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Updated: May 22, 2026
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Skeletal Muscle Gender Dimorphism from Proteomics
Published on: December 14, 2011
Temporal Proteomic Profiling Reveals Tissue-Specific and Coordinated Metabolic Reprogramming in Skeletal Muscle and
Leilei Cui1,2, Lin Zeng3, Mengqi Yang1
1Metabolic Control and Aging, Human Aging Research Institute (HARI) and School of Life Science, Jiangxi Key Laboratory of Human Aging and Jiangxi Province Key Laboratory of Aging and Disease, Nanchang University, Nanchang, China.
Proteomics
|May 21, 2026
Summary
Fasting causes significant protein changes in mouse muscle and liver over 72 hours. These adaptations reveal coordinated tissue responses and conserved molecular programs essential for surviving nutrient scarcity.
Area of Science:
- Metabolomics
- Proteomics
- Systems Biology
Background:
- Fasting induces critical metabolic adaptations for survival during nutrient scarcity.
- The temporal dynamics and cross-tissue coordination of proteomic remodeling during fasting are not fully understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To systematically profile proteomic changes in mouse gastrocnemius (GA) muscle and liver during a 72-hour fasting period.
- To investigate the temporal dynamics and cross-tissue coordination of proteomic remodeling in response to prolonged fasting.
Main Methods:
- Quantitative proteomics was used to analyze protein expression in mouse GA muscle and liver at five time points (0, 12, 24, 48, and 72 hours) during fasting.
- Bioinformatic analyses including principal component analysis, hierarchical clustering, and fuzzy c-means clustering were employed to identify differentially expressed proteins and temporal expression modules.
- Cross-tissue correlation analysis was performed to assess the concordance of proteomic responses between tissues.
Main Results:
- Progressive, time-dependent proteomic reprogramming was observed in both GA muscle and liver, with distinct temporal patterns.
- GA muscle showed a biphasic response (downregulation at 48h, upregulation at 72h), while the liver exhibited a monotonic increase in differentially expressed proteins, mainly suppressing anabolic processes.
- Ninety-seven conserved fasting-responsive proteins were identified, forming interconnected hubs, and five major temporal expression modules related to metabolism, proteostasis, translation, and stress response were resolved in each tissue.
- Moderate and stable cross-tissue concordance (r = 0.43-0.48) in proteomic responses was observed throughout fasting.
Conclusions:
- This study provides a comprehensive temporal atlas of fasting-induced proteomic remodeling in muscle and liver.
- Findings reveal distinct tissue-specific adaptive strategies and conserved molecular programs that coordinate multi-organ metabolic homeostasis during prolonged nutrient deprivation.
- The results highlight shared systemic regulatory mechanisms underlying fasting adaptation.
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