Background:
Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is the most frequent endocrine disorder affecting 6–7% of
premenopausal women. Recent studies revealed that the immune system especially CD4+ T helper cells are important in the
context PCOS. Proteome analysis of CD4+ T lymphocytes can provide valuable information regarding the biology of these
cells in the context of PCOS.
Objective:
To investigate immune dysregulation in CD4+ T lymphocytes at the protein level in the context of PCOS using
two-dimensional gel electrophoresis (2DE) and mass spectrometry (MS).
Methods:
In the present study, we applied two-dimensional gel electrophoresis / mass spectrometry to identify proteins differentially expressed by peripheral blood CD4+ T cells in ten PCOS women compared with ten healthy women. Western
blot technique was used to confirm the identified proteins.
Results:
Despite the overall proteome similarities, there were significant differences in the expression of seven spots between two groups (P <0.05). Three proteins, namely phosphatidylethanolamine-binding protein 1, proteasome activator
complex subunit 1 and triosephosphate isomerase 1 were successfully identified by Mass technique and confirmed by western blot. All characterized proteins were over-expressed in CD4+ T cells from patients compared to CD4+ T cells from controls (P <0.05). In-silico analysis suggested that the over-expressed proteins interact with other proteins involved in cellular
metabolism especially glycolysis and ferroptosis pathway.
Conclusion:
These findings suggest that metabolic adjustments in CD4+ T lymphocytes, which is in favor of increased glycolysis and Th2 differentiation are important in the context of PCOS.
Combining high-throughput MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry and isoelectric focusing gel electrophoresis for virtual 2D gel-based proteomics