Proteomic analysis of the soluble and the lysosomal + mitochondrial fractions from rat pancreas: Implications for cerulein-induced acute pancreatitis

Abstract

Alterations in protein expression within the initiation phase of acute pancreatitis (AP) might play an important role in the development of this disease, lysosomes being involved in its pathophysiology. The use of pancreatic subcellular fractions in proteomic analysis, simplifies protein maps and helps in the identification of new protein changes and biomarkers characterizing tissue damage. The present study aims to determine the differentially expressed acidic proteins in the pancreatic soluble and lysosomal+mitochondrial (L+M) fractions from rats during the early phase of the experimental model of cerulein (Cer)-induced AP. Subcellular pancreatic extracts from diseased and control rats were analyzed by 2-DE (3–5.6 pH range) and MALDI-TOF/TOF MS. Comparative analysis afforded the conclusive identification of 13 (soluble fraction) and 7 (L+M fraction) proteins or protein fragments ocurring in different amounts between diseased and control pancreas, some of them being newly described in AP. In the soluble fraction, we detected changes related to inflammation and apoptosis (α1-inhibitor-3, α-1 antitrypsin, α-1 macroglobulin, haptoglobin, STRAP), oxidative stress and stress response (peroxiredoxin-2, thioredoxin-like 1, GRP94/TRA1, heat shock cognate 71kDa protein), digestive proteases (elastase 3B), serine protease inhibition (serpins B6 and A3L) and translation processes (EF 1-δ). In the L+M fraction, we detected changes mainly related to energy generation or cellular metabolism (ATP synthase β subunit, chymotrypsinogen B, triacylglycerol lipase), cell redox homeostasis (iodothyronine 5´monodeiodinase) and digestive proteases (carboxypeptidase B1). The data should provide valuable information for unraveling the early pathophysiologic mechanisms of Cer-induced AP.