Preterm labor biomarker discovery in serum using 3 proteomic profiling methodologies

The aim of this study was to identify changes in protein expression in normal pregnancy compared with preterm labor by using 3 proteomic methods.

Serum was collected from 25 nonpregnant (n = 5) and pregnant women at 24-40 weeks' gestation (n = 20) who had preterm labor resulting in preterm delivery (n = 5), preterm labor with term delivery (n = 5), term labor resulting in delivery (n = 5), or at term with contractions (n = 5). Undepleted serum was used for surface-enhanced laser desorption ionization and immune-depleted serum for matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization and 2-dimensional electrophoresis.

Surface-enhanced laser desorption ionization identified significantly different peaks between preterm labor resulting in preterm delivery vs term labor resulting in delivery and preterm labor resulting in preterm delivery vs preterm labor with term delivery using 4 surfaces. In preterm labor resulting in preterm delivery vs preterm labor with term delivery, a peak of 7783.2 m/z was significantly up-regulated and at 3164 m/z down-regulated on 3 surfaces. By using 2-dimensional electrophoresis, protein 5364 was significantly different between preterm labor resulting in preterm delivery and term labor resulting in delivery. In preterm labor resulting in preterm delivery, 6 proteins showed decreasing trend and 1 showed increasing trend vs preterm labor with term delivery. Matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization showed a striking difference at 55,000 m/z between preterm labor resulting in preterm delivery and term labor resulting in delivery.

Surface-enhanced laser desorption ionization identified 2 proteins fulfilling the criteria of putative biomarkers. Biomarker identification may aid in identifying women with preterm labor who will deliver preterm.