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 Cl-IF 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 Cl-IF 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.