Proteomic Profiling of the Insoluble Pellets of the Transected Rat Spinal Cord

Abstract

This study investigated the proteomic changes at different time points in the precipitated pellets of rat spinal cords after applying complete spinal cord transection. By two-dimensional electrophoresis, matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time of flight (MALDI-TOF) mass spectrometry, MALDI-TOF/TOF and peptide mass fingerprinting analysis, 44 proteins were identified, most of which are membrane and/or organellar proteins. They are mainly involved in metabolic processes (75%), developmental processes (30%), or responses to stimuli (30%), playing negative or positive roles. In particular, decreases of pyruvate dehydrogenase beta, aconitase 2, fumarate hydratase 1, and ATP synthase subunit 6 can lead to ATP depletion by crippling tricarboxylic acid cycle and oxidative phosphorylation. Decreases of several antioxidant proteins such as catalase, peroxiredoxin 1, Parkinson disease 7, and stress-induced phosphoprotein 1 can contribute to the secondary injury of spinal cord. Decreases of development-related 3-phosphoglycerate dehydrogenase and stathmin 1 may be not propitious for spinal cord regeneration. On the other hand, increases of isocitrate dehydrogenase 3 alpha/gamma and glutamate dehydrogenase 1 can help compensate the impaired energy metabolism. Increases of sirtuin 2, crystallin alpha B (CRYAB), and heat shock 27-kDa protein 1 can help resist stresses induced by injury. Increases of adenylate cyclase-associated protein 1 and galactose binding lectin 3 can help regeneration by replaying their roles in neural development. To our knowledge, this is the first case of characterization of the proteomic changes seen in the precipitated fraction of injured spinal cord. Most of the identified proteins were found for the first time to be differentially expressed after spinal cord injury, which may provide new clues about the molecular mechanisms of spinal cord injury and repair.