The Goat (Capra hircus) Mammary Gland Mitochondrial Proteome: A Study on the Effect of Weight Loss Using Blue-Native PAGE and Two-Dimensional Gel Electrophoresis

PLoS One. 2016 Mar 31;11(3):e0151599. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0151599. eCollection 2016.

Abstract

Seasonal weight loss (SWL) is the most important limitation to animal production in the Tropical and Mediterranean regions, conditioning producer's incomes and the nutritional status of rural communities. It is of importance to produce strategies to oppose adverse effects of SWL. Breeds that have evolved in harsh climates have acquired tolerance to SWL through selection. Most of the factors determining such ability are related to changes in biochemical pathways as affected by SWL. In this study, a gel based proteomics strategy (BN: Blue-Native Page and 2DE: Two-dimensional gel electrophoresis) was used to characterize the mitochondrial proteome of the secretory tissue of the goat mammary gland. In addition, we have conducted an investigation of the effects of weight loss in two goat breeds with different levels of adaptation to nutritional stress: Majorera (tolerant) and Palmera (susceptible). The study used Majorera and Palmera dairy goats, divided in 4 sets, 2 for each breed: underfed group fed on wheat straw (restricted diet, so their body weight would be 15-20% reduced by the end of experiment), and a control group fed with an energy-balanced diet. At the end of the experimental period (22 days), mammary gland biopsies were obtained for all experimental groups. The proteomic analysis of the mitochondria enabled the resolution of a total of 277 proteins, and 148 (53%) were identified by MALDI-TOF/TOF mass spectrometry. Some of the proteins were identified as subunits of the glutamate dehydrogenase complex and the respiratory complexes I, II, IV, V from mitochondria, as well as numerous other proteins with functions in: metabolism, development, localization, cellular organization and biogenesis, biological regulation, response to stimulus, among others, that were mapped in both BN and 2DE gels. The comparative proteomics analysis enabled the identification of several proteins: NADH-ubiquinone oxidoreductase 75 kDa subunit and lamin B1 mitochondrial (up-regulated in the Palmera breed), Guanine nucleotide-binding protein G(I)/G(S)/G(T) subunit beta-2 (up-regulated in the Majorera breed) and cytochrome b-c1 complex subunit 1, mitochondrial and Chain D, Bovine F1-C8 Sub-Complex Of Atp Synthase (down-regulated in the Majorera breed) as a consequence of weight loss.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Amino Acid Sequence
  • Animals
  • Cattle
  • Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid
  • Electron Transport Chain Complex Proteins / metabolism
  • Electrophoresis, Gel, Two-Dimensional / methods*
  • Goats
  • Mammary Glands, Animal / metabolism*
  • Mitochondria / metabolism*
  • Mitochondrial Proteins / metabolism*
  • Molecular Sequence Data
  • Proteome / metabolism*
  • Proteomics / methods
  • Spectrometry, Mass, Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption-Ionization
  • Tandem Mass Spectrometry
  • Weight Loss

Substances

  • Electron Transport Chain Complex Proteins
  • Mitochondrial Proteins
  • Proteome

Grants and funding

This research was supported by the research project PTDC/CVT/116499/2010 – Lactation and milk production in Goat (Capra hircus): identifying molecular markers underlying adaptation to seasonal weight loss from Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia (FCT, Lisbon, Portugal) and by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) through the COMPETE - Operational Competitiveness Programme and national funds through FCT – Foundation for Science and Technology, under the project “PEst-C/MAR/LA0015/2011”. Author AM Almeida contract work is supported by the Ciência 2007 program, A Campos work by a postdoctoral grant (SFRH/BPD/103683/2014) and J Parreira by a PhD grant (PD/BD/113474/2015) all from FCT. G Cugno was supported by a Short Term Scientific Mission financed by COST action FA1002 – Proteomics in Farm Animals to whom network funding is finally acknowledged. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.