Characterization of the human aqueous humour proteome: A comparison of the genders

Abstract

Aqueous humour (AH) is an important biologic fluid that maintains normal intraocular pressure and contains proteins that regulate the homeostasis of ocular tissues. Any alterations in the protein compositions are correlated to the pathogenesis of various ocular disorders. In recent years, gender-based medicine has emerged as an important research focus considering the prevalence of certain diseases, which are higher in a particular sex. Nevertheless, the inter-gender variations in the AH proteome are unknown. Therefore, this study endeavoured to characterize the AH proteome to assess the differences between genders. Thirty AH samples of patients who underwent cataract surgery were categorized according to their gender. Label-free quantitative discovery mass spectrometry-based proteomics strategy was employed to characterize the AH proteome. A total of 147 proteins were identified with a false discovery rate of less than 1% and only the top 10 major AH proteins make up almost 90% of the total identified proteins. A large number of proteins identified were correlated to defence, immune and inflammatory mechanisms, and response to wounding. Four proteins were found to be differentially abundant between the genders, comprising SERPINF1, SERPINA3, SERPING1 and PTGDS. The findings emerging from our study provide the first insight into the gender-based proteome differences in the AH and also highlight the importance in considering potential sex-dependent changes in the proteome of ocular pathologies in future studies employing the AH.

MR-Eye: High-Resolution Microscopy Coil MRI for the Assessment of the Orbit and Periorbital Structures, Part 1: Technique and Anatomy

“…10 With variable relaxation or contraction of the ciliary muscle, the zonule of Zinn alters the convexity of the lens and subsequently changes the focal point of the eye. 11,12…”

Quantitative proteomic analysis of aqueous humor after rabbit lensectomy reveals differences in coagulation and immunomodulatory proteins

“…Going forward, it is expected that these results from an animal model will inform future translational studies. Although human proteomic AH analyses have been performed, 25,[28][29][30][31][32][33][34][35][36][37][38][39][40][41] few have applied this work to pediatric subjects. Therefore, data from the current study will support efforts that compare the AH proteins identified in juvenile rabbits to those found in infants in future work.…”

Alterations of aqueous humor Aβ levels in Aβ-infused and transgenic mouse models of Alzheimer disease

“…Unlike the clear tendency in females, no significant differences between adult and aged mice were identified in males. This result may be due to the gender-based difference of composition ratio in the aqueous humor proteome [46].…”