Proteins modulated during persistent lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus infection

The experimental data indicate that during a persistent infection, lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus (LCMV) may both directly or indirectly modulate the regulatory cellular processes and alter the cellular functions that are not critical for the survival, but are needed for the homeostasis in the organism. Two-dimensional differential in-gel electrophoresis (2D-DIGE) and MALDI-TOF MS/MS analyses were used to determine the cellular proteome response of HeLa cell line to persistent LCMV infection. Quantitative analysis revealed 24 differentially abundant proteins, half of which were up-regulated and the rest down-regulated. Functional categorization showed that LCMV-responsive proteins were mainly involved in metabolism, stress and defense responses. Among identified proteins, significant changes were found for peroxiredoxins, family of antioxidant enzymes. Decreased amount of these antioxidant proteins was accompanied with the elevation of ROS content in infected cells.