Comprehensive proteome analysis of hippocampus, brainstem, and spinal cord from paralytic and furious dogs naturally infected with rabies.

Paralytic and furious forms are unique clinical entities of rabies in humans and dogs. However, molecular mechanisms underlying these disorders remained unclear. We investigated changes in proteomes of the hippocampus, brainstem and spinal cord of paralytic and furious dogs naturally infected with rabies compared to noninfected controls. Proteins were extracted from these tissues and analyzed by two-dimensional gel electrophoresis (2-DE) (n = 6 gels/region in each group, a total of 54 gels were analyzed). From >1000 protein spots visualized in each gel, spot matching, quantitative intensity analysis, and ANOVA with Tukey’s posthoc multiple comparisons revealed 32, 49, and 67 protein spots that were differentially expressed among the three clinical groups in the hippocampus, brainstem and spinal cord, respectively. These proteins were then identified by quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry and tandem mass spectrometry (Q-TOF MS and MS/MS), including antioxidants, apoptosis-related proteins, cytoskel...