Abstract:

The purpose of this study was to explore the differences in components and peptide sequences among sika deer velvet antlers, red deer velvet antlers and New Zealand red deer velvet antlers from the perspective of comparative proteomics, and to provide accurate scientific basis for the identification and quality evaluation of deer velvet antler. In this study, the tissues of sika deer velvet antlers, red deer velvet antlers and New Zealand red deer velvet antlers collected from adult healthy male deer were used as experimental materials and were divided into three groups, including 10 two-branched sika deer velvet antlers, 10 three-branched red deer velvet antlers and 7 three-branched New Zealand red deer velvet antlers. After sample processing, 4D-DIA proteomics technology was used in combination with bioinformatics methods to analyze differentially expressed proteins and differential peptides. A total of 7 377 proteins and 56 739 peptides were identified in this study. There were 6 486 proteins and 41 878 peptides common to sika deer velvet antler, red deer velvet antler and New Zealand red deer velvet antler. In total, 640 differentially expressed proteins were identified. The 461 differentially expressed proteins were identified in sika deer velvet antler vs. red deer velvet antler comparison group, which 270 were up-regulated and 191 were down-regulated. The 391 differentially expressed proteins were identified in sika deer velvet antler vs. New Zealand red deer velvet antler comparison group, which 246 were up-regulated and 145 were down-regulated. The 96 differentially expressed proteins were identified in red deer velvet antler vs. New Zealand red deer velvet antler comparison group, which 50 were up-regulated and 46 were down-regulated. The differentially expressed proteins were mainly involved in biological processes such as the negative regulation of peptidase activity, the regulation of acute inflammatory responses, and the regulation of protein activation cascades. The differentially expressed proteins were mainly involved in pathways such as the intestinal immune network for IgA production and the complement and coagulation cascades. The 5, 1 and 3 candidate characteristic peptides were screened for sika deer velvet antlers, red deer velvet antlers and New Zealand red deer velvet antlers, respectively. There are certain differences in protein expression levels and peptide sequences among sika deer velvet antlers, red deer velvet antlers and New Zealand red deer velvet antlers. This study can provide a basis for the identification of sika deer velvet antlers, red deer velvet antlers and New Zealand red deer velvet antlers, and also offer certain theoretical support for clarifying the differences in biological among sika deer velvet antlers, red deer velvet antlers and New Zealand red deer velvet antlers.

Key words: sika deer velvet antler, red deer velvet antler, New Zealand red deer velvet antler, proteomics