis. Instead, the sample is applied directly on a membrane in a single spot, and the blotting procedure is performed.
Cathepsin S is a protein that in humans is encoded by the CTSS gene. Transcript variants utilizing alternative polyadenylation signals exist for this gene.
A molecular-weight size marker, also referred to as a protein ladder, DNA ladder, or RNA ladder, is a set of standards that are used to identify the approximate size of a molecule run on a gel during electrophoresis, using the principle that molecular weight is inversely proportional to migration rate through a gel matrix. Therefore, when used in gel electrophoresis, markers effectively provide a logarithmic scale by which to estimate the size of the other fragments.
QPNC-PAGE, or quantitative preparative native continuous polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, is a bioanalytical, high-resolution and highly accurate technique applied in biochemistry and bioinorganic chemistry to separate proteins quantitatively by isoelectric point. This standardized variant of native gel electrophoresis is used by biologists to isolate biomacromolecules in solution, for example, active or native metalloproteins in biological samples or properly and improperly folded metal cofactor-containing proteins or protein isoforms in complex protein mixtures.
In molecular biology Proteinase K is a broad-spectrum serine protease. The enzyme was discovered in 1974 in extracts of the fungus Engyodontium album. Proteinase K is able to digest hair (keratin), hence, the name "Proteinase K". The predominant site of cleavage is the peptide bond adjacent to the carboxyl group of aliphatic and aromatic amino acids with blocked alpha amino groups. It is commonly used for its broad specificity. This enzyme belongs to Peptidase family S8 (subtilisin). The molecular weight of Proteinase K is 28,900 daltons.
Cathepsin L2,, is a protein encoded in humans by the CTSV gene.
The in-gel digestion step is a part of the sample preparation for the mass spectrometric identification of proteins in course of proteomic analysis. The method was introduced in 1992 by Rosenfeld. Innumerable modifications and improvements in the basic elements of the procedure remain.
Keratinases are proteolytic enzymes that digest keratin.
The northwestern blot, also known as the northwestern assay, is a hybrid analytical technique of the western blot and the northern blot, and is used in molecular biology to detect interactions between RNA and proteins. A related technique, the western blot, is used to detect a protein of interest that involves transferring proteins that are separated by gel electrophoresis onto a nitrocellulose membrane. A colored precipitate clusters along the band on the membrane containing a particular target protein. A northern blot is a similar analytical technique that, instead of detecting a protein of interest, is used to study gene expression by detection of RNA on a similar membrane. The northwestern blot combines the two techniques, and specifically involves the identification of labeled RNA that interact with proteins that are immobilized on a similar nitrocellulose membrane.
SDS-PAGE is a discontinuous electrophoretic system developed by Ulrich K. Laemmli which is commonly used as a method to separate proteins with molecular masses between 5 and 250 kDa. The combined use of sodium dodecyl sulfate and polyacrylamide gel allows to eliminate the influence of structure and charge, and proteins are separated solely on the basis of differences in their molecular weight.
Papain-like proteases are a large protein family of cysteine protease enzymes that share structural and enzymatic properties with the group's namesake member, papain. They are found in all domains of life. In animals, the group is often known as cysteine cathepsins or, in older literature, lysosomal peptidases. In the MEROPS protease enzyme classification system, papain-like proteases form Clan CA. Papain-like proteases share a common catalytic dyad active site featuring a cysteine amino acid residue that acts as a nucleophile.
