Mass Spectrometry-Based Approaches to Understand the Molecular Basis of Memory

Abstract

The central nervous system is responsible for an array of cognitive functions such as memory, learning, language, and attention. These processes tend to take place in distinct brain regions; yet, they need to be integrated to give rise to adaptive or meaningful behavior. Since cognitive processes result from underlying cellular and molecular changes, genomics and transcriptomics assays have been applied to human and animal models to understand such events. Nevertheless, genes and RNAs are not the end products of most biological functions. In order to gain further insights toward the understanding of brain processes, the field of proteomics has been of increasing importance in the past years. Advancements in liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) have enabled the identification and quantification of thousands of proteins with high accuracy and sensitivity, fostering a revolution in the neurosciences. Herein, we review the molecular bases of explicit memory in the hippocampus. We outline the principles of mass spectrometry (MS)-based proteomics, highlighting the use of this analytical tool to study memory formation. In addition, we discuss MS-based targeted approaches as the future of protein analysis.

Neuroproteomics of the Synapse: Subcellular Quantification of Protein Networks and Signaling Dynamics

“…Targeted MS -Concerning MS analysis, we can see some general trends in the direction of parallel reaction monitoring (PRM) and selected reaction monitoring (SRM) types of analysis. Advantages of these targeted assays include increased sensitivity and accuracy as compared with traditional discovery-based methods, where the stochastic selection of ions often leads to incomplete information and a bias toward a subset of proteins (150). SRM was successfully used to study a subset of synaptic proteins in the cerebrospinal fluid of Alzheimer's disease patient cohorts, where synaptic proteins were found to be reduced already in preclinical Alzheimer's disease, preceding clinical symptoms (151).…”

Proteome analysis of Phytomonas serpens, a phytoparasite of medical interest

“…A number of previous studies have applied proteomic strategies to better understand the peculiar biology of members of the kinetoplastids, with reports for Trypanosoma cruzi , Trypanosoma brucei and Leishmania [ 10 – 18 ]. Currently, liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) has become the gold standard method to analyze proteins from complex biological samples, since it allows the identification and the quantification of thousands of proteins in a single experiment [ 19 ]. Moreover, data from LC-MS/MS experiments can have a positive impact on poorly annotated genomes by contributing to the curation process [ 20 ].…”

Proteomic Analysis of Postsynaptic Protein Complexes Underlying Neuronal Plasticity

“…These approaches have utilized PSD enrichment strategies such as subcellular fractionation to isolate PSDs followed by mass spectrometry to identify and quantify PSD proteomes. 1,5–18 It is important to note that different PSD preparations and mass spectrometry instrumentation may lead to distinct PSD proteomes. 19–21 However, there is overlap between many of these approaches.…”