Proteomic study of Mycoplasma suis using the gel-based shotgun strategy

Mycoplasma suis (M. suis) is an uncultivable pathogen that colonizes the surface of porcine erythrocytes. In the present study, gel-based LC-MS/MS was performed to analyze the proteomic composition of M. suis. We identified 191 proteins with two or more peptides and additional 217 putative proteins with one peptide hit by cross-species searching the Mollicutes protein databases. Resultant proteins were classified based on their molecular functions. The majority of enzymes involved in central carbon metabolic pathways and nucleotide biosynthesis were confirmed by searching the KEGG database. The present study is the first report addressing the proteome of M. suis. Results indicate that the energy source of M. suis might depend mainly on glycometabolism.