Exploring the Physiological Differences between the Sharpnose and Bonnethead Sharks through Proteomics.
Faculty Mentor Name
Jane Khudyakov
Research or Creativity Area
Natural Sciences
Abstract
Cartilaginous fishes (Class Chondrichthyes), including sharks, represent an evolutionarily distinct lineage of vertebrates that remain relatively understudied at the molecular level compared to other fish groups. However, 38% of Chondrichthyes are threatened with extinction, highlighting the importance of studying their physiology and how they respond to anthropogenic stress. Proteomic approaches provide a powerful tool for rapidly identifying and quantifying proteins within tissues, making it possible to investigate species-specific physiological adaptations and identify new molecular markers associated with stress responses in understudied species. To demystify the knowledge about sharks in general, muscle tissue samples were collected from a total of twelve individuals, consisting of six bonnethead sharks (Sphyrna tiburo) and six sharpnose sharks (Rhizoprionodon terraenovae). We homogenized muscle tissue and isolated and prepared proteins for sequencing by HPLC-MS/MS via denaturing, alkylating, digesting, and purifying them. Across all samples, we identified 1,040 total proteins using MaxQuant software and the UniProt Chondrichthyes database, representing a broad range of functional categories related to muscle structure, metabolism, and cellular processes. Of those, 665 had sufficient quantification data to be used for differential expression analyses. We used a PCA, which shows global proteome profiles and a heatmap to visualize the abundance of each protein in all samples. Our findings reveal that 84 proteins exhibit differential abundance between the two species. Since differentially abundant proteins (DAPs) provide insights into physiological differences between species at the molecular level, this observation holds significance. Our data may identify potential indicators of capture and handling stress in shark species that are highly sensitive to disturbances, such as bonnetheads. This study aims to gather as much information as possible about these elusive species. Additionally, we will compare potential stress markers evident in our data that complement other studies conducted in our lab, including metabolic markers and plasma proteomes from the same animals. Ongoing work is focused on expanding this dataset by incorporating additional shark species to improve comparative analyses and strengthen the identification of species-specific protein patterns.
Exploring the Physiological Differences between the Sharpnose and Bonnethead Sharks through Proteomics.
Cartilaginous fishes (Class Chondrichthyes), including sharks, represent an evolutionarily distinct lineage of vertebrates that remain relatively understudied at the molecular level compared to other fish groups. However, 38% of Chondrichthyes are threatened with extinction, highlighting the importance of studying their physiology and how they respond to anthropogenic stress. Proteomic approaches provide a powerful tool for rapidly identifying and quantifying proteins within tissues, making it possible to investigate species-specific physiological adaptations and identify new molecular markers associated with stress responses in understudied species. To demystify the knowledge about sharks in general, muscle tissue samples were collected from a total of twelve individuals, consisting of six bonnethead sharks (Sphyrna tiburo) and six sharpnose sharks (Rhizoprionodon terraenovae). We homogenized muscle tissue and isolated and prepared proteins for sequencing by HPLC-MS/MS via denaturing, alkylating, digesting, and purifying them. Across all samples, we identified 1,040 total proteins using MaxQuant software and the UniProt Chondrichthyes database, representing a broad range of functional categories related to muscle structure, metabolism, and cellular processes. Of those, 665 had sufficient quantification data to be used for differential expression analyses. We used a PCA, which shows global proteome profiles and a heatmap to visualize the abundance of each protein in all samples. Our findings reveal that 84 proteins exhibit differential abundance between the two species. Since differentially abundant proteins (DAPs) provide insights into physiological differences between species at the molecular level, this observation holds significance. Our data may identify potential indicators of capture and handling stress in shark species that are highly sensitive to disturbances, such as bonnetheads. This study aims to gather as much information as possible about these elusive species. Additionally, we will compare potential stress markers evident in our data that complement other studies conducted in our lab, including metabolic markers and plasma proteomes from the same animals. Ongoing work is focused on expanding this dataset by incorporating additional shark species to improve comparative analyses and strengthen the identification of species-specific protein patterns.
