The Seventh MolMed Workshop on „Proteomics” was organized on June 28th, 2006 and took place in the Aula of the Management Faculty of the University of Lodz as a combine event with the Lodz Platelet Conference (one Wednesday session).

Chairman: Zofia Pawlowska and Stan Heptinstall

The list of speakers and their presentations is as follows:

• Patricia B Maguire (Ireland)
  "Using platelet proteomics to identify potential therapeutic targets”
• Maria Zellner (Austria)
  "Biological variations and age-related changes in the platelet proteome"

The meeting was attended by about 60 persons.

USING PROTEOMICS TO IDENTIFY POTENTIAL THERAPEUTIC TARGETS IN PLATELETS
P.B.Maguire, M.Foy, G.Cagney, D.J.Fitzgerald
Molecular Medicine Group, Conway Institute, School of Medicine and Medical Science, University College Dublin , Ireland.

Newly developed proteomic technologies now permit the routine identification of hundreds or even thousands of proteins in a single experiment. However, the global study of any proteome has unique challenges that set it apart from comprehensive studies of genes and transcripts. The detection of low-abundance, biologically relevant, proteins poses a particular challenge, especially given that the dynamic range of proteins in cells is estimated to be 106 or greater. Nevertheless, the incorporation of proteomics into functional biochemical and biological investigation has proved to be a powerful tool when applied to platelet biology. We have analysed specific platelet subproteomes in an effort to capture proteins of low abundance specifically focusing on the platelet membrane, signaling proteins, and the proteins released from activated platelets. These approaches have revealed a wealth of relevant platelet proteins, which may in the future prove suitable as therapeutic targets in atherothrombosis.

BIOLOGICAL VARIATIONS AND AGE-RELATED CHANGES IN THE PLATELET PROTEOM
M.Zellner
Surgical Research Laboratories, Medical University of Vienna , Austria.

Proteome analysis of clinical samples aims at characterizing disease-specific changes in the protein expression profile of an affected tissue. Such changes are potential diagnostic markers or may help to identify drug targets. However valuable information for biomarkers are also how these proteins are changing during ageing as well as knowing biological variations of the investigated proteome. In DIGE-based proteomics, the experimental, control samples and internal standard are derivatised with different fluorophores and are run in the same gel, thereby minimizing technical variation. DIGE is currently one of the few techniques to perform quantitative proteomics, generating a statistical output to differences in protein abundances. In this matter we have analysed the platelet proteome of 74 aged (65 - 102 years) and 41 young controls (18 - 25 years). Our clinical study characterized a set of age-related platelet proteins. Some of them may be of interest in determining the biological age while others indicate that platelet of elderly has to cope with an increased intracellular stresses. In addition we found a battery of platelet proteins with considerable low biological variation of 3 to 5% across all age groups which may be of interest as standardisation proteins for biochip diagnostic.