The proteomic analysis of human neonatal umbilical cord serum by mass spectrometry.
OBJECTIVE
To investigate the proteome composition and function of human neonatal arterial umbilical cord.


METHODS
Serum proteomic analyses were performed on samples from both males and females by using a combination of techniques: (1) removal of six high-abundance proteins, (2) tryptic digestion of low-abundance proteins, (3) separation of peptide mixtures by reverse-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC), and (4) peptide identification using electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry (ESI-MS/MS).


RESULTS
A total of 837 non-redundant proteins were identified, with 213 male-specific and 239 female-specific proteins. Among them, 319 proteins were identified by at least 2 distinct peptides. The subcellular localization, function, and pathway involvement for each of the identified proteins were analyzed. A comparison of this neonatal proteome to that of adult serum proteome revealed novel biomarkers, such as alpha-fetoprotein and periostin that were specific to newborn infants.


CONCLUSIONS
These data will contribute to a better understanding of the composition of umbilical cord serum and aid the discovery of novel biomarkers for the prenatal diagnosis of fetal abnormalities.
Song
Hong-juan
HJ
China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing, China.
Zhang
Ping
P
Guo
Xue-jiang
XJ
Liao
Lian-ming
LM
Zhou
Zuo-min
ZM
Sha
Jia-hao
JH
Cui
Yu-gui
YG
Ji
Hui
H
Liu
Jia-yin
JY
D000328:Adult; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D001798:Blood Proteins / Q000737:chemistry*; D002851:Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid / Q000379:methods; D005260:Female; D005312:Fetal Blood / Q000737:chemistry*; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D011247:Pregnancy; D040901:Proteomics / Q000379:methods*; D012727:Sex Characteristics; D021241:Spectrometry, Mass, Electrospray Ionization / Q000379:methods*; D055815:Young Adult
D015415:Biomarkers; D001798:Blood Proteins