Identification of Differentially Expressed Proteins in Rats with Early Subacute Spinal Cord Injury using an iTRAQ-based Quantitative Analysis

Abstract

Background: Injuries to the central nervous system (CNS), such as spinal cord injury (SCI), may devastate families and society. Subacute SCI may majorly impact secondary damage during the transitional period between the acute and subacute phases. A range of CNS illnesses has been linked to changes in the level of protein expression. However, the importance of proteins during the early subacute stage of SCI remains unknown. The role of proteins in the early subacute phase of SCI has not been established yet. Methods: SCI-induced damage in rats was studied using isobaric tagging for relative and absolute protein quantification (iTRAQ) to identify proteins that differed in expression 3 days after the injury, as well as proteins that did not alter in expression. Differentially expressed proteins (DEPs) were analyzed employing Gene Ontology (GO) enrichment and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) analysis to discover the biological processes, cell components, and molecular functions of the proteins. We also performed Gene Set Enrichment Analysis （GSEA） software BP pathway and KEGG analysis on all proteins to further identify their functions. In addition, the first 15 key nodes of a protein-protein interaction (PPI) system were found. Results: During the early subacute stage of SCI, we identified 176 DEPs in total between the control and damage groups, with 114 (64.77%) being up-regulated and 62 (35.23%) being down-regulated. As a result of this study, we discovered the most important cellular components and molecular activities, as well as biological processes and pathways, in the early subacute phase of SCI. The top 15 high-degree core nodes were Alb, Plg, F2, Serpina1, Fgg, Apoa1, Vim, Hpx, Apoe, Agt, Ambp, Pcna, Gc, F12， and Gfap. Conclusion: Our study could provide new views on regulating the pathogenesis of proteins in the early subacute phase after SCI, which provides a theoretical basis for exploring more effective therapeutic targets for SCI in the future.

Cerebrospinal Fluid Proteomic Profiles in Patients with Postherpetic Neuralgia

“…In addition, our results also indicated that biological processes involving the synaptic organization, such as assembly, signal transduction, and plasticity regulations, were significantly inhibited, further suggesting that the HZ viral infection changes the neurological microstructure and functions. Moreover, a close intersection was found among PLG, APOA1, and APOE, which was similar to previous research. , The overlapped biological processes including negative regulation of response to external stimulus, coagulation, cell adhesion, lipid metabolism, inflammation response, etc., were all significantly enriched pathways (Figure ), indicating that these proteins might play a synergistic or antagonistic role in the process of the PHN. Above all, these hub proteins and biological processes provide an outbreak for us to further study the intrinsic mechanism of the PHN.…”

“…In a recent study, Lou et al 19 demonstrated that in the early subacute stage of the spinal cord injury, the top hub proteins of the spinal tissue were PLG, F2, SERPINA 1, FGG, APOA1, VIM, HPX, and APOE. In the present study, seven DEPs including SERPINC1, F2, KNG1, PLG, APOA1, APOA2, and APOE were defined as the hub proteins based on the PPI and KEGG analysis, which displayed partial similarity with Lou et al ’s research.…”

“…Moreover, a close intersection was found among PLG, APOA1, and APOE, which was similar to previous research. 19 , 55 The overlapped biological processes including negative regulation of response to external stimulus, coagulation, cell adhesion, lipid metabolism, inflammation response, etc., were all significantly enriched pathways ( Figure 8 ), indicating that these proteins might play a synergistic or antagonistic role in the process of the PHN. Above all, these hub proteins and biological processes provide an outbreak for us to further study the intrinsic mechanism of the PHN.…”

Dynamic Changes in Proteome during Yak Oocyte Maturation Analyzed Using iTRAQ Technology

“…Therefore, it is crucial to study the dynamic changes in proteins during each period of oocyte maturation to improve yak fertility [ 9 , 10 , 11 ]. iTRAQ is a protein quantification technology based on tandem mass spectrometry that can identify almost all proteins in an animal [ 12 , 13 ]. iTRAQ quantitative differential proteomics is currently widely used, as it can identify the differential proteins in cells at different stages and provides a new method for further investigating life phenomena [ 14 ].…”