Piera-Velazquez S, Dillon ST, Gu X, Libermann TA, Jimenez SA. Aptamer proteomics of serum exosomes from patients with Primary Raynaud's and patients with Raynaud's at risk of evolving into Systemic Sclerosis.
PLoS One 2022;
17:e0279461. [PMID:
36548367 PMCID:
PMC9779033 DOI:
10.1371/journal.pone.0279461]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/19/2022] [Accepted: 12/07/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND
A major unmet need for Systemic Sclerosis (SSc) clinical management is the lack of biomarkers for the early diagnosis of patients with Raynaud's Phenomenon at high risk of evolving into SSc.
OBJECTIVE
To identify proteins contained within serum exosomes employing an aptamer proteomic analysis that may serve to reveal patients with Raynaud's Phenomenon at risk of developing SSc.
METHODS
Exosomes were isolated from serum samples from patients with Primary Raynaud's Phenomenon and from patients with Raynaud's Phenomenon harbouring serum antinuclear antibodies (ANA) who may be at high risk of evolving into SSc. The expression of 1,305 proteins was quantified using SOMAscan aptamer proteomics, and associations of the differentially elevated or reduced proteins with the clinical subsets of Raynaud's Phenomenon were assessed.
RESULTS
Twenty one differentially elevated and one differentially reduced (absolute fold change >|1.3|) proteins were identified. Principal component analysis using these 22 most differentially expressed proteins resulted in excellent separation of the two Raynaud's Phenomenon clinical subsets. Remarkably, the most differentially elevated proteins are involved in enhanced inflammatory responses, immune cell activation and cell migration, and abnormal vascular functions.
CONCLUSION
Aptamer proteomic analysis of circulating exosomes identified differentially elevated or reduced proteins between Raynaud's Phenomenon at high risk of evolving into SSc and Primary Raynaud's Phenomenon patients. Some of these proteins are involved in relevant biological pathways that may play a role in SSc pathogenesis including enhanced inflammatory responses, immune cell activation, and endothelial cell and vascular abnormalities.
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