The bile-duct bile proteome: Identification of 379 proteins and its relevance for cholestatic liver disease

Aim: A comprehensive characterization of the bile proteome might reveal new insights into the pathophysiology of cholestatic liver disease and lay the basis for new diagnostic markers. Methods: Bile of patients with choledocholithiasis (n=24, serving as controls) and primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC; n=46) were collected and depleted from albumin and gammaglobulins. Patients with >2 dilatations/year were classified as high disease activity, other as low disease activity. After purification by precipitation LC-MS/MS was performed to analyze proteins from 1- and 2-D-SDS-PAGE. Corresponding spots on 2-D-gels wer…