Gregory S. Stupp

High-performance web services for querying gene and variant annotation

Efficient tools for data management and integration are essential for many aspects of high-throughput biology. In particular, annotations of genes and human genetic variants are commonly used but highly fragmented across many resources. Here, we describe MyGene.info and MyVariant.info, high-performance web services for querying gene and variant annotation information. These web services are currently accessed more than three million times per month. They also demonstrate a generalizable cloud-based model for organizing and querying biological annotation information. MyGene.info and MyVariant.info are provided as high-performance web services, accessible at http://mygene.info and http://myvariant.info. Both are offered free of charge to the research community.

13C NMR Metabolomics: Applications at Natural Abundance

13C NMR has many advantages for a metabolomics study, including a large spectral dispersion, narrow singlets at natural abundance, and a direct measure of the backbone structures of metabolites. However, it has not had widespread use because of its relatively low sensitivity compounded by low natural abundance. Here we demonstrate the utility of high-quality 13C NMR spectra obtained using a custom 13C-optimized probe on metabolomic mixtures. A workflow was developed to use statistical correlations between replicate 1D 13C and 1H spectra, leading to composite spin systems that can be used to search publicly available databases for compound identification. This was developed using synthetic mixtures and then applied to two biological samples, Drosophila melanogaster extracts and mouse serum. Using the synthetic mixtures we were able to obtain useful 13C–13C statistical correlations from metabolites with as little as 60 nmol of material. The lower limit of 13C NMR detection under our experimental conditions is approximately 40 nmol, slightly lower than the requirement for statistical analysis. The 13C and 1H data together led to 15 matches in the database compared to just 7 using 1H alone, and the 13C correlated peak lists had far fewer false positives than the 1H generated lists. In addition, the 13C 1D data provided improved metabolite identification and separation of biologically distinct groups using multivariate statistical analysis in the D. melanogaster extracts and mouse serum.

Isotopic Ratio Outlier Analysis Global Metabolomics of Caenorhabditis elegans

We demonstrate the global metabolic analysis of Caenorhabditis elegans stress responses using a mass-spectrometry-based technique called isotopic ratio outlier analysis (IROA). In an IROA protocol, control and experimental samples are isotopically labeled with 95 and 5% (13)C, and the two sample populations are mixed together for uniform extraction, sample preparation, and LC-MS analysis. This labeling strategy provides several advantages over conventional approaches: (1) compounds arising from biosynthesis are easily distinguished from artifacts, (2) errors from sample extraction and preparation are minimized because the control and experiment are combined into a single sample, (3) measurement of both the molecular weight and the exact number of carbon atoms in each molecule provides extremely accurate molecular formulas, and (4) relative concentrations of all metabolites are easily determined. A heat-shock perturbation was conducted on C. elegans to demonstrate this approach. We identified many compounds that significantly changed upon heat shock, including several from the purine metabolism pathway. The metabolomic response information by IROA may be interpreted in the context of a wealth of genetic and proteomic information available for C. elegans . Furthermore, the IROA protocol can be applied to any organism that can be isotopically labeled, making it a powerful new tool in a global metabolomics pipeline.

An overview of methods using 13C for improved compound identification in metabolomics and natural products

Compound identification is a major bottleneck in metabolomics studies. In nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) investigations, resonance overlap often hinders unambiguous database matching or de novo compound identification. In liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS), discriminating between biological signals and background artifacts and reliable determination of molecular formulae are not always straightforward. We have designed and implemented several NMR and LC-MS approaches that utilize 13C, either enriched or at natural abundance, in metabolomics applications. For LC-MS applications, we describe a technique called isotopic ratio outlier analysis (IROA), which utilizes samples that are isotopically labeled with 5% (test) and 95% (control) 13C. This labeling strategy leads to characteristic isotopic patterns that allow the differentiation of biological signals from artifacts and yield the exact number of carbons, significantly reducing possible molecular formulae. The relative abundance between the test and control samples for every IROA feature can be determined simply by integrating the peaks that arise from the 5 and 95% channels. For NMR applications, we describe two 13C-based approaches. For samples at natural abundance, we have developed a workflow to obtain 13C–13C and 13C–1H statistical correlations using 1D 13C and 1H NMR spectra. For samples that can be isotopically labeled, we describe another NMR approach to obtain direct 13C–13C spectroscopic correlations. These methods both provide extensive information about the carbon framework of compounds in the mixture for either database matching or de novo compound identification. We also discuss strategies in which 13C NMR can be used to identify unknown compounds from IROA experiments. By combining technologies with the same samples, we can identify important biomarkers and corresponding metabolites of interest.

A comprehensive and scalable database search system for metaproteomics

BackgroundMass spectrometry-based shotgun proteomics experiments rely on accurate matching of experimental spectra against a database of protein sequences. Existing computational analysis methods are limited in the size of their sequence databases, which severely restricts the proteomic sequencing depth and functional analysis of highly complex samples. The growing amount of public high-throughput sequencing data will only exacerbate this problem. We designed a broadly applicable metaproteomic analysis method (ComPIL) that addresses protein database size limitations.ResultsOur approach to overcome this significant limitation in metaproteomics was to design a scalable set of sequence databases assembled for optimal library querying speeds. ComPIL was integrated with a modified version of the search engine ProLuCID (termed “Blazmass”) to permit rapid matching of experimental spectra. Proof-of-principle analysis of human HEK293 lysate with a ComPIL database derived from high-quality genomic libraries was able to detect nearly all of the same peptides as a search with a human database (~500x fewer peptides in the database), with a small reduction in sensitivity. We were also able to detect proteins from the adenovirus used to immortalize these cells. We applied our method to a set of healthy human gut microbiome proteomic samples and showed a substantial increase in the number of identified peptides and proteins compared to previous metaproteomic analyses, while retaining a high degree of protein identification accuracy and allowing for a more in-depth characterization of the functional landscape of the samples.ConclusionsThe combination of ComPIL with Blazmass allows proteomic searches to be performed with database sizes much larger than previously possible. These large database searches can be applied to complex meta-samples with unknown composition or proteomic samples where unexpected proteins may be identified. The protein database, proteomic search engine, and the proteomic data files for the 5 microbiome samples characterized and discussed herein are open source and available for use and additional analysis.

