iTRAQ-based quantitative proteomic analysis of the earthworm Eisenia fetida response to Escherichia coli O157:H7

Soil environment contaminated by Escherichia coli O157:H7 which come from the waste of infected animals. Earthworms can live in the pathogens-polluted soil by their innate immunity. How the proteins of earthworms E. fetida will response to E. coli O157:H7-contaminated-soil still unclear? To identify the defense proteins under E. coli O157:H7 stress, we performed a proteomic analysis of earthworm under E. coli O157:H7 exposure through an iTRAQ technology. In total, we found 283 non-redundant proteins, including fibrinolytic protease 1, lombricine kinase, lysozyme, gelsolin, coelomic cytolytic factor-1, antimicrobial peptide lumbricin-l, lysenin, and et al. The proteins participate in metabolic processes, transcription, defense response to bacterium, translation, response to stress, and transport. The study will contribute to understand why earthworm can live in the pathogens-polluted environment.