Proteomic and metabolomic analysis of the serum of patients with tick-borne encephalitis

Tick-borne encephalitis virus (TBEV) is a common virus in Europe and Asia, causing around 10,000 to 10,500 infections annually. It affects the central nervous system and poses threats to public health. However, the exact molecular mechanisms of TBE pathogenesis are not yet fully understood due to the complex interactions between the virus and its host. In this study, a comprehensive analysis was conducted to characterize the serum metabolome and proteome of adult patients infected with TBEV, in comparison to a control group of healthy individuals. Liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS) was employed to monitor metabolic and proteomic alternations throughout the progression of the disease, significant physiological changes associated with different stages of the disease were identified. A total of 44 proteins and 115 metabolites exhibited significantly alternations in the sera of patients diagnosed with TBE. Gene Ontology and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes enrichment analyses of these metabolites and proteins revealed differential enrichment of genes associated with the extracellular matrix, complement binding, hemostasis, lipid metabolism, and amino acid metabolism between TBE patients and healthy controls. We gained valuable understanding of the specific metabolites implicated in the host's responses to TBE, establishing a basis for further research on TBE disease. Significance: The current investigation revealed a comprehensive and systematic differences on TBE using LC-MS platform from human serum samples of TBE patients and healthy individuals providing the immune response to the invasion of TBE.