Proteomics with two-dimensional gel electrophoresis and mass spectrometry analysis in cardiovascular research

Proteomics is a large-scale, comprehensive study of the proteins of a cell or organism. It is a unique means of characterizing proteins that are expressed in a cell or tissue at any given time-point and of identifying any modifications that they may undergo. Thus, it is a powerful technology that can detect and identify the changes of the structure and function of proteins in response to intra- and extracellular environmental signals or disease states. As proteomics can establish a link for genes and proteins with a disease, it will play an important role in defining the molecular determinants of a disease and in identifying targets for drug discoveries and diagnostics. We have carried out the first proteomics study for coronary artery disease (CAD) and found that the expression of the ferritin light chain was significantly increased in CAD tissues. In this chapter, we use the CAD study as an example to demonstrate the procedures involved in proteomics analysis. The proteome is visualized by two-dimensional gel electrophoresis, a powerful and widely used method for proteomics, and the proteins of interest are then identified by mass spectrometry. This technique should be useful in characterizing cardiovascular diseases and in defining signaling pathways for cardiovascular development and physiology.