Cold exposure alters proteomic profiles of the hypothalamus and pituitary in female rats

Abstract

Abstract Objective Studies have shown that both short-term and long-term cold exposures disturb the biological process. The aim of the present study is to investigate the effects of intermittent cold exposure on proteomic profiles in the hypothalamus and pituitary of female Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats. Materials and methods The rats were exposed to -10°C in a cabin for 4 h per day, and the treatment lasted for 14 days. The comparative label-free LC-MS/MS analysis was performed to investigate the changes of proteomic profiles in the hypothalamus and pituitary. ELISA analysis was used to validate the expression of differential proteins. Results 22 differential proteins in the hypothalamus and 75 differential proteins in the pituitary were identified by the label-free proteomic analysis. Gene ontology annotation and enrichment analysis indicated that cold exposure disrupted protein phosphorylation, filopodium assembly, intracellular protein transport, peripheral nervous system neuron axonogenesis, spinal cord development, Golgi organization, positive regulation of pseudopodium assembly, and cell-cell adhesion. Three proteins (Cdc42, Ptprs, and Setd7) were down-regulated in the cold exposure group. Conclusion The results indicate that intermittent cold exposure alters the proteomic profiles of hypothalamus and pituitary in female rats.