Serum proteome profiling in canine chronic valve disease using a TMT-based quantitative proteomics approach

Area of Science:

• Veterinary Medicine
• Proteomics
• Biomarker Discovery

Background:

• Chronic valve disease (CVD) is a prevalent heart condition in dogs, impacting 20-40% of the canine population.
• Understanding the molecular underpinnings of canine CVD is crucial for developing effective diagnostic and therapeutic strategies.
• Few studies have investigated the canine serum proteome for insights into cardiovascular disease.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the serum protein profile in healthy dogs versus dogs with CVD using a quantitative proteomic approach.
• To identify potential serum biomarkers associated with canine CVD.
• To explore the molecular mechanisms and pathways involved in canine CVD and compare them to human disease.

Main Methods:

• Employed isobaric tandem mass tag (TMT) label-based high-resolution quantitative proteomics.
• Measured conventional cardiac biomarkers in serum.
• Utilized functional bioinformatics for pathway analysis and validated proteomic findings via immunoassays and Western blotting.

Main Results:

• Identified and quantified 290 proteins, with 15 showing significantly different abundances (p < .05) between healthy and CVD dogs.
• Differentially abundant proteins include antithrombin-III, alpha-2-antiplasmin, tetranectin, apolipoprotein M, adiponectin, inter-alpha-trypsin inhibitor heavy chain H1, gelsolin, and apolipoprotein B-100.
• Identified proteins are involved in complement and coagulation cascades, hemostasis, actin cytoskeleton regulation, and lipid metabolism, showing similarities and differences with human CVD pathways.

Conclusions:

• Established serum proteomic signatures for healthy dogs and dogs with CVD.
• The findings contribute to understanding canine CVD etiology and provide potential novel biomarkers.
• The study highlights the value of canine CVD as a comparative model for human cardiovascular disease research.