Differential liver protein expression during schistosomiasis.
The arrival of eggs in the liver during Schistosoma mansoni infection initiates a protective granulomatous response; however, as the infection progresses, this response results in chronic liver fibrosis. To better understand the impact of schistosomiasis on liver function, we used a proteomic approach to identify proteins whose expression was significantly altered in schistosome-infected mice 8 weeks postinfection. Identification of differentially expressed proteins by mass fingerprinting revealed that schistosome infection markedly reduced the abundance of proteins associated with several normal liver functions (i.e., citric acid cycle, fatty acid cycle, and urea cycle), while proteins associated with stress responses, acute phase reactants, and structural components were all significantly more abundant. The expression patterns of several immunity-related proteins (peroxiredoxin 1, arginase 1, and galectin 1) suggested that different protein forms are associated with schistosome infection. These findings indicate that acute schistosomiasis has a significant impact on specific liver functions and, moreover, that the alterations in specific protein isoforms and upregulation of unique proteins may be valuable as new markers of disease.
Harvie
Marina
M
School of Biological Sciences, Victoria University of Wellington, P.O. Box 600, Wellington, New Zealand.
Jordan
Thomas William
TW
La Flamme
Anne Camille
AC
D000818:Animals; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D015180:Electrophoresis, Gel, Two-Dimensional; D005260:Female; D008099:Liver / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000469:parasitology* / Q000473:pathology; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D011506:Proteins / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000378:metabolism*; D020543:Proteome / Q000032:analysis; D012555:Schistosomiasis mansoni / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000469:parasitology* / Q000473:pathology; D019032:Spectrometry, Mass, Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption-Ionization
D011506:Proteins; D020543:Proteome