5.1 Sample collection
ICP pregnant women who delivered in the First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University from January 2020 to December 2020 were involved in this study. Before the termination of pregnancy (natural delivery or cesarean section), 5ml of blood from the elbow vein was collected in an anticoagulant tube containing EDTA. After centrifugation (5000r, 5min), the plasma was stored in a − 80℃ refrigerator. This study was approved by the ethical committee of the First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, within which the work was undertaken and that it conforms to the provisions of the Declaration of Helsinki (as revised in Tokyo 2004). Written informed consent was obtained from all participants.
Inclusion criteria of clinical blood sample collection: ICP group pregnant women (10 cases): ① Maternal serum TBA level ≥ 10 µmol/L. ②There were no other complications, such as gestational diabetes mellitus, gestational hypertension, hepatitis, pregnancy complicated with hyperthyroidism, etc. ③The clinical symptoms and liver function of pregnant women returned to normal after delivery within 42 days. All pregnant women had no abnormal liver function before pregnancy and no history of liver-related operation, hepatitis B and hepatitis C. Normal group (10 cases): no other complications, and the liver function was normal. The comparison of clinical data and laboratory examination is shown in Table 1.
Table 1 Clinical data analysis of ICP and normal pregnant women
Group
|
NO
|
age
|
Delivery gestational age
|
TBA(mmol/L)
|
ALT(U/L)
|
Control
|
10
|
29.6±4.48
|
39.4±1.12
|
3.10±1.51
|
12.58±5.06
|
ICP
|
10
|
29.8±4.85
|
35.4±1.88*
|
39.10±36.86*
|
242.40±134.26*
|
5.2 Extraction and enrichment of exosomes
5.2.1 Extraction and ultrafiltration of exosomes
The plasma samples were taken out of the refrigerator at -80℃, thawed in the water bath at 25℃. According to the manufacturer's instructions, the qEV original kit (SP5, Izon Science, New Zealand) was used to enrich and purify plasma exosomes in the normal group and ICP group. According to the manufacturer's instructions, The 10K ultrafiltration tube (amicon ultra-0.5, millipore, American) was used for ultrafiltration of exosomes.
5.3 Identification of exosomes
5.3.1 Nanoparticle tracking detection (NTA)
Exosome samples were diluted, and the concentration and size distribution of exosomes were determined by nanoparticle tracking analysis (Zeta) (analysis software version Zeta View 8.04.02) on ZetaView S/N 17–310 (Particle Metrix, Germany).
5.3.2 Transmission electron microscope (TEM)
The sample was tested by nano transmission electron microscope (TEM) at 80kV of Tecnai G2 Spirit BioTwin(FEI, USA).
5.3.3 Western Blot
M-PER Mammalian Protein Extraction Reagent (Thermo Scientific, USA) was added for lysis and protein extraction. The dilution ratio of cd63 (SBI, exoab-cd63a-1) and Hsp70(Abcam,ab2787) primary antibodies was 1/1000 and incubated overnight at 4℃. Secondary antibodies were incubated with CD63(SBI,180202-001) and Hsp70(Abcam,ab131368), respectively.
5.4 Liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) analysis
The polypeptide products were analyzed by QE-HF-X mass spectrometer and EASY-nLC 1200 nano-upgraded liquid chromatography. Tandem mass spectrometry detection adopts Data Dependent Acquisition, DDA) mode. The total scan resolution is 60,000(FWHM), the range of mass-to-charge ratio is set to m/z 350–2000, and the collision energy is set to 28% in HCD fragmentation mode.
5.5 Data processing of proteome
5.5.1 MaxQuant
The MaxQuant database was used to search for mass spectrometry data, and each original data and corresponding database were uploaded to max quant 1.5.8.3 institute for biochemistry, Germany. After searching the database, remove the Reverse and Potential Contaminants proteins, and make statistics on the search results.
5.5.2 Screening of differential proteins
According to the MaxLFQ algorithm embedded in MaxQuant software, this quantitative value (Intensity) is calculated to obtain normalized quantitative value LFQ. Quantitative analysis of proteins in all samples was carried out according to LFQ values. In pairwise comparison between groups, the normalized signal mean of all samples in each group was calculated to calculate the Ratio between groups, and the P values of the two groups were calculated by Mann-Whitney rank-sum test. Screening proteins that meet the following two conditions as difference proteins between groups: ① ratio between groups > = 1.5 or < = 0.67 (i.e., 1/1.5); ②P < 0.05。
5.6 Bioinformatics analysis
5.6.1 Screening of differentially expressed proteins
For the experimental design with biological repetition (n ≥ 3), the data of samples detected by mass spectrometry were tested by T-test between groups, and two-parameter values, P-value and Fold change, were obtained. The obtained differential proteins were processed by data to draw a Volcano plot.
5.6.2 Cluster analysis
Unsupervised hierarchical cluster analysis was performed for the differential proteins modulated between groups. Through protein expression data, the expression of differential proteins among multiple samples is calculated, and the direct correlation between samples is calculated by the expression of selected differential proteins.
2.6.3 GO enrichment analysis
The function of differentially expressed proteins between normal pregnant women and ICP pregnant women were annotated, and the primary biological process (BP), cellular component (CC), and molecular function (MF) of these differentially expressed proteins were analyzed by GO enrichment.
5.6.4 KEGG Pathway enrichment analysis
Kegg (Kyoto encyclopedia of genes and genomes) is the central database for systematic analysis of gene function, genome and proteome information. Different proteins perform their biological behaviors in coordination with each other, and protein and expression information are studied as a whole network.
5.6.5 Protein interaction network interaction analysis
Protein-protein interaction is the most critical way of signal transduction and protein function in cells. Protein-protein interaction (PPI) analysis of protein interaction network helps discover the protein which is in the core position of regulation among a large number of different proteins.
5.7 Clinical specimen verification experiment
5.7.1 Screening and verification indicators
We consulted literature and Gene Cards, screened 15 differential proteins, and selected CLU, which was up-regulated as an index, to verify the experiment.
5.7.2 Maternal plasma sample collection of ICP
Inclusion criteria were the same as before (2.1 sample collection). 35 pregnant women (aged 21–34 years) who visited the First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University from March 2020 to December 2020 were randomly selected as research objects, including 11 cases of normal pregnant women and 24 cases of ICP pregnant women.
5.7.3 Extraction, Identification, and concentration of exosomes
The exosome was extracted, identified, and concentrated by the same experimental method as before, and finally, 35 concentrated exosome samples of 200ul were obtained.
5.7.4 Detection of plasma exosome cluster protein
CLU was detected by ELISA(R&D, USA), reagents, samples, and standards were prepared in turn according to the instructions, and read the OD value immediately at 450nm (corrected at 570nm).
5.7.5 Statistical analysis
GraphPad Prism6 was used to calculate the t-test, and a histogram was drawn to compare the level of plasma exosome CLU between the normal and ICP groups. P < 0.05 indicates statistical significance. The results were statistically analyzed with IBM SPSS statistics 23 software, and the ROC curve was drawn with 1- specificity as abscissa and sensitivity as ordinate, and the area under the curve (AUC) was calculated.