Acrolein, the most reactive of the alpha,beta-unsaturated aldehydes, is endogenously produced by lipid peroxidation, and has been found increased in the brain of patients with Alzheimer's disease. Although it is known that acrolein increases total protein carbonylation and impairs the function of selected proteins, no study has addressed which proteins are selectively carbonylated by this aldehyde. In this study we investigated the effect of increasing concentrations of acrolein (0, 0.005, 0.05, 0.5, 5, 50 microM) on protein carbonylation in gerbil synaptosomes. In addition, we applied proteomics to identify synaptosomal proteins that were selectively carbonylated by 0.5 microM acrolein. Acrolein increased total protein carbonylation in a dose-dependent manner. Proteomic analysis (two-dimensional electrophoresis followed by mass spectrometry) revealed that tropomyosin-3-gamma isoform 2, tropomyosin-5, beta-actin, mitochondrial Tu translation elongation factor (EF-Tu(mt)) and voltage-dependent anion channel (VDAC) were significantly carbonylated by acrolein. Consistent with the proteomics studies that have identified specifically oxidized proteins in Alzheimer's disease (AD) brain, the proteins identified in this study are involved in a wide variety of cellular functions including energy metabolism, neurotransmission, protein synthesis, and cytoskeletal integrity. Our results suggest that acrolein may significantly contribute to oxidative damage in AD brain.