Two‐dimensional maps and databases of the human macrophage proteome and secretome

Abstract

Macrophages exert a crucial, but still incompletely known, role in complex disorders such inflammatory, immunological, and infectious diseases. A differential proteomic approach should help to elucidate the macrophage dysfunctions involved in these diseases. With this goal in mind, we established the first two‐dimensional maps of the human macrophage proteome and secretome. Intracellular and secreted proteins were extracted from monocyte‐derived macrophages obtained from healthy donors (n = 16), and separated by two‐dimensional gel electrophoresis. Silver‐stained gels were analyzed using Progenesis software. A high level of between‐gel reproducibility was obtained, allowing us to generate two patterns specific of the macrophage proteome and secretome, respectively. A total of 127 and 66 distinct intracellular and secreted polypeptide spots, corresponding to 100 and 38 different proteins, respectively, were identified by matrix assisted laser desorption/ionisation‐mass spectrometry. The two‐dimensional reference maps and databases resulting from this study confirm that macrophages are involved in a wide range of biological functions, and that they provide a useful tool for a wide array of investigators involved in macrophage biology, allowing to investigate the macrophage protein changes associated with various disorders or environmental stimuli.