Proteomic Profiling for Identification of Novel Biomarkers Differentially Expressed in Human Ovaries from Polycystic Ovary Syndrome Patients

OBJECTIVES: To identify differential protein expression pattern associated with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). METHODS: Twenty women were recruited for the study, ten with PCOS as a test group and ten without PCOS as a control group. Differential in-gel electrophoresis (DIGE) analysis and mass spectroscopy were employed to identify proteins that were differentially expressed between the PCOS and normal ovaries. The differentially expressed proteins were further validated by western blot (WB) and immunohistochemistry (IHC). RESULTS: DIGE analysis revealed eighteen differentially expressed proteins in the PCOS ovaries of which thirteen were upregulated, and five downregulated. WB and IHC confirmed the differential expression of membrane-associated progesterone receptor component 1 (PGRMC1), retinol-binding protein 1 (RBP1), heat shock protein 90B1, calmodulin 1, annexin A6, and tropomyosin 2. Also, WB analysis revealed significantly (P<0.05) higher expression of PGRMC1 and RBP1 in PCOS ovaries as compared to the normal ovaries. The differential expression of the proteins was also validated by IHC. CONCLUSIONS: The present study identified novel differentially expressed proteins in the ovarian tissues of women with PCOS that can serve as potential biomarkers for the diagnosis and development of novel therapeutics for the treatment of PCOS using molecular interventions.