The presented procedure allows rapid isolation of extracellular vesicles (EVs) from plasma using size-exclusion chromatography (SEC). Additionally, an approach for reducing the lipid and salt content of the EV isolate in preparation for mass spectrometry (MS)-based proteomic analysis is presented. An example setup for proteomic profiling of the processed samples by nanoflow liquid chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry (nLC-MS/MS) is also presented. Approximately 1000 protein groups in blood plasma-derived EVs can be identified and quantitated following this procedure and using the described instrumentation.
Keywords: EVs; Exosomes; Extracellular vesicles; Mass spectrometry; Microparticles; Nano-LC-MS; Proteomic profiling; Proteomics; Sample preparation; Size-exclusion chromatography.