ABSTRACT
Objective To detect potential proteins which may play a key role in pathogenesis and early diagnosis for Acinetobacter baumannii sepsis,and compare the protein profile of neutrophils of na(i)ve rats with that of rats infected with Acinetobacter baumannii.Methods Using two-dimensional electrophoresis for separation of proteins,we compared the differences of the profile of total proteins from neutrophils of na(i)ve rats with that of rats infected with Acinetobacter baumannii.Differences in the profiles of expressed proteins were observed,and some of the proteins were isolated and verified by line mass spectrometry analysis and Western blot.Results Fifty proteins from the neutrophils of rats with Acinetobacter baumannii sepsis were found to be different from those of naive rats.Forty-one of these proteins were able to be identified successfully using two-dimensional electrophoresis,in which 24 were upregulated,and 17 were downregulated compared with the proteins isolated from neutrophils of na(i)ve rats.Conclusion The protein profile of neutrophils in rats with Acinetobacter baumannii sepsis is significantly different from that of na(i)ve rats.These proteins can be identified by proteomic screening,and may be used as potential markers for early diagnosis and molecular targets for effective treatment of Acinetobacter baumannii sepsis.