Integrated Transcriptome and Proteome Analyses of β‑Conglycinin-Induced Intestinal Damage in Piglets

β-conglycinin (β-CG) induces intestinal damage
in piglets;
however, its regulatory mechanisms are not fully understood. This
study aimed to investigate the molecular mechanisms by which β-CG
regulates intestinal injury in piglets through downstream genes and
proteins. Our findings revealed that β-CG significantly reduced
villus height while increasing the crypt depth. In addition, we analyzed
the transcriptome and proteome of jejunum tissues after the β-CG
treatment. In total, 382 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) and
292 differentially expressed proteins (DEPs) were identified between
the treatment and the control groups. The expression levels of DEGs
and DEPs were validated by using quantitative reverse transcription
polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) and Western blotting, respectively.
The findings revealed a consistent correlation between their expression
levels and transcriptomic and proteomic data. In addition, Gene ontology
(GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) enrichment