Serum proteomic predicts effectiveness and reveals potential biomarkers for complications in liver transplant patients.

Sophisticated postoperative complications limit the long-term clinical success of liver transplantation. Hence, early identification of biomarkers is essential for graft and patient survival. High-throughput serum proteomics technologies provide an opportunity to identify diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers. This study is aimed to identify serum diagnosis biomarkers for complications and monitor effectiveness. Serum samples from 10 paired pre- and post-liver transplant patients, 10 acute rejection (AR) patients, 9 ischemic-type biliary lesion (ITBL) patients, and 10 healthy controls were screened using matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) to explore divergence in polypeptide. Then, we used ELISA and western blot analysis to validate the expression of these potential biomarkers, and studied the correlation of proteomic profiles with clinical parameters. ACLY, FGA, and APOA1 were significantly lower in pre-operative patients compared with healthy controls, and these patients had modest recovery after transplantation. Downregulation of both, ACLY and FGA, was also observed in AR and ITBL patients. Furthermore, bioinformatics analysis was performed and the results suggested that the identified proteins were involved in glucolipid metabolism and the clotting cascade. Together, these findings suggest that ACLY, FGA, and APOA1 could be novel non-invasive and early biomarkers to detect complications and predict effectiveness of liver transplantation.

The role of adenosine triphosphate citrate lyase in the metabolism of acetyl coenzyme a and function of blood platelets in diabetes mellitus.

Diabetes is known to increase blood platelet activity. Activities of pyruvate dehydrogenase (PDH), adenosine triphosphate (ATP)-citrate lyase (ATPCL), acetyl-coenzyme A (acetyl-CoA) content, malonyl dialdehyde (MDA), synthesis, and platelet aggregation in resting conditions and after activation with thrombin were measured in diabetic subjects and in age- and sex-matched healthy subjects. Activities of ATPCL and PDH, acetyl-CoA content, and thrombin-evoked MDA synthesis as well as platelet aggregation in diabetes were 31%, 51%, 62%, 35%, and 21%, respectively, higher than in healthy subjects. In addition, activation of diabetic platelets caused 2 times greater release of acetyl-CoA from their mitochondria than in controls. Both 1.0 mmol/L (-)hydroxycitrate and 0.1 mmol/L SB-204490 decreased acetyl-CoA content in platelet cytoplasm along with suppression of MDA synthesis and platelet aggregation. These inhibitory effects were about 2 times greater in diabetic than in control platelets. The data presented indicate that the ATPCL pathway is operative in human platelets and may be responsible for provision of about 50% of acetyl units from their mitochondrial to cytoplasmic compartment. Increased acetyl-CoA synthesis in diabetic platelets may be the cause of their excessive activity in the course of the disease. ATPCL may be a target for its specific inhibitors as factors decreasing platelet activity.

Comparison of plasma very low density lipoproteins and lipogenic enzymes as predictors of fat content and food conversion efficiency in selected lines of broiler chickens.

Activities of lipogenic enzymes and plasma very low density lipoprotein (VLDL) concentrations were measured in lines of chickens with large differences in food conversion efficiency (FCE) and body fat. Hepatic activities of malate dehydrogenase [EC 1.1.1.40 (MD)] and ATP citrate lyase [EC 4.1.3.8 (CL)] were correlated with the proportion of both abdominal and total body fat (r = 0.50) but were poorly correlated with gain: food ratio. Activities of MD and CL in plasma were low and variable and were not correlated with any other characteristics. Plasma VLDL concentration was significantly correlated with the proportion of abdominal and total body fat (r = 0.59), and gain: food ratio (r = 0.36).