Proteomic analysis to investigate lung injury in a mouse model of Streptococcus pneumonia infection

Infections by Streptococcus pneumoniae are a major cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide, often causing community-acquired pneumonia, otitis media and also bacteremia and meningitis. Studies on S. pneumoniae are mainly focused on its virulence or capability to evade the host immune system, but little is known about the injury caused in lungs during a pneumococcal infection. Herein we compared the proteome profile of lungs from S. pneumoniae-infected mice with control mice by means of DIGE technology. In order to obtain reliable results three biological replicas were used, and four technical replicas were carried out for each biological replica. Proteomic comparison was performed at two time points: 24 and 48 hours post infection. A total of 91 proteins were identified with different abundance. We found important changes in the protein profiles during pneumococcal infection mainly associated with regulation of vesicle-mediated transport, wound healing, and cytoskeleton organization. In conclusion, S. pneumoniae may manipulate cytoskeleton of the cell during a lung infection likely by the death of eukaryotic cells.