iTRAQ-based differential proteomic analysis in Sprague Dawley rats and Kunming mice brains

We artificially infected Sprague Dawley (SD) rats and Kunming (KM) mice with type II Toxoplasma gondii (T. gondii) strain (Prugniaud, Pru) to generate toxoplasmosis, which is a fatal disease mediated by T. gondii invasion in the central nervous system (CNS) with unknown mechanisms. We aimed to explore the mechanism of differential susceptibility of mice and rats to T. gondii infection. Therefore, we established a strategy of isobaric tags for relative and absolute quantitation (iTRAQ) to identify differentially expressed proteins (DEPs) of the rats’ and the mice’s brains compared to the healthy groups.