Analysis of Post-Translational Modifications of Microalgal Proteins

Introduction

Protein post-translational modifications (PTM) are covalent processing events that alter the properties of proteins through hydrolytic cleavage of proteins and the addition of modifying groups (e.g. acetyl, phosphoryl, glycosyl, and methyl) to one or more amino acids. PTM are dynamic cellular processes in different intercellular compartments and regulate other protein properties, including folding, conformation, and activity, thereby modulating protein function. There are over 400 different types of PTMs that affect many aspects of protein function. Microalgae are promising feedstocks for the production of renewable fuels and chemical intermediates. Although genomic and transcriptomic analyses provide strategies for engineering targeted strains in algal biocatalysts, active post-transcriptional regulatory mechanisms are prevalent in many microalgae. Therefore, proteomic and post-translational (e.g., phosphate and nitroso proteomics) analyses are needed to assess the algal response to nutrient deficiencies more fully.

Fig 1. Working scheme of the holistic PTM events in photosynthesis pathways in cyanobacteria. (Xiong Q, et al., 2016)

Customized Solutions

The PTM system is a critical component of the signal transduction network and has an important regulatory role. A large number of PTMs events have been reported in microalgae, and they are extensively involved in cellular processes and metabolic homeostasis. At Lifeasible, we provide specialized services for the analysis of post-translational modification of microalgal proteins, performing a systematic analysis of PTMs on isolated total algal proteins to comprehensively characterize protein species and elucidate the potential biological role of each protein in microalgae. Over the years, our skilled scientists have developed prokaryotic PTMs-wide proteome analysis strategies to analyze PTMs in microalgae, including:

• Protein Splicing
• Phosphorylation
• Acetylation
• Methylation
• Biotinylation
• Persulfuration
• ADP-nucleation
• Glutathionylation
• Prenylation
• Palmitoylation
• Histidine Hydroxyl Modification
• Carboxy-Terminal Processing

Our Technical Support

• Proximity ligation assay (PLA).
• Immunoprecipitation (IP).
• Mass spectrometry-based proteomics strategies.
• PTM prediction tools.
• In vitro chemical labeling approaches.
• Metabolic labeling strategies.
• The SILAC technique.

Advantages of Our Solutions

• Efficient enrichment strategies and high-precision quantitative methods.
• Large-scale identification or quantification of PTM.
• Detailed functional analysis of crucial PTM loci.
• Contribute to a comprehensive understanding of signaling network and biological processes in microalgae.
• Enables dynamic PTM analysis of microalgae under different environmental stresses.

We can help you to characterize microalgal protein species comprehensively and elucidate the potential biological roles of each protein species in microalgae. If you are interested in our solutions for analyzing post-translational modification of microalgal proteins, please contact us directly.