Screening of serum biomarkers and establishment of a decision tree in silica-exposed populations by surface-enhanced laser desorption ionization time-of-fly mass spectrometry.
OBJECTIVE
To screen for serum biomarkers of silicosis and to study their roles using surface-enhanced laser desorption ionization time-of-fly mass spectrometry (SELDI-TOF-MS) techniques.


METHODS
The serum protein/peptide profile on the CM10 proteinchip was acquired using SELDI-TOF-MS from workers classified by the Chinese national diagnostic standard for pneumoconiosis. Discriminant analysis was performed to establish a decision tree using protein/peptide peaks.


RESULTS
Protein/peptide peaks changed much more in silica-exposed populations than they did in the control. Discriminant analysis using Wilks' lambda method could give high sensitivity and specificity in distinguishing the silica-exposed population from the control; the decision tree could give 100% sensitivity and 95% specificity in distinguishing the silicosis phase among the control group.


CONCLUSIONS
Special proteins/peptides may change in silica-exposed workers and these changes may be used to distinguish silica-exposed populations from the control with the proper discriminant analytical method.
Wang
Shi-Xin
SX
Proteomics Laboratory, Medical College of Chinese People's Armed Police Force, Tianjin, China. wshx-001@163.com
Zhao
Xue-Feng
XF
Wei
Mao-Ti
MT
Wu
You
Y
Zeng
Jia-Wei
JW
Liang
Xian-Cai
XC
Yi
Jian-Hua
JH
He
Bing
B
Tu
Zi-Guang
ZG
D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood*; D002681:China; D003663:Decision Trees; D016002:Discriminant Analysis; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008403:Mass Screening; D010455:Peptides / Q000032:analysis / Q000097:blood; D012829:Silicosis / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000503:physiopathology; D019032:Spectrometry, Mass, Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption-Ionization
D015415:Biomarkers; D010455:Peptides