Quantitative iTRAQ proteomics reveal the proteome profiles of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells after cocultures with Schwann cells in vitro

Bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) combined with Schwann cells (SCs) represent a better therapeutic cell transplantation strategy for treating spinal cord injury (SCI) than transplantation with BMSCs or SCs alone. In previous studies, we demonstrated that BMSCs are able to differentiate in neuron-like cells when cocultured with SCs. The detailed mechanism underlying SCI repair that occurs during the combined transplantation of BMSCs and SCs has not yet been studied. In this study, we adopted an isobaric tag for relative and absolute quantitation (iTRAQ)-based protein identification/quantification approach to examine the effects of the SC and BMSC coculture process on the BMSCs and then obtained and analyzed the differentially expressed proteins (DEPs) and their possible related pathways.

The data provided in this study indicate that several molecular mechanisms and signaling pathways are involved in the BMSC and SC coculture process. This information may be useful for the further identification of specific targets and related mechanisms and guide new directions for SCI treatment.

This study included three groups based on the number of coculture days (i.e., 0, 3, and 7 days). Changes in BMSC protein expression levels were measured using the iTRAQ technique. A bioinformatics analysis of all the data was performed.

In total, 6,760 types of proteins were detected, corresponding to 5,181 data points with quantitative information. Of these, a total of 243 DEPs were identified, of which 169 proteins were upregulated and 74 proteins were downregulated. These DEPs were identified by Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) analyses. Intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1), integrin, and dioxygenase may play crucial roles in the repair of SCI. The data analysis indicates that the relevant biological processes may be regulated by lysosome function, cell adhesion molecules (CAMs), leukocyte transendothelial migration, and the phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase (PI3K) and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR) signaling pathways. Conclusions: The data provided in this study indicate that several molecular mechanisms and signaling pathways are involved in the BMSC and SC coculture process. This information may be useful for the further identification of specific targets and related mechanisms and guide new directions for SCI treatment.