Using peripheral blood mononuclear cells to determine proteome profiles in human cardiac failure

BACKGROUND: In chronic heart failure (CHF), peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) might undergo structural and/or functional alterations as a consequence of the development and progression of the disease. AIMS: This study was aimed at: (1) assessing the proteome profile of PBMC from Controls and CHF subjects, (2) identifying differentially-expressed proteins in healthy subjects and patients, and (3) analysing the expression of these proteins in patients after heart transplantation. METHODS AND RESULTS: Proteome changes were assessed in PBMC from 8 healthy and 11 end-stage CHF (6 Ischaemic Heart Failure [IHF], 5 Dilated CardioMyopathy [DCM]) subjects by gel electrophoresis, PD-Quest analysis and mass spectrometry. Eighteen proteins were differentially expressed in Controls and CHF patients. However, among CHF patients, these proteins were equally expressed in IHF and DCM subjects. Eleven proteins were found to belong to 4 functional classes (3 cytoskeletal, 4 cell-cycle progression, 2 stress response and DNA repair, 2 energetic metabolism proteins). Changes in three of the differentially-expressed proteins were also confirmed by Western blot and were reversed after heart transplantation. CONCLUSION: Results demonstrate an altered protein expression profile in PBMC of CHF patients compared to Controls, thus providing a basis for further diagnostic and prognostic tests for CHF.