TMT quantitative proteomics analysis reveals molecular mechanism of ferroptosis during beef refrigeration

Ferroptosis is a recently identified cell death process in refrigerated beef, and its mediated protein oxidation and cell death may reduce muscle quality, but the mechanism of ferroptosis is unclear. In the study, free iron accumulation reached 19.670 ± 0.482 μg/g after 6 days refrigeration, the levels of apoptosis, ROS, and lipid peroxidation increased significantly (P < 0.05), and muscle tissue cells exhibited typical ferroptosis characteristics. A total of 377 differentially expressed proteins (DEPs) were identified by TMT quantitative proteomics. 15 DEPs, including transferrin, ferritin, glutathione peroxidase (GPX) 4, and heme oxygenase 1, were involved in lipid peroxidation, Fe²⁺ and Fe³⁺ conversion, iron ion accumulation, and mitochondrial oxidative stress to induce ferroptosis. In addition, signalling pathways, such as chemical carcinogenesis-ROS, glutathione metabolism, HIF-1, and PPAR may promote ferroptosis by affecting free iron overload and GPX4 inactivation.