Abstract
Long-term starvation provokes a metabolic response in the brain to adapt to the lack of nutrient intake and to maintain the physiology of this organ. Here, we study the changes in the global proteomic profile of the rat brain after a seven-day period of food deprivation, to further our understanding of the biochemical and cellular mechanisms underlying the situations without food. We have used two-dimensional electrophoresis followed by mass spectrometry (2D-MS) in order to identify proteins differentially expressed during prolonged food deprivation. After the comparison of the protein profiles, 22 brain proteins were found with altered expression. Analysis by peptide mass fingerprinting and MS/MS (matrix-assisted laser desorption-ionization-time of flight mass spectrometer, MALDI-TOF/TOF) enabled the identification of 14 proteins differentially expressed that were divided into 3 categories: (1) energy catabolism and mitochondrial proteins; (2) chaperone proteins; and (3) cytoskeleton, exocytosis, and calcium. Changes in the expression of six proteins, identified by the 2D-MS proteomics procedure, were corroborated by a nanoliquid chromatography-mass spectrometry proteomics procedure (nLC-MS). Our results show that long-term starvation compromises essential functions of the brain related with energetic metabolism, synapsis, and the transmission of nervous impulse.
Highlights
Long-term starvation, implying the lack of nutrient intake, triggers a complex physiological and biochemical reaction that involves an adaptive response of all organs and tissues, including the integrative systems
Different studies have shown that the aim of this global adaptive response is the conservation of energy or fuels to preserve the availability of cellular ATP levels for the functions of the different tissues
The aim of this study is to identify the main proteins differentially expressed in the brain during a long-term starvation by means of 2-D and Mass analysis (MS) analysis (MALDI-TOF/TOF)
Summary
Long-term starvation, implying the lack of nutrient intake, triggers a complex physiological and biochemical reaction that involves an adaptive response of all organs and tissues, including the integrative systems. This adaptation involves responses of the central and peripheral nervous system together with the response of the endocrine system [1]. The body is forced to minimize oxidative damage and maintain a metabolic balance to survive the starvation period [1,2,3]. The expression of various neuronal genes in the hypothalamus is regulated to change their hormonal and metabolic behavior, to assume a state of positive energy equilibrium [4]
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