Proteomic analysis of differentially expressed proteins in hemolymph of Scylla serrata response to white spot syndrome virus infection

To better understand the molecular pathogenesis of white spot syndrome virus (WSSV) in mud crab Scylla serrata, the two-dimensional electrophoresis (2-DE) protein expression profiles of the hemolymph from the unchallenged and WSSV challenged S. serrata were compared. Finally, 22 differentially expressed protein spots (12 spots with up-regulated protein expression levels and 10 spots with down-regulated levels) were successfully identified by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF-MS) analysis. The up-regulated proteins included hemocyanin, alpha-2 macroglobulin (A2M), heat shock protein 70 (Hsp70), cytosolic manganese superoxide dismutase (MnSOD), catalase (CAT), cryptocyanin, glutamine synthetase, arginine kinase and ribosomal protein S28. The down-regulated proteins included heat shock protein 90 (Hsp90), cryptocyanin 1, prophenoloxidase (proPO), glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH), actin, tropomyosin, synaptosomal-associated protein (SNAP) and transposase. The differentially expressed proteins participate in various important functions such as host defense responses, glycolytic and energy metabolism. The data may help to better understanding of the mechanism of molecular responses of S. serrata to WSSV infection.