“The path of life of cardiac troponin T; proteomic analysis of circulating proteoforms”

Keywords:  heart attack, diagnosis, troponin T, mass spectrometry  

Troponin T is one of the most commonly used biomarkers for diagnosing a heart attack. Heart muscle cells die off during a heart attack due to lack of oxygen, thereby releasing troponin T into the bloodstream. A diagnostic test carried out in a hospital laboratory can detect the troponin T molecule in a patient's blood sample.

However, this study found that the molecule changes its structure the longer it circulates in the patient's bloodstream. With the help of advanced biochemical techniques, such as mass spectrometry, these different molecular forms of troponin T (known as proteoforms) can be detected in the blood of heart patients. The molecular form of troponin T is dynamic and changes constantly. This knowledge will help us improve the current generation of clinical lab tests used to diagnose heart attacks, which are currently based on the assumption that the molecules remain unchanged.