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Rajczewski AT, Mehta S, Nguyen DDA, Grüning B, Johnson JE, McGowan T, Griffin TJ, Jagtap PD. A rigorous evaluation of optimal peptide targets for MS-based clinical diagnostics of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19). Clin Proteomics 2021; 18:15. [PMID: 33971807 PMCID: PMC8107781 DOI: 10.1186/s12014-021-09321-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2021] [Accepted: 05/01/2021] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) global pandemic has had a profound, lasting impact on the world's population. A key aspect to providing care for those with COVID-19 and checking its further spread is early and accurate diagnosis of infection, which has been generally done via methods for amplifying and detecting viral RNA molecules. Detection and quantitation of peptides using targeted mass spectrometry-based strategies has been proposed as an alternative diagnostic tool due to direct detection of molecular indicators from non-invasively collected samples as well as the potential for high-throughput analysis in a clinical setting; many studies have revealed the presence of viral peptides within easily accessed patient samples. However, evidence suggests that some viral peptides could serve as better indicators of COVID-19 infection status than others, due to potential misidentification of peptides derived from human host proteins, poor spectral quality, high limits of detection etc. METHODS: In this study we have compiled a list of 636 peptides identified from Sudden Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) samples, including from in vitro and clinical sources. These datasets were rigorously analyzed using automated, Galaxy-based workflows containing tools such as PepQuery, BLAST-P, and the Multi-omic Visualization Platform as well as the open-source tools MetaTryp and Proteomics Data Viewer (PDV). RESULTS Using PepQuery for confirming peptide spectrum matches, we were able to narrow down the 639-peptide possibilities to 87 peptides that were most robustly detected and specific to the SARS-CoV-2 virus. The specificity of these sequences to coronavirus taxa was confirmed using Unipept and BLAST-P. Through stringent p-value cutoff combined with manual verification of peptide spectrum match quality, 4 peptides derived from the nucleocapsid phosphoprotein and membrane protein were found to be most robustly detected across all cell culture and clinical samples, including those collected non-invasively. CONCLUSION We propose that these peptides would be of the most value for clinical proteomics applications seeking to detect COVID-19 from patient samples. We also contend that samples harvested from the upper respiratory tract and oral cavity have the highest potential for diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2 infection from easily collected patient samples using mass spectrometry-based proteomics assays.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew T Rajczewski
- Department of Biochemistry, Molecular and Cell Biology Building, University of Minnesota, 420 Washington Ave SE 7-129, Minneapolis, MN, 55455, USA
| | - Subina Mehta
- Department of Biochemistry, Molecular and Cell Biology Building, University of Minnesota, 420 Washington Ave SE 7-129, Minneapolis, MN, 55455, USA
| | - Dinh Duy An Nguyen
- Department of Biochemistry, Molecular and Cell Biology Building, University of Minnesota, 420 Washington Ave SE 7-129, Minneapolis, MN, 55455, USA
| | - Björn Grüning
- Department of Computer Science, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - James E Johnson
- Minnesota Supercomputing Institute, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, 55455, USA
| | - Thomas McGowan
- Minnesota Supercomputing Institute, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, 55455, USA
| | - Timothy J Griffin
- Department of Biochemistry, Molecular and Cell Biology Building, University of Minnesota, 420 Washington Ave SE 7-129, Minneapolis, MN, 55455, USA
| | - Pratik D Jagtap
- Department of Biochemistry, Molecular and Cell Biology Building, University of Minnesota, 420 Washington Ave SE 7-129, Minneapolis, MN, 55455, USA.
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Mehta S, Kumar P, Crane M, Johnson JE, Sajulga R, Nguyen DDA, McGowan T, Arntzen MØ, Griffin TJ, Jagtap PD. Updates on metaQuantome Software for Quantitative Metaproteomics. J Proteome Res 2021; 20:2130-2137. [PMID: 33683127 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jproteome.0c00960] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
metaQuantome is a software suite that enables the quantitative analysis, statistical evaluation. and visualization of mass-spectrometry-based metaproteomics data. In the latest update of this software, we have provided several extensions, including a step-by-step training guide, the ability to perform statistical analysis on samples from multiple conditions, and a comparative analysis of metatranscriptomics data. The training module, accessed via the Galaxy Training Network, will help users to use the suite effectively both for functional as well as for taxonomic analysis. We extend the ability of metaQuantome to now perform multi-data-point quantitative and statistical analyses so that studies with measurements across multiple conditions, such as time-course studies, can be analyzed. With an eye on the multiomics analysis of microbial communities, we have also initiated the use of metaQuantome statistical and visualization tools on outputs from metatranscriptomics data, which complements the metagenomic and metaproteomic analyses already available. For this, we have developed a tool named MT2MQ ("metatranscriptomics to metaQuantome"), which takes in outputs from the ASaiM metatranscriptomics workflow and transforms them so that the data can be used as an input for comparative statistical analysis and visualization via metaQuantome. We believe that these improvements to metaQuantome will facilitate the use of the software for quantitative metaproteomics and metatranscriptomics and will enable multipoint data analysis. These improvements will take us a step toward integrative multiomic microbiome analysis so as to understand dynamic taxonomic and functional responses of these complex systems in a variety of biological contexts. The updated metaQuantome and MT2MQ are open-source software and are available via the Galaxy Toolshed and GitHub.
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Affiliation(s)
- Subina Mehta
- Department of Biochemistry, Molecular Biology, and Biophysics, University of Minnesota Twin Cities, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455, United States
| | - Praveen Kumar
- Department of Biochemistry, Molecular Biology, and Biophysics, University of Minnesota Twin Cities, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455, United States
| | - Marie Crane
- Department of Biochemistry, Molecular Biology, and Biophysics, University of Minnesota Twin Cities, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455, United States
| | - James E Johnson
- Minnesota Supercomputing Institute, University of Minnesota Twin Cities, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455, United States
| | - Ray Sajulga
- Department of Biochemistry, Molecular Biology, and Biophysics, University of Minnesota Twin Cities, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455, United States
| | - Dinh Duy An Nguyen
- Department of Biochemistry, Molecular Biology, and Biophysics, University of Minnesota Twin Cities, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455, United States
| | - Thomas McGowan
- Minnesota Supercomputing Institute, University of Minnesota Twin Cities, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455, United States
| | - Magnus Ø Arntzen
- Faculty of Chemistry, Biotechnology and Food Science, Norwegian University of Life Sciences (NMBU), Ås 1432, Norway
| | - Timothy J Griffin
- Department of Biochemistry, Molecular Biology, and Biophysics, University of Minnesota Twin Cities, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455, United States
| | - Pratik D Jagtap
- Department of Biochemistry, Molecular Biology, and Biophysics, University of Minnesota Twin Cities, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455, United States
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Rajczewski AT, Mehta S, Nguyen DDA, Grüning BA, Johnson JE, McGowan T, Griffin TJ, Jagtap PD. A rigorous evaluation of optimal peptide targets for MS-based clinical diagnostics of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19). medRxiv 2021:2021.02.09.21251427. [PMID: 33688669 PMCID: PMC7941646 DOI: 10.1101/2021.02.09.21251427] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
The Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) global pandemic has had a profound, lasting impact on the world's population. A key aspect to providing care for those with COVID-19 and checking its further spread is early and accurate diagnosis of infection, which has been generally done via methods for amplifying and detecting viral RNA molecules. Detection and quantitation of peptides using targeted mass spectrometry-based strategies has been proposed as an alternative diagnostic tool due to direct detection of molecular indicators from non-invasively collected samples as well as the potential for high-throughput analysis in a clinical setting; many studies have revealed the presence of viral peptides within easily accessed patient samples. However, evidence suggests that some viral peptides could serve as better indicators of COVID-19 infection status than others, due to potential misidentification of peptides derived from human host proteins, poor spectral quality, high limits of detection etc. In this study we have compiled a list of 639 peptides identified from Sudden Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) samples, including from in vitro and clinical sources. These datasets were rigorously analyzed using automated, Galaxy-based workflows containing tools such as PepQuery, BLAST-P, and the Multi-omic Visualization Platform as well as the open-source tools MetaTryp and Proteomics Data Viewer (PDV). Using PepQuery for confirming peptide spectrum matches, we were able to narrow down the 639 peptide possibilities to 87 peptides which were most robustly detected and specific to the SARS-CoV-2 virus. The specificity of these sequences to coronavirus taxa was confirmed using Unipept and BLAST-P. Applying stringent statistical scoring thresholds, combined with manual verification of peptide spectrum match quality, 4 peptides derived from the nucleocapsid phosphoprotein and membrane protein were found to be most robustly detected across all cell culture and clinical samples, including those collected non-invasively. We propose that these peptides would be of the most value for clinical proteomics applications seeking to detect COVID-19 from a variety of sample types. We also contend that samples taken from the upper respiratory tract and oral cavity have the highest potential for diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2 infection from easily collected patient samples using mass spectrometry-based proteomics assays.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew T. Rajczewski
- Department of Biochemistry, Molecular Biology and Biophysics, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA
| | - Subina Mehta
- Department of Biochemistry, Molecular Biology and Biophysics, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA
| | - Dinh Duy An Nguyen
- Department of Biochemistry, Molecular Biology and Biophysics, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA
| | - Björn A. Grüning
- Department of Computer Science, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - James E. Johnson
- Minnesota Supercomputing Institute, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA
| | - Thomas McGowan
- Minnesota Supercomputing Institute, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA
| | - Timothy J. Griffin
- Department of Biochemistry, Molecular Biology and Biophysics, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA
| | - Pratik D. Jagtap
- Department of Biochemistry, Molecular Biology and Biophysics, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA
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