Background: Essential thrombocythemia(ET) is a clonal disorder involving a hematopoietic progenitor cell and is manifested by the overproduction of platelets. There is as yet no pathognomonic diagnostic test. In our study, to identify the biomarkers for an initial diagnosis by a lesser invasive method, serum proteins reflecting alteration their proteomes were analysed.

Methods: We compared two-dimensional electrophoresis patterns of human sera of twelve patients with ET with that of normal twelve subjects. The differentially expressed spots were identified by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization-time-of flight(MALDI-TOF) and electrospray ionization quadupole time of flight(ESI-Q-TOF)mass spectrometry.

Results: Twenty two spots that expressed differentially in ET group were found. The expression levels of fibrinogen γ, fibrinogen γ-A chain precursor, ALB protein, α-2 macroglobulin, H factor-1, α-2-macroglobulin precursor, ceruloplasmin, α-1-B-glycoprotein, α-2-plasmin inhibitor, α-1-B-glycoprotein and an unknown protein were up-regulated in serum of ET patients, whereas the other proteins including complement fator B preproprotein, afamin precursor, inter-α inhibitor H4, immunoglobulin heavy chain constant region γ 1, immunoglobulin κ light chain and an unknown protein down-regulated.

Conclusion: These results suggest that these proteins can be used as less invasive diagnostic and follow-up biomarkers of ET if further studies were done.

The proteins significantly changed in sera of ET

Spot no.NameAccession no.% coverageMw(KDa)/pI(Measured)Mw(KDa)/pI(database)ET(%)
67 fibrinogen γ 223170 39 50.57/5.6 46.82/5.5 2.54±0.52 
69 ” 223170 33 50.57/5.6 46.83/5.5 3.93±1.19 
73 fibrinogen γ-A chain precursor 71827 23 48.93/5.6 50.11/5.7 3.89±0.98 
74 ” 71827 22 48.93/5.8 50.11/5.7 3.10±0.91 
77 ALB protein 27692693 21 50.57/5.9 48.65/6.0 3.77±0.58 
89 α-2-macroglobulin 177872 14 263.89/6.1 71.35/5.5 1.95±0.32 
100 H factor 1 4504875 20 248.95/5.7 143.79/6.3 5.8±1.78 
112 α-2-macroglobulin precursor 4557225 151.38/5.7 164.69/6.0 2.18±0.38 
125 complement factor B preproprotein 4502397 14 151.38/5.7 86.86/6.6 0.49±0.07 
138 afamin precursor 4501987 12 65.01/5.1 85.53/6.3 0.31±0.07 
139 ” 4501987 12 65.01/5.1 85.53/6.3 0.36±0.09 
140 inter- α inhibitor H4 31542984 12 93.33/5.3 103.57/6.5 0.36±0.08 
154 ceruloplasmin 4557485 132.89/5.3 123.04/5.4 3.34±0.80 
161 α-1-B-glycoprotein 69990 21 84.50/5.0 52.49/5.6 4.23±0.98 
162 α-2-plasmin inhibitor 11386143 14 78.58/5.0 54.92/5.8 1.95±0.38 
167 α-1-B-glycoprotein 69990 28 80.87/5.3 52.49/5.6 1.73±0.04 
210 Not identified 38.47/4.6 2.77±0.20 
249 immunoglobulin heavy chain constant regionγ 1 12054072 15 39.021/8.1 36.65/8.8 0.40±0.09 
250 ” 12054072 18 38.79/8.2 36.65/8.8 0.34±0.14 
252 ” 12054072 19 38.50/8.3 36.65/8.8 0.37±0.09 
262 unknown 15679996 36 24.73/8.2 23.32/8.6 0.30±0.13 
265 immunoglobulinκ light chain 2765423 22 25.75/8.8 25.93/9.2 0.28±0.12 
Spot no.NameAccession no.% coverageMw(KDa)/pI(Measured)Mw(KDa)/pI(database)ET(%)
67 fibrinogen γ 223170 39 50.57/5.6 46.82/5.5 2.54±0.52 
69 ” 223170 33 50.57/5.6 46.83/5.5 3.93±1.19 
73 fibrinogen γ-A chain precursor 71827 23 48.93/5.6 50.11/5.7 3.89±0.98 
74 ” 71827 22 48.93/5.8 50.11/5.7 3.10±0.91 
77 ALB protein 27692693 21 50.57/5.9 48.65/6.0 3.77±0.58 
89 α-2-macroglobulin 177872 14 263.89/6.1 71.35/5.5 1.95±0.32 
100 H factor 1 4504875 20 248.95/5.7 143.79/6.3 5.8±1.78 
112 α-2-macroglobulin precursor 4557225 151.38/5.7 164.69/6.0 2.18±0.38 
125 complement factor B preproprotein 4502397 14 151.38/5.7 86.86/6.6 0.49±0.07 
138 afamin precursor 4501987 12 65.01/5.1 85.53/6.3 0.31±0.07 
139 ” 4501987 12 65.01/5.1 85.53/6.3 0.36±0.09 
140 inter- α inhibitor H4 31542984 12 93.33/5.3 103.57/6.5 0.36±0.08 
154 ceruloplasmin 4557485 132.89/5.3 123.04/5.4 3.34±0.80 
161 α-1-B-glycoprotein 69990 21 84.50/5.0 52.49/5.6 4.23±0.98 
162 α-2-plasmin inhibitor 11386143 14 78.58/5.0 54.92/5.8 1.95±0.38 
167 α-1-B-glycoprotein 69990 28 80.87/5.3 52.49/5.6 1.73±0.04 
210 Not identified 38.47/4.6 2.77±0.20 
249 immunoglobulin heavy chain constant regionγ 1 12054072 15 39.021/8.1 36.65/8.8 0.40±0.09 
250 ” 12054072 18 38.79/8.2 36.65/8.8 0.34±0.14 
252 ” 12054072 19 38.50/8.3 36.65/8.8 0.37±0.09 
262 unknown 15679996 36 24.73/8.2 23.32/8.6 0.30±0.13 
265 immunoglobulinκ light chain 2765423 22 25.75/8.8 25.93/9.2 0.28±0.12 

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