Effective Mass Spectrometry-Based Methods for Comprehensive Characterization of Surface Glycoproteins and Their Dynamics

Description:
Surface glycoproteins are essential to mammalian cells and they regulate nearly every extracellular event including cell-cell communications and cell-matrix interactions. Aberrant protein glycosylation on the cell surface is directly related to human diseases such as cancer and infectious diseases. Comprehensive analysis of glycoproteins on the cell surface and their dynamics will help identify surface glycoproteins as effective biomarkers and drug targets. In our lab, we have worked on the development of effective mass spectrometry (MS)-based methods to target surface glycoproteins. Through integrating metabolic labeling and bioorthogonal chemistry, we specifically tagged surface glycoproteins and then selectively enriched them. In combination with MS-based proteomics, we performed global identification and quantification of surface glycoproteins site-specifically. One main advantage of this method is that the conditions are mild, which allows us to study the dynamics of surface glycoproteins. It was applied to quantify the dynamics of surface glycoproteins in monocytes and macrophages in response to the infection. Besides well-known surface proteins changed during the infection, we identified novel surface glycoproteins in response to the infection. Systematic investigation of surface glycoproteins and their dynamics results in a better understanding of glycoprotein functions and cellular activities.

Speaker: Ronghu Wu - Georgia Institute of Technology
Dr. Ronghu Wu is an associate professor in the School of Chemistry and Biochemistry at Georgia Institute of Technology (GT). His group has worked on the development of mass spectrometry-based chemical and enzymatic methods for comprehensive analysis of protein modifications, especially glycosylation, and applying them for biomedical research. Glycosylation is one of the most common and important protein modifications in mammalian cells, and it regulates nearly every extracellular activity. Global analysis of protein glycosylation will advance our understanding of glycoprotein functions and disease mechanisms, leading to the identification of glycoproteins as effective biomarkers and drug targets. He is a recipient of several awards, including GT Blanchard Assistant Professorship (2014), NSF CAREER Award (2015), American Society for Mass Spectrometry Research Award (2016), and GT CoS Cullen-Peck Faculty Scholar Award (2019), and Vasser-Woolley Professorship (2021).