title: Proteomic analysis of human cervicovaginal fluid collected before preterm premature rupture of the fetal membranes.
abstract: A significant obstetric complication facing contemporary materno-fetal medicine is preterm premature rupture of the fetal membranes (preterm PROM), which occurs in 30% of all preterm births. The objective of this study was to identify differentially expressed proteins in the cervicovaginal fluid of asymptomatic women before the clinical manifestation of preterm PROM. The preterm PROM group comprised of women with samples collected 6-23 days before PROM, who subsequently delivered preterm (n=5). Women who spontaneously delivered at term served as gestation-matched controls (n=10). Two-dimensional difference in-gel electrophoresis was used to distinguish differential expression between the pooled groups and fold changes were subsequently confirmed by two-dimensional PAGE of individual samples. Spots of interest were identified by mass spectrometry. Proteins that were significantly reduced with impending preterm PROM included the following: thioredoxin (2.7-fold), interleukin 1 receptor antagonist (1.7-fold), fatty acid-binding protein 5 (2.1-fold), cystatin A (dimer; 1.9-fold), monocyte/neutrophil elastase inhibitor (1.6-fold), squamous cell carcinoma antigen-1 (2.1-fold) and γ-glutamyl cyclotransferase (3.0-fold). By contrast, annexin A3 (3.7-fold) and vitamin D binding protein (3.9-fold) were significantly increased with impending preterm PROM. Western blot analysis was also performed on an independent cohort of preterm PROM and control samples to validate these candidate biomarkers. These proteins have known biological functions in oxidative balance, anti-inflammatory activity, metabolism or protease inhibition that may facilitate membrane rupture.
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia.
authors.forename: Stella
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Liong
authors.forename: Megan K W
authors.initials: MK
authors.lastname: Di Quinzio
authors.forename: Yujing J
authors.initials: YJ
authors.lastname: Heng
authors.forename: Gabrielle
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Fleming
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Permezel
authors.forename: Gregory E
authors.initials: GE
authors.lastname: Rice
authors.forename: Harry M
authors.initials: HM
authors.lastname: Georgiou
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001826:Body Fluids / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002584:Cervix Uteri / Q000378:metabolism*; D005260:Female; D005322:Premature Rupture of Fetal Membranes / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D011247:Pregnancy; D020543:Proteome / Q000032:analysis* / Q000378:metabolism; D040901:Proteomics; D013048:Specimen Handling; D013997:Time Factors; D014621:Vagina / Q000378:metabolism*; D054928:Validation Studies as Topic; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D020543:Proteome