Changes in the proteomic profile of blood serum in coronary atherosclerosis

J Med Biochem. 2020 Jan 23;39(2):208-214. doi: 10.2478/jomb-2019-0022.

Abstract

Background: Our aim was to study changes in the serum proteomic profile in coronary atherosclerosis.

Methods: The study involved two groups of patients: 1) men with coronary heart disease and coronary atherosclerosis (n = 15); 2) control (n = 15): men without coronary heart disease. The object of this study was blood serum. Separation of proteins for the investigation of differences in serum protein components was performed by two-dimensional electrophoresis. Identification of protein fractions was carried out using peptide mass maps by the matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization method.

Results: In blood serum samples from patients with coronary atherosclerosis, protein separation in two-dimensional gels with mass-spectrometric identification revealed an increase of some proteins: hemopexin, transthyretin (monomeric form), retinol-binding protein 4, and components of the complement system: C3 (chain B) and C9. There was a decrease of some proteins: kininogen, zinc finger protein 133, and B-cell CLL/lymphoma 6 member B protein. Comparisons between the experimental and control group were carried out in protein fractions where the protein amount differed more than 1.5-fold (p < 0.05).

Conclusions: Proteome profiling of serum revealed a change in the content of kininogen, hemopexin, transthyretin, retinol-binding protein, and proteins of the complement system (C9, and C3) in coronary atherosclerosis. The contribution to the differential expression of a protein was often made by isoforms of the protein, particularly transthyretin. The change in the concentrations of functionally interacting proteins, such as transthyretin and retinol-binding protein, were noted.

Uvod: Cilj ove studije bio je proučavanje serumskog proteomičkog profila kod koronarne ateroskleroze.

Metode: U istraživanju su učestvovale dve grupe pacijenata: 1) muškarci sa koronarnom bolešću srca i koronarnom aterosklerozom (n = 15); 2) kontrolna grupa (n = 15): muškarci bez koronarne bolesti srca. Predmet studije bio je krvni serum. Odvajanje proteina za ispitivanje razlika u komponentama proteina u serumu izvršeno je dvodimenzionalnom elektroforezom. Identifikacija frakcija proteina izvršena je pomoću mapa masa peptida metodom matricom potpomognute laserske desorpcione jonizacije.

Rezultati: U uzorcima krvnog seruma pacijenata sa koronarnom aterosklerozom, razdvajanjem proteina u dvodimenzionalnim gelovima masenom spektrometrijskom identifikacijom utvrđeno je povećanje nekih proteina: hemopeksin, transtiretin (monomerni oblik), retinol-vezujući protein 4 i komponente sistema komplementa: C3 (lanac B) i C9. Došlo je do smanjenja nekih proteina: kininogena, proteina cinkovog prsta 133, i B-ćelijskog CLL / limfoma 6 člana familije B proteina. Poređenja između eksperimentalne i kontrolne grupe vršena su u proteinskim frakcijama gde se količina proteina razlikovala više od 1,5 puta (p < 0,05).

Zaključak: Proteomska profilacija seruma otkrila nam je promenu u sadržaju kininogena, hemopeksina, transtiretina, retinol-vezujućeg proteina i proteina komplementarnog sistema (C9 i C3) kod koronarne ateroskleroze. Doprinos diferencijalnoj ekspresiji proteina je često uzrokovan izoformima proteina, naročito transtiretinom. Zabeležena je promena koncentracija funkcionalno intereagujućih proteina, kao što je transtiretin i retinol-vezujući protein.

Keywords: atherosclerosis; ceruloplasmin; mass spectrometry; proteomics; two-dimensional electrophoresis.