Proteomics and enriched biological processes in Antiphospholipid syndrome: A systematic review

Identification of differentially expressed proteins in antiphospholipid syndrome (APS) is a developing area of research for unique profiles of this pathology. Advances in technologies of mass spectrometry brings improvements in proteomics and results in assessment of soluble or cellular proteins which could be candidates for clinical biomarkers of primary APS. The use of blood as a source of proteins ease the acquisition of samples for proteomics analyses and later for disease diagnosis. We performed a systematic review to explore the proteomics studies carried out in circulating released proteins (serum, plasma) or cellular proteins (monocytes and platelets) of APS patients. The study groups differentiate among clinical APS cases with the aim to translate molecular findings to disease stratification and to improve APS diagnosis and prognosis. These studies also include the unravelling of new autoantibodies in non-criteria APS or how post-translational protein modifications provides clues about the pathological mechanisms of antigen-autoantibody recognition. Herein, we identified 82 proteins that were dysregulated in APS across eleven studies. Enrichment analysis revealed its connection to cellular activation and degranulation that eventually leads to thrombosis as the main biological process highlighted by these studies. Validation of APS-relevant proteins by functional and mechanistic studies will be essential for patient stratification and the development of targeted therapies for every clinical subtype of APS.