Large-Scale Phosphoproteome of Whole Saliva Documented by Dr. Erjdan Salih

Analytical Biochemistry published an article by Associate Professor Dr. Erdjan Salih titled, "Large-Scale Phosphoproteome of Human Whole Saliva Using Disulphide-Thiol-Interchange Covalent Chromatography and Mass Spectrometry," online on July 24.

The findings highlighted in the article are a product of the research that Dr. Salih has been completing as part of his NIDCR-funded grant, “Phosphoproteome of Oral Fluids.” Dr. Salih seeks to develop and apply specific phosphoprotein analytical techniques to document, on a large-scale, the phosphoproteome of oral fluids such as whole saliva, gingival crevicular fluid, and parotid secretions in healthy patients vs those with periodontal disease.

The article details, for the first time, a large-scale phosphoproteome of whole saliva by use of sophisticated novel chemistries and high-throughput mass spectrometry.

"This major ground-breaking work is a classic example of interfacing chemistry with biology, coupled with a novel approach to studying phosphorylation using mass spectrometry," said Dr. Salih. "The results provide a major advancement to what is known about phosphoproteins of saliva with potential implications for diagnostic biomarker discovery for onset and progression of periodontal disease and caries."

Dr. Salih developed specific chemical derivatization and enrichment techniques for phosphoproteins by using a special thiol-interchange covalent-chromatography combined with mass spectrometric analysis, which can be applied to the study of oral fluids and to the study of all fields of biological and biomedical sciences that involve protein phosphorylation.

"The phosphate on/off phenomenon and phosphoproteins play a critical role in the regulation of almost all cellular and biochemical processes," added Dr. Salih. "Hence, the application of the specific chemistries and large-scale phosphoproteome analysis used have the potential to play a central role in enhancing our understanding of a wide range of cellular physiology and biochemistry and phathological developments which include almost all of the human diseases known to date."