Alpha-2-macroglobulin and heparin cofactor II and the vulnerability of carotid atherosclerotic plaques: An iTRAQ-based analysis

作者：Li, Jinmao; Liu, Xi; Xiang, Ying; Ding, Xueying; Wang, Teng; Liu, Ying; Yin, Maojia; Tan, Changhong; Deng, Fen; Chen, Lifen^*

来源：Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications, 2017, 483(3): 964-971.

DOI：10.1016/j.bbrc.2017.01.042

• Carotid atherosclerosis
• Proteomics
• iTRAQ
• Alpha-2-macroglobulin
• Heparin cofactor II

Rupture of carotid atherosclerotic plaque may cause stroke, while few biomarker in clinic can evaluate carotid plaque vulnerability. In this study, we divided the recruited participants into no plaque, stable plaque, and vulnerable plaque group according to carotid ultrasonography, and screened the differentially expressed proteins in plasma of these participants using isobaric tags for relative and absolute quantitation labeling coupled with liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. 28 proteins were identified differentially expressed, among which alpha-2-macroglobulin (alpha 2M) and heparin cofactor II (HCII) were found to be at hub position in the interactions of these proteins by STRING analysis and were selected for enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay measurement to assess their relevance with carotid plaques vulnerability and diagnostic efficiency. The plasma level of a alpha M was found positively correlated, while HCII level was negatively correlated with higher vulnerability of carotid plaques. Both proteins were efficient in differentiating stable and vulnerable carotid plaques. These findings provide potential new targets for the research of carotid plaque vulnerability. Plasma alpha 2M and HCII may be potential biomarkers for evaluation of the vulnerability of carotid plaques if further studied.

• 出版日期2017-2-12
• 单位重庆医科大学