Proteomics in veterinary science: biomarker discovery for disease investigation

The applications of proteomic investigation to veterinary and animal sciences has been growing over the last decade and the VetMedZg laboratory has been at the centre of collaborative investigations using this advanced technolgy working with partners from the Faculty as well as veterinary and animal scientists from throughout Europe.

The aims have been to establish a versatile methodology allowing the application of quantitative proteomics across species, to provide the basis for increased understanding of experimental or natural physiological and pathophysiological challenges and especially to identify potential biomarkers of disease in animals. A pipeline of sample preparation and mass spectometry followed by statistical and bioinformatic analyses has been established to deal with biofluids and tissue samples from cattle, sheep, pigs, chicken, dog and cat as well as wild animals. Among recent studies have been an investigation of the response in chicken to E. coli lipopolysaccharide demonstrating the modification of the chicken plasma proteins during the innate immune response. Changes to the milk proteome during bovine mastitis, identified by proteomics, has had implications for diagnosis and treatment of this major disease.

Nutritional research has shown the effects of dietary manipulation in pigs on the intestine and liver proteomes. Non-invasive sampling by saliva collection in a study of liver fluke infection of sheep has provided insights into potential early biomarkers infection with potential for other disease. Novel biomarkers for canine babesiosis and canine cardiomyopathy have been identified for use in companion animal medicine and as a model of human disease. This proteomic pipeline can be incorporated into many areas of current and future research providing novel findings at the forefront of veterinary research.