Proteome map of the normal murine ventricular myocardium

Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of morbidity and mortality in developed countries. The underlying mechanisms involved in cardiac dysfunction and heart failure are poorly understood. In this study, 2-DE was utilised to map, for the first time, proteins of normal, nonfailing mouse ventricular tissues to form a basis for future comparative analysis of mouse models with cardiovascular disorders. Proteins were obtained from ventricles of C57BL6 mice, aged 18 wk, and separated by 2-DE. A total of 150 protein spots, corresponding to 77 distinct proteins, were identified by MALDI-TOF MS. The proteins identified in mouse ventricles covered a wide range of biological processes (e.g. cell cycle, muscle contraction and signal transduction), with the majority of proteins contributing to cardiomyocyte energetics and cell structure. This 2-D gel map of mouse myocardial proteins will be an invaluable tool in proteomic research for the detection of protein changes and identifying cardiac biomarkers of cardiovascular disease.