Assessing Amide Proton Transfer (APT) MRI Contrast Origins in 9 L Gliosarcoma in the Rat Brain Using Proteomic Analysis

Purpose: To investigate the biochemical origin of the amide photon transfer (APT)-weighted hyperintensity in brain tumors. Procedures: Seven 9 L gliosarcoma-bearing rats were imaged at 4.7 T. Tumor and normal brain tissue samples of equal volumes were prepared with a coronal rat brain matrix and a tissue biopsy punch. The total tissue protein and the cytosolic subproteome were extracted from both samples. Protein samples were analyzed using two-dimensional gel electrophoresis, and the proteins with significant abundance changes were identified by mass spectrometry. Results: There was a significant increase in the cytosolic protein concentration in the tumor, compared to normal brain regions, but the total protein concentrations were comparable. The protein profiles of the tumor and normal brain tissue differed significantly. Six cytosolic proteins, four endoplasmic reticulum proteins, and five secreted proteins were considerably upregulated in the tumor. Conclusions: Our experiments confirmed an increase in the cytosolic protein concentration in tumors and identified several key proteins that may cause APT-weighted hyperintensity.