In this study, the N-glycosylated protein profiles of
cattle-yak longissimus thoracis (CYLT) and yak longissimus
thoracis (YLT) were comparatively analyzed using quantitative
proteomics techniques. A total of 76 differential N-glycosylated proteins
(DGPs) were screened from 181 quantified N-glycoproteins, indicating
that differences in N-glycosylation levels are key to the differences
between CYLT and YLT. In particular, a variety of N-glycoproteins
involved in the extracellular matrix were differentially N-glycosylated
between CYLT and YLT, mainly including fibrillin-1, fibromodulin,
collagen, and laminins. In addition, the N-glycosylation levels of
several lysosomal-related proteolytic enzymes (cathepsin D, dipeptidyl
peptidase 1, legumain, and aminopeptidases, etc.) were significantly
higher in CYLT. These results indicated that the N-glycosylation of
CYLT and YLT proteins plays a crucial role in the regulation of extracellular
matrix organization (muscle fiber structure) and lysosomal activity
(postmortem meat tenderness). The results remind us that posttranslation
modifications, especially N-glycosylation, are still icebergs beneath
the surface.