Scientific Reports (Aug 2023)

Comparative proteomics in captive giant pandas to identify proteins involved in age-related cataract formation

  • Yuyan You,
  • Chao Bai,
  • Wei Wang,
  • Tongtong Zhan,
  • Xin Hu,
  • Feier Hao,
  • Maohua Xia,
  • Yan Liu,
  • Tao Ma,
  • Yanhui Liu,
  • Changming Zheng,
  • Tianchun Pu,
  • Yizhuo Zhang,
  • Yanping Lu,
  • Nan Ding,
  • Jing Li,
  • Yanqiang Yin,
  • Yucun Chen,
  • Liqin Wang,
  • Jun Zhou,
  • Lili Niu,
  • Yunfang Xiu,
  • Yan Lu,
  • Ting Jia,
  • Xuefeng Liu,
  • Chenglin Zhang

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-40003-0
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 13, no. 1
pp. 1 – 21

Abstract

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Abstract Approximately 20% of aged captive giant pandas (Ailuropoda melanoleuca) have cataracts that impair their quality of life. To identify potential biomarkers of cataract formation, we carried out a quantitative proteomics analysis of 10 giant pandas to find proteins differing in abundance between healthy and cataract-bearing animals. We identified almost 150 proteins exceeding our threshold for differential abundance, most of which were associated with GO categories related to extracellular localization. The most significant differential abundance was associated with components of the proteasome and other proteins with a role in proteolysis or its regulation, most of which were depleted in pandas with cataracts. Other modulated proteins included components of the extracellular matrix or cytoskeleton, as well as associated signaling proteins and regulators, but we did not find any differentially expressed transcription factors. These results indicate that the formation of cataracts involves a complex post-transcriptional network of signaling inside and outside lens cells to drive stress responses as a means to address the accumulation of protein aggregates triggered by oxidative damage. The modulated proteins also indicate that it should be possible to predict the onset of cataracts in captive pandas by taking blood samples and testing them for the presence or absence of specific protein markers.