Analysis of neutrophil proteins of patients with Behçet's disease by two-dimensional gel electrophoresis.

Protein changes in the neutrophils of patients with Behçet's disease were analyzed by high resolution two-dimensional gel electrophoresis to investigate the pathological features of Behçet's disease. Two clear protein spots were found to be differently expressed between healthy volunteers and patients with Behçet's disease. One was a 53 kDa protein with pI 5.2 that was detected in healthy volunteers but was nearly absent in the patients. The other was a 40 kDa protein with pI 5.2 that was detected in the patients but nearly absent in the healthy volunteers. Analysis of the N-terminal amino acid sequence of the 40 kDa protein revealed that it was a truncated actin with an N-terminus of Met-44. The presence of the truncated actin in the neutrophils of patients was confirmed by Western blot analysis using an antibody to the C-terminus of actin. The 53 kDa protein could not be identified because its N-terminus was blocked. The presence of the truncated actin in the neutrophils of the patients may be important in understanding the pathology of Behçet's disease.