Mass spectrometry-based proteomics for system-level characterization of biological responses to engineered nanomaterials

Abstract

The widespread use of engineered nanomaterials or nanotechnology makes the characterization of biological responses to nanomaterials an important area of research. The application of omics approaches, such as mass spectrometry-based proteomics, has revealed new insights into the cellular responses of exposure to nanomaterials, including how nanomaterials interact and alter cellular pathways. In addition, exposure to engineered nanomaterials often leads to the generation of reactive oxygen species and cellular oxidative stress, which implicates a redox-dependent regulation of cellular responses under such conditions. In this review, we discuss quantitative proteomics-based approaches, with an emphasis on redox proteomics, as a tool for system-level characterization of the biological responses induced by engineered nanomaterials. Graphical abstract ᅟ.

Keywords: Engineered nanomaterials; Oxidative stress; Post-translational modifications; Proteomics; Redox proteomics; Thiol.

Figure 1

Proteomics approaches for studying the biological effects of ENMs. (a) Interaction between ENMs and biological systems. (b) Schematic of a typical shotgun proteomics workflow.

Figure 2

Profiling of ENM-induced redox modifications by quantitative redox proteomics. (a) Various redox modifications on protein cysteine residues upon exposure to ENMs. (b) A typical workflow for quantitative characterization of SSG modification. (c) Differential levels of SSG modifications induced by three types of ENMs (SiO₂, Fe₃O₄, and CoO). Adapted from Duan et al [24]. Copyright (2016) American Chemical Society.