Future aspects of psychoneuroimmunology - lymphocyte peptides reflecting psychiatric disorders studied by mass spectrometry

We have investigated whether cytoplasmatic and nuclear extracts of human peripheral blood lymphocytes contain arginine vasopressin (AVP), of importance for memory functions, in samples from healthy controls and patients diagnosed as depressed. It is the first time as AVP, AVP-fragments and chemically modified AVP-forms have been demonstrated in lymphocyte/nuclear extracts. This was performed by an HPLC-purification step, followed by a second immunoprecipitation step before identification by mass spectrometry. We are developing new methods using a combination of high-resolution mass spectrometry and separation techniques such as capillary electrophoresis and nano liquid chromatography. We have named this methodological approach when studying endogenous peptides -Peptidomics.