Metabolomics and Natural-Products Strategies to Study Chemical Ecology in Nematodes

This review provides an overview of two complementary approaches to identify biologically active compounds for studies in chemical ecology. The first is activity-guided fractionation and the second is metabolomics, particularly focusing on a new liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry-based method called isotopic ratio outlier analysis. To illustrate examples using these approaches, we review recent experiments using Caenorhabditis elegans and related free-living nematodes.

Quantitative Metaproteomics and Activity-Based Probe Enrichment Reveals Significant Alterations in Protein Expression from a Mouse Model of Inflammatory Bowel Disease

Tandem mass spectrometry based shotgun proteomics of distal gut microbiomes is exceedingly difficult due to the inherent complexity and taxonomic diversity of the samples. We introduce two new methodologies to improve metaproteomic studies of microbiome samples. These methods include the stable isotope labeling in mammals to permit protein quantitation across two mouse cohorts as well as the application of activity-based probes to enrich and analyze both host and microbial proteins with specific functionalities. We used these technologies to study the microbiota from the adoptive T cell transfer mouse model of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and compare these samples to an isogenic control, thereby limiting genetic and environmental variables that influence microbiome composition. The data generated highlight quantitative alterations in both host and microbial proteins due to intestinal inflammation and corroborates the observed phylogenetic changes in bacteria that accompany IBD in humans and mouse models. The combination of isotope labeling with shotgun proteomics resulted in the total identification of 4434 protein clusters expressed in the microbial proteomic environment, 276 of which demonstrated differential abundance between control and IBD mice. Notably, application of a novel cysteine-reactive probe uncovered several microbial proteases and hydrolases overrepresented in the IBD mice. Implementation of these methods demonstrated that substantial insights into the identity and dysregulation of host and microbial proteins altered in IBD can be accomplished and can be used in the interrogation of other microbiome-related diseases.

WikiGenomes: an open web application for community consumption and curation of gene annotation data in Wikidata

Abstract With the advancement of genome-sequencing technologies, new genomes are being sequenced daily. Although these sequences are deposited in publicly available data warehouses, their functional and genomic annotations (beyond genes which are predicted automatically) mostly reside in the text of primary publications. Professional curators are hard at work extracting those annotations from the literature for the most studied organisms and depositing them in structured databases. However, the resources don’t exist to fund the comprehensive curation of the thousands of newly sequenced organisms in this manner. Here, we describe WikiGenomes (wikigenomes.org), a web application that facilitates the consumption and curation of genomic data by the entire scientific community. WikiGenomes is based on Wikidata, an openly editable knowledge graph with the goal of aggregating published knowledge into a free and open database. WikiGenomes empowers the individual genomic researcher to contribute their expertise to the curation effort and integrates the knowledge into Wikidata, enabling it to be accessed by anyone without restriction. Database URL: www.wikigenomes.org

13C Metabolomics: NMR and IROA for Unknown Identification

Abstract: Background Isotopic Ratio Outlier Analysis (IROA) is an untargeted metabolomics method that uses stable isotopic labeling and LC-HRMS for identification and relative quantification of metabolites in a biological sample under varying experimental conditions. Objective We demonstrate a method using high-sensitivity 13C NMR to identify an unknown metabolite isolated from fractionated material from an IROA LC-HRMS experiment. Methods IROA samples from the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans were fractionated using LC-HRMS using 5 repeated injections and collecting 30 sec fractions. These were concentrated and analyzed by 13C NMR. Results We isotopically labeled samples of C. elegans and collected 2 adjacent LC fractions. By HRMS, one contained at least 2 known metabolites, phenylalanine and inosine, and the other contained tryptophan and an unknown feature with a monoisotopic mass of m/z 380.0742 [M+H]+. With NMR, we were able to easily verify the known compounds, and we then identified the spin system networks responsible for the unknown resonances. After searching the BMRB database and comparing the molecular formula from LC-HRMS, we determined that the fragments were a modified anthranilate and a glucose modified by a phosphate. We then performed quantum chemical NMR chemical shift calculations to determine the most likely isomer, which was 3’-O-phospho-β-D-glucopyranosyl-anthranilate. This compound had previously been found in the same organism, validating our approach. Conclusion We were able to dereplicate previously known metabolites and identify a metabolite that was not in databases by matching resonances to NMR databases and using chemical shift calculations to determine the correct isomer. This approach is efficient and can be used to identify unknown compounds of interest using the same material used for IROA.

Triflic Acid Treatment Enables LC-MS/MS Analysis of Insoluble Bacterial Biomass

The lysis and extraction of soluble bacterial proteins from cells is a common practice for proteomics analyses, but insoluble bacterial biomasses are often left behind. Here, we show that with triflic acid treatment, the insoluble bacterial biomass of Gram- and Gram+ bacteria can be rendered soluble. We use LC-MS/MS shotgun proteomics to show that bacterial proteins in the soluble and insoluble postlysis fractions differ significantly. Additionally, in the case of Gram- Pseudomonas aeruginosa, triflic acid treatment enables the enrichment of cell-envelope-associated proteins. Finally, we apply triflic acid to a human microbiome sample to show that this treatment is robust and enables the identification of a new, complementary subset of proteins from a complex microbial mixture.