Proteomics profiling reveals regulation of immune response to Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium infection in mice

Regulation of the immune response to Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium (S. Typhimurium) infection is a complex process, influenced by the interaction between genetic and environmental factors. Different inbred strains of mice exhibit distinct levels of resistance to S. Typhimurium infection, ranging from susceptible (e.g., C57BL/6J) to resistant (e.g., DBA/2J) strains. However, the underlying molecular mechanisms contributing to the host response remain elusive. In this study, we present a comprehensive proteomics profiling of spleen tissues from C57BL/6J and DBA/2J strains with different doses of S. Typhimurium infection by tandem tag mass coupled with two-dimensional liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (TMT-LC/LC-MS/MS). We identified and quantified 3,986 proteins, resulting in 475 differentially expressed proteins (DEPs) between C57BL/6J and DBA/2J strains. Functional enrichment analysis unveiled that the mechanism of innate immune responses to S. Typhimurium infection could be associated with several signaling pathways, including the interferon signaling pathway. We experimentally validated the roles of interferon signaling pathway in innate immune response to S. Typhimurium infection using IFN-γ neutralization assay. We further illustrated the roles of macrophage cells and pro-inflammatory cytokines in the mechanisms underlying the resistance to S. Typhimurium using qRT-PCR. Taken together, our results provide new insights into the genetic regulation of the immune response to S. Typhimurium infection in mice and might provide potential protein targets for controlling the infection.