OBJECTIVETo establish the two-dimensional electrophoresis profiles with high resolution and reproducibility from the brain tissues of mice with human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) infection.

METHODSForty Kunming mice were randomized into HCMV infection group (n=20) with HCMVAD(169) injection and control group (n=20) with saline injection in the brain. Thirty days after the injections, the brain tissue of the mice were taken and the protein fractions were isolated by two-dimensional gel electrophoresis (2-DE). Image Master 2D software was used to identify the differentially expressed proteins, and the peptide mass fingerprint (PMF) data were obtained for identification of the differential protein spots via database searching. Western blotting was performed to verify the expressions of some of the differential proteins.

RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONThe 2-D maps of the brain tissues with high Well resolution and reproducibility were obtained. Some of the differentially expressed proteins identified by mass spectrometry (MS) matched their counterparts in the SWISS-2DPAGE database. Western blotting analyses verified the differential expression of the individual proteins. These data can be of value for studying the diagnosis, pathogenesis and effective therapeutic targets of the disease.