Comparative proteomic analysis of mild and severe endometritis determined by LC-MS/MS

Xinong Saanen goats are among the most common dairy goats in China and serve as major sources of milk in the Chinese dairy industry. Escherichia coli is a Gram-negative bacterium frequently implicated in uterine diseases. Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) is a component of the outer membrane of Gram-negative bacteria and is involved in pathogenic processes that lead to post-partum metritis and endometritis in dairy goats. After binding to toll-like receptor 4, LPS induces reactions in the endometrium, leading to acute or chronic inflammation, which impairs reproductive function. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of LPS on goat endometrial epithelial cells (gEECs) and the changes that occur in response to LPS. The proteomic map of gEECs exposed to different concentrations of LPS was studied using unlabeled liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry. A total of 1178 proteins were identified in all samples, and 13 differentially expressed proteins were subjected to quantitative and gene ontology functional annotation analyses. In conclusion, this study shows that specific proteins expressed in the goat uterus are altered according to the concentration of LPS.