Toxicity of chemical mixtures: Proteomic analysis of persisting liver and kidney protein alterations induced by repeated exposure of rats to JP-8 jetfuel vapor

Male Sprague-Dawley rate were exposed by whole body inhalation to 1000 mg/m (3) +/- 10% JP-8 jet fuel vapor or room air control conditions for 6 h/day, 5 days/week for six consecutive weeks. Following a rest period of 82 days rats were sacrificed, and liver and kidney tissues examined by proteomic me thods for both total protein abundance and protein charge modification. Kid ney and lung samples were solubilized and separated via large scale, high r esolution two-dimensional electrophoresis (2-DE) and gel patterns scanned, digitized and processed for statistical analysis. Through the use of peptid e mass fingerprinting, confirmed by sequence tag analysis, three altered pr oteins were identified and quantified. Numerical, but not significantly dif ferent increases were found in total abundance of lamin A (NCBI Accession N o. 1346413) in the liver, and of 10-formyltetrahydrofolate dehydrogenase (1 0-FTHF DH, #1346044) and glutathione-S-transferase (GST; #2393724) in the k idneys of vapor-exposed subjects. Protein charge modification index (CMI) a nalysis indicated significant alterations (P < 0.001) in expressed lamin A and 10-FTHF DH. These persisting changes in liver and kidney proteins are d iscussed in terms of possible alterations in the functional capacity of exp osed subjects.