To establish a plasma model to predict the risk of liver fibrosis in HIV/HBV co-infected individuals. Quantitative liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry(LC-MS/MS) was used to identify differentially expressed proteins (DEPs) in plasma collected from HIV/HBV co-infected individuals with and without liver fibrosis. In total, 97 DEPs were identified, among which 11 were further validated as potential biomarkers, with immunoglobulin and complement components being the most common proteins. These markedly altered proteins were found to mediate pathophysiological pathways, including humoral immune response, complement and coagulation cascades, and complement activation. A visual logistic model, in which immunoglobulin heavy variable 3-20 (IGHV3-20), immunoglobulin heavy variable 1-24 (IGHV1-24), and macrophage colony-stimulating factor 1 receptor (CSF1R) proteins were included, has been established to predict liver fibrosis in HIV/HBV co-infected individuals. The preliminary conclusion showed that the combination of IGHV3-20, IGFHV1-24, and CSF1R is expected to become a predictive model for liver fibrosis in the context of HIV/HBV co-infection and a further validation should be performed.
Keywords: Hepatitis B virus; bioinformatics; human immunodeficiency virus; liver fibrosis; proteomics.
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