Serum proteomic profiling in patients with advanced Schistosoma japonicum-induced hepatic fibrosis

Abstract

Background Schistosoma japonicum is a parasitic flatworm that is the aetiological agent of human schistosomiasis, an important cause of hepatic fibrosis. Schistosomiasis-induced hepatic fibrosis is a consequence of the highly fibrogenic nature of egg-induced granulomatous lesions, which are the main pathogenic features of schistosomiasis. Although global awareness of the association between schistosomiasis-induced hepatic fibrosis and S. japonicum infection is increasing, little is known about the molecular differences associated with rapid progression to schistosomiasis in cirrhotic patients. Methods We systematically used data-independent acquisition (DIA)-based liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry to identify differentially expressed proteins in serum samples from patients with advanced S. japonicum-induced hepatic fibrosis. Results Our analysis identified 1144 proteins, among which 66 were differentially expressed between the healthy control group and the group of patients with advanced S. japonicum-induced hepatic fibrosis stage F2 (SHF-F2) and 214 were differentially expressed between the SHF-F2 and SHF-F4 groups (up- or downregulation of at least 1.5-fold in serum samples). The results also indicated that two selected proteins (C1QA and CFD) are potential biomarkers for distinguishing between patients with SHF-F2 and those with SHF-F4 due to S. japonicum infection. Conclusions We provide here the first global proteomic profile of serum samples from patients with advanced S. japonicum-induced hepatic fibrosis. The proteins C1QA and CFD are potential diagnostic markers for patients with SHF-F2 and SHF-F4 due to S. japonicum infection, although further large-scale studies are needed. Our DIA-based quantitative proteomic analysis revealed molecular differences among individuals at different stages of advanced S. japonicum-induced hepatic fibrosis and may provide fundamental information for further detailed investigations. Graphic Abstract

The Aflibercept-Induced MicroRNA Profile in the Vitreous of Proliferative Diabetic Retinopathy Patients Detected by Next-Generation Sequencing

“…According to KEGG pathway annotation, the top five terms were complements and coagulation cascade pathways, pertussis pathway, Staphylococcus aureus infection pathway, cytokine–cytokine receptor interaction pathway, and systemic lupus erythematosus pathway. The complement and coagulation cascade pathways have been reported to contribute to the regulation of hepatic fibrosis and liver cirrhosis caused by excessive extracellular matrix deposition ( Huang et al, 2021 ). In this investigation, C1QA and C3, the main recognition proteins in complement and coagulation cascade pathways, pertussis pathway, S. aureus infection pathway, and systemic lupus erythematosus pathway, were highly expressed in PDR samples.…”

“…In this investigation, C1QA and C3, the main recognition proteins in complement and coagulation cascade pathways, pertussis pathway, S. aureus infection pathway, and systemic lupus erythematosus pathway, were highly expressed in PDR samples. Elevated C1QA level may increase transcriptional activation of the classical complement pathway via the formation of C3 and C5 convertases, so that it can induce increased susceptibility to complement-mediated liver damage and fibrosis ( Donat et al, 2020 ; Huang et al, 2021 ). In our prediction, the target relation existed in hsa-miR-24-3p and C1QA, providing an important point to verify.…”

Comparative Analysis of Serum Proteins Between Hepatitis B Virus Genotypes B and C Infection by DIA-Based Quantitative Proteomics

“…DDA library data was searched against the FASTA sequence database using Spectronaut software (version 14.4.200727.47784; Biognosys, Switzerland) as previously described. 27 The human proteome database in UniProt (2020/11/22, 9951 sequences) appended with iRT peptide sequences was used. The searches were run using the following parameters: enzyme, trypsin; max missed cleavages, 2; fixed modification, carbamidomethyl (C); dynamic modification, oxidation (M) and acetyl (protein N-term).…”

“…To verify the results of the proteomic study, proteins exhibiting significantly different levels in the two groups were subjected to enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and automated biochemical analyses as previously described. 27 All serum samples collected from the three groups were evaluated using a commercially available ELISA kit (Abcam, USA) for selected dysregulated proteins according to the manufacturer’s protocol. ELISA of each sample was performed in triplicate.…”

“…Comparative proteomic approaches coupling data independent acquisition (DIA)-based liquid chromatographytandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) are commonly used to analyze human, animal, and plant host responses during viral infections. 26,27 In addition, DIA-based quantitative proteomics can be used to screen and identify key protein biomarkers for early disease recognition, diagnosis, monitoring, and treatment. [28][29][30] Thus, serum proteomic analysis provides an overall understanding of the host factors involved in virus infections and provides insights into signaling pathway alterations, improving our understanding of the molecular pathogenesis of HBV infection.…”