Effect of centrifugation at 7,000 g, 8,000 g, and 9,000 g on the salivary protein profile ≥30 kDa

Biology of the Extracellular Proteasome

Proteasomes are traditionally considered intracellular complexes that play a critical role in maintaining proteostasis by degrading short-lived regulatory proteins and removing damaged proteins. Remarkably, in addition to these well-studied intracellular roles, accumulating data indicate that proteasomes are also present in extracellular body fluids. Not much is known about the origin, biological role, mode(s) of regulation or mechanisms of extracellular transport of these complexes. Nevertheless, emerging evidence indicates that the presence of proteasomes in the extracellular milieu is not a random phenomenon, but rather a regulated, coordinated physiological process. In this review, we provide an overview of the current understanding of extracellular proteasomes. To this end, we examine 143 proteomic datasets, leading us to the realization that 20S proteasome subunits are present in at least 25 different body fluids. Our analysis also indicates that while 19S subunits exist in some of those fluids, the dominant proteasome activator in these compartments is the PA28α/β complex. We also elaborate on the positive correlations that have been identified in plasma and extracellular vesicles, between 20S proteasome and activity levels to disease severity and treatment efficacy, suggesting the involvement of this understudied complex in pathophysiology. In addition, we address the considerations and practical experimental methods that should be taken when investigating extracellular proteasomes. Overall, we hope this review will stimulate new opportunities for investigation and thoughtful discussions on this exciting topic that will contribute to the maturation of the field.

Salivary Raman Spectroscopy: Standardization of Sampling Protocols and Stratification of Healthy and Oral Cancer Subjects

Minimally invasive cancer detection using bio-fluids has been actively pursued due to practical limitations, though there are better suited noninvasive and online in vivo methods. Saliva is one such clinically informative bio-fluid that offers the advantages of easy and multiple sample collection. Despite its potential in cancer diagnostics, saliva analysis is challenging due to its heterogeneous composition. Recently, there has been an upsurge in saliva exploration using optical techniques. Forms of saliva such as precipitate and supernatant have been monitored, but this sampling method needs to be standardized due to the obvious loss of analytes in processing. In that context, present work details the comparison of four different saliva sampling methodologies, i.e., air-dried, lyophilized, pellet, and supernatant using Raman spectroscopy collected from 10 healthy samples. Composition-driven spectral features of all forms were compared and classified using principal component analysis and linear discriminant analysis. Analysis was carried out on all four groups in the first step. In the second step, groups of pellet and supernatant , and air-dried and lyophilized were analyzed. Findings suggest that pellet and supernatant exhibit discrete spectroscopic features and demonstrate high classification efficiency, which is indicative of their distinctive biochemical composition. On the other hand, air-dried and lyophilized forms showed overlapping spectral features and low classification, suggesting these forms retain majority spectroscopic features of whole saliva and are less prone to sampling losses. Thus, this study indicates air-dried and lyophilized forms may be more appropriate for saliva sampling using Raman spectroscopy providing the comprehensive information required for cancer diagnosis. Furthermore, the method was also tested for the classification of oral cancer and healthy subjects (n = 27) which yielded 90% stratification. The findings of the study indicate the utility of minimally invasive salivary Raman-based diagnostics in oral cancers.