Protein Expression Profiling of Infected Murine Macrophage Cells (RAW 264.7) by Bacillus anthracis Spores

Current therapeutic strategies far anthrax have had no significant impact on anthrax mortality over the last several decades. This study used a matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) discovery platform to generate protein expression profiles in search of overexpressed proteins in murine macrophage cells (RAW264.7) which infected with Bacillus anthracis spores as potentially novel molecular targets. Two differentially expressed proteins were identified in infected murine macrophage cells as Syndapin and CDC46, respectively. Syndapins are potential links between the cortical actin cytoskeleton and endocytosis. Other two proteins were identified from murine macrophage cells infected with avirulent spores as ITBG-2 (CD18) and HSPA5, respectively. These data demonstrate the feasibility of using a MALDI-TOF platform to generate protein expression profiles and identify potential molecular targets for anthrax therapeutics.