A data-independent acquisition (DIA) assay library for quantitation of
environmental effects on the kidney proteome of Oreochromis
niloticus
Abstract
Interactions of organisms with their environment are complex and
environmental regulation at different levels of biological organization
is often non-linear. Therefore, the genotype to phenotype continuum
requires study at multiple levels of organization. While studies of
transcriptome regulation are now common for many species, quantitative
studies of environmental effects on proteomes are needed. Here we report
the generation of a data-independent acquisition (DIA) assay library
that enables simultaneous targeted proteomics of thousands of
Oreochromis niloticus kidney proteins using a label- and gel-free
workflow that is well suited for ecologically relevant field samples. We
demonstrate the usefulness of this DIA assay library by discerning
environmental effects on the kidney proteome of O. niloticus.
Moreover, we demonstrate that the DIA assay library approach generates
data that are complimentary rather than redundant to transcriptomics
data. Transcript and protein abundance differences in kidneys of tilapia
acclimated to freshwater and brackish water (25 g/kg) were correlated
for 2114 unique genes. A high degree of non-linearity in
salinity-dependent regulation of transcriptomes and proteomes was
revealed suggesting that the regulation of O. niloticus renal
function by environmental salinity relies heavily on
post-transcriptional mechanisms. The application of functional
enrichment analyses using STRING and KEGG to DIA assay datasets is
demonstrated by identifying myo-inositol metabolism, antioxidant
and xenobiotic functions, and signaling mechanisms as key elements
controlled by salinity in tilapia kidneys. The DIA assay library
resource presented here can be adopted for other tissues and other
organisms to study proteome dynamics during changing ecological
contexts.