Diagnostics (Mar 2023)

Proteomic and Bioinformatic Tools to Identify Potential Hub Proteins in the Audiogenic Seizure-Prone Hamster GASH/Sal

  • Carlos García-Peral,
  • Martín M. Ledesma,
  • M. Javier Herrero-Turrión,
  • Ricardo Gómez-Nieto,
  • Orlando Castellano,
  • Dolores E. López

DOI
https://doi.org/10.3390/diagnostics13061048
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 13, no. 6
p. 1048

Abstract

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The GASH/Sal (Genetic Audiogenic Seizure Hamster, Salamanca) is a model of audiogenic seizures with the epileptogenic focus localized in the inferior colliculus (IC). The sound-induced seizures exhibit a short latency (7–9 s), which implies innate protein disturbances in the IC as a basis for seizure susceptibility and generation. Here, we aim to study the protein profile in the GASH/Sal IC in comparison to controls. Protein samples from the IC were processed for enzymatic digestion and then analyzed by mass spectrometry in Data-Independent Acquisition mode. After identifying the proteins using the UniProt database, we selected those with differential expression and performed ontological analyses, as well as gene-protein interaction studies using bioinformatics tools. We identified 5254 proteins; among them, 184 were differentially expressed proteins (DEPs), with 126 upregulated and 58 downregulated proteins, and 10 of the DEPs directly related to epilepsy. Moreover, 12 and 7 proteins were uniquely found in the GASH/Sal or the control. The results indicated a protein profile alteration in the epileptogenic nucleus that might underlie the inborn occurring audiogenic seizures in the GASH/Sal model. In summary, this study supports the use of bioinformatics methods in proteomics to delve into the relationship between molecular-level protein mechanisms and the pathobiology of rodent models of audiogenic seizures.

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