The aim of this study was to explore the distinct protein profiles of different subtype of acute myeloid leukemia (AML), including M(1), M(2), M(3) and acute lymphoid leukemia (ALL) by differential proteomic expression analysis. The proteins of bone marrow leukemia cells from AML and ALL patients were separated by two-dimensional electrophoresis (2-DE). 2-DE patterns were analyzed by PDQuest 7.4 software and the differentially expressed proteins were identified by matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization-time of flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF-MS) and bioinformatics. The results indicated that 21 differentially expressed proteins were found by 2-DE and 15 were identified by MS to be significantly differentially expressed. In AML, seven proteins were highly expressed such as MPO, PRDX3, CALR and ECH1 and so on, and eight proteins were highly expressed in ALL, including ARHGDIB, PFN1 and ACTG1 and so on. It is concluded that the distinct protein profiles between AML and ALL have been proved. It may be helpful for the identification of new targets for specific treatment approaches and the molecular markers for the early diagnosis of leukemia.