Using two-dimensional gel electrophoresis to study immune response against intracellular bacterial infection.

Principal component analysis was applied to two-dimensional (2-D) gel electrophoresis patterns, obtained in various phases of infection. Untreated controls could be satisfactorily differentiated from patterns after infection on days 3 and 7 whereas day 10 of infection was grouped with the controls. Comparison of host cellular protein patterns could help to classify in vivo developing infection without requiring any so-called immune marker functions. Immunoaffinity separation of infected cells treated with detergent, followed by 2-D electrophoresis of negative as well as positive eluates, did not reveal radiolabeled bacterial protein antigens.