Two-dimensional difference gel electrophoresis (DiGE) analysis of plasmas from dengue fever patients

Dengue fever is the world's most important arthropod-born viral disease affecting humans. To contribute to a better understanding of its pathogenesis, this study aims to identify proteins differentially expressed in plasmas from severe dengue fever patients relative to healthy donors. The use of 2-D Fluorescence Difference Gel Electrophoresis to analyze plasmas depleted of six high-abundance proteins (albumin, IgG, antitrypsin, IgA, transferrin and haptoglobin) allowed for the detection of 73 differentially expressed protein spots (n = 13, p < 0.01), of which 37 could be identified by mass spectrometry. These 37 spots comprised a total of 14 proteins, as follows: 7 had increased expression in plasmas from dengue fever patients (C1 inhibitor, alpha1-antichymotrypsin, vitamin D-binding protein, fibrinogen gamma-chain, alpha1-acid glycoprotein, apolipoprotein J and complement component C3c), while 7 others had decreased expression in the same samples (alpha-2 macroglobulin, prothrombin, histidine-rich glycoprotein, apolipoproteins A-IV and A-I, transthyretin and complement component C3b). The possible involvement of these proteins in the inflammatory process triggered by dengue virus infection and in the repair mechanisms of vascular damage occurring in this pathology is discussed in this study.