Quantitation of glycogen synthase kinase‐3 sensitive proteins in neuronal membrane rafts

We report a quantitative proteomic study to investigate the changes induced in membrane rafts by the inhibition of glycogen synthase kinase‐3. Sensitive quantitation of membrane raft proteins using isobaric tagging chemistries was enabled by a novel hybrid proteomic method to isolate low‐microgram (10–30 μg) membrane raft protein preparations as unresolved bands in a low‐density acrylamide gel. Samples were in‐gel digested, differentially tagged and combined for 2‐D LC and quantitative MS. Analysis of hippocampal membrane preparations using this approach resulted in a sixfold increase in sensitivity and a threefold increase in the number of quantifiable proteins compared with parallel processing using a traditional in‐solution method. Quantitative analysis of membrane raft preparations from a human neuronal cell line treated with glycogen synthase kinase‐3 inhibitors SB415286 or lithium chloride, that have been reported to modulate processing of the Alzheimer amyloid precursor protein, identified several protein changes. These included decreases in lamin B1 and lamin B receptor, as well as increases in several endosome regulating rab proteins, rab5, rab7 and rab11 that have been implicated in processing of the amyloid precursor protein in Alzheimer's disease.