Comparative proteomic analysis of kidney development-related proteins in the pig

The development of the kidney is a complex process that serves as a model organ system for understanding many basic developmental mechanisms, and the pig kidney provides a useful and relevant model of kidney development and function. However, the molecular cascades involved in kidney development during embryonic development in the pig have not been elucidated fully. To better understand the molecular events associated with kidney development, we evaluated changes in gene expression during kidney development (days E40, E70, and E93) and compared these expressions with adults using two-dimensional gel electrophoresis. The functionally regulated proteins were identified by comparing differentially expressed proteins in embryonic kidneys vs. adult kidney. In addition, a representative set of the proteins was subjected to liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry analysis. Furthermore, the identified proteins were categorized according to their biological processes and molecular functions. Interestingly, 10 of the 25 proteins identified were apoptosis and actin cytoskeleton-related proteins, such as GRP75, α-fetoprotein, ANXA2, ANXA4, DDAH2, DJ-1, SOD2, cofilin1, vil1, and calbindin1. Based on these results, the proteomic approach was applied to identify specific protein expression changes in kidney tissues during development, and the expressional changes of these embryonic kidney proteins were found to be closely associated with the regulation of kidney development.