Down-regulation of alpha-2u globulin in renal mitochondria of STZ-induced diabetic rats observed by a proteomic method.

Aim: To identify the changes of mitochondrial protein expression in diabetic renal parenchyma and to characterize their molecular functions and biological processes in diabetes.

Methods: Mitochondrial proteins extracted from renal parenchyma mitochondria of streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats and normal rats were separated by two-dimensional polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and identified by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization tandem time-of-flight mass spectrometry.

Results: Eleven proteins from 533 visualized protein spots displayed significant different expressions in mitochondria of diabetic kidneys compared with those in normal ones.