Comparative proteomic profiles of the hepatopancreas in Fenneropenaeus chinensis response to white spot syndrome virus.

White spot syndrome virus (WSSV) infects all shrimp species and is the greatest detriment to shrimp culture. To better understand the mechanism of molecular responses to WSSV infection in Chinese white shrimp Fenneropenaeus chinensis, two dimensional electrophoresis (2-DE) was used. Differentially expressed proteins in the hepatopancreas of control and WSSV-injected Chinese white shrimp between (6, 12 and 24 h post-injection) were screened. Quantitative intensity analysis and mass spectrometry revealed that 54 spots of 47 proteins were significantly up-regulated, including some immune-related proteins, such as Toll receptor precursor, Leu-rich repeat protein, peroxinectin and serine proteinase-like protein. Fourteen spots of 13 proteins, such as heat shock protein, ATP synthase sub-unit beta and thrombospondin, were down-regulated in WSSV-infected shrimps. Protein expression patterns of the infected shrimp were drastically altered by WSSV infection. Some of the altered proteins were further investigated at the mRNA level using semi-quantitative reverse transcript PCR. These data may provide some information about shrimp proteins that participate in the WSSV infection process.