Proteomic signature of muscle atrophy in rainbow trout

Muscle deterioration arises as a physiological response to elevated energetic demands of fish during sexual maturation and spawning. Previously, we used this model to characterize the transcriptomic mechanisms associated with fish muscle degradation and identified potential biological markers of muscle growth and quality. However, transcriptional measurements do not necessarily reflect changes in active mature proteins. Here we report the characterization of proteomic profile in degenerating muscle of rainbow trout in relation to the female reproductive cycle using a LC/MS-based label-free protein quantification method. A total of 146 significantly changed proteins in atrophying muscles (FDR < 5%) was identified. Proteins were clustered according to their gene ontology identifiers. Muscle atrophy was associated with decreased abundance in proteins of anaerobic respiration, protein biosynthesis, monooxygenases, follistatins, and myogenin, as well as growth hormone, interleukin-1 and estrogen receptors. In contrast, proteins of MAPK/ERK kinase, glutamine synthetase, transcription factors, Stat3, JunB, Id2, and NFkappaB inhibitor, were greater in atrophying muscle. These changes are discussed in light of the mammalian muscle atrophy paradigm and proposed fish-specific mechanisms of muscle degradation. These data will help identify genes associated with muscle degeneration and superior flesh quality in rainbow trout, facilitating identification of genetic markers for muscle growth and quality.