Two-dimensional Polyacrylamide Gel Electrophoresis (2D-PAGE) Characterization of Decorin

Abstract

Left-ventricular cardiac hypertrophy is a disorder resulting from uncontrolled chronic hypertension. Extensive remodeling of the cardiac extracellular matrix (ECM) through differential expression of ECM proteins allows for the hypertrophied state of the heart to exist and eventually lead to cardiomyopathy. Increases in the levels of collagen in hypertrophied animal samples were noted in a previous study, it is unclear whether this is a result of decreased collagen degradation or increased collagen synthesis. This study aimed to determine the effect of Small Leucine Rich Proteoglycans (SLRPs) which are believed to have a dramatic effect on the degradation of collagen (decreased degradation). The SLRP decorin was characterized via two-dimensional polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (2D-PAGE) using recombinant decorin. These results showed that decorin is not a peptide that is well suited for 2D-PAGE analysis, and show that another method of analysis must be used in order to characterize and identify in-vivo decorin in animal samples.