The extracellular matrix (ECM) provides an essential structural framework for cell attachment, proliferation, and differentiation,
and undergoes progressive changes during senescence. To investigate changes in protein expression in the extracellular matrix
between young and senescent fibroblasts, we compared proteomic data (LTQ-FT) with cDNA microarray results. The peptide counts
from the proteomics analysis were used to evaluate the level of ECM protein expression by young cells and senescent cells,
and ECM protein expression data were compared with the microarray data. After completing the comparative analysis, we grouped
the genes into four categories. Class I included genes with increased expression levels in both analyses, while class IV contained
genes with reduced expression in both analyses. Class II and Class III contained genes with an inconsistent expression pattern.
Finally, we validated the comparative analysis results by examining the expression level of the specific gene from each category
using Western blot analysis and semiquantitative RT-PCR. Our results demonstrate that comparative analysis can be used to
identify differentially expressed genes.
Keywords extracellular matrix – microarray – proteomics
These authors contributed equally to this work.