Proteomic analysis of primary porcine endothelial cells after infection by classical swine fever virus

Endothelial cells are the main target of classical swine fever virus during infection, and extensive hemorrhage is the most typical clinical sign of classical swine fever. To investigate the molecular mechanism of hemorrhagic pathogenesis, two-dimensional difference gel electrophoresis with fluorescent dyes (2D-DIGE) was used to analyze the proteomic profile of primary porcine umbilical vein endothelial cells (PUVECs) following CSFV infection. Of 15 protein spots with differential expression, 8 were characterized by MALDI-TOF-MS/MS in infected PUVECs at 48 h p.i.: moesin, peroxiredoxin 6, stathmin-1, a protein similar to nascent polypeptide-associated complex alpha subunit isoform 2, phosphoglycerate kinase 1, glucosidase II, transketolase and α-tubulin. These could be sorted into 5 functional groups: glycometabolism, cell proliferation, anti-oxidative stress, inflammatory response and cytoskeleton. Western blot and real-time RT-PCR analysis confirmed the down-regulation of phosphoglycerate kinase 1 (PGK1) and up-regulation of moesin identified by 2D-DIGE. Pathway analysis of these 15 differentially expressed proteins showed that CSFV infection altered the metabolism, cytoskeleton and cell proliferation of PUVECs, and that consequently an inflammatory response was induced.