Modulation of mouse macrophage proteome induced by Toxoplasma gondii tachyzoites in vivo

Toxoplasma gondii is an obligate intracellular protozoan parasite, which can invade and multiply within the macrophages of humans and most warm-blooded animals. Macrophages are important effector cells for the control and killing of intracellular T. gondii, and they may also serve as long-term host cells for the replication and survival of the parasite. In the present study, we explored the proteomic profile of macrophages of the specific pathogen-free Kunming mice at 24 h after infection with tachyzoites of the virulent T. gondii RH strain using two-dimensional gel electrophoresis combined with matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization time-of-flight (TOF)/TOF tandem mass spectrometry. Totally, 60 differentially expressed protein spots were identified. Among them, 52 spots corresponded to 38 proteins matching to proteins of the mouse, including actin, enolase, calumenin, vimentin, plastin 2, annexin A1, cathepsin S, arginase-1, arachidonate 12-lipoxygenase, and aminoacylase-1. Functional prediction using Gene Ontology database showed that these proteins were mainly involved in metabolism, structure, protein fate, and immune responses. The findings provided an insight into the interactive relationship between T. gondii and the host macrophages, and will shed new lights on the understanding of molecular mechanisms of T. gondii pathogenesis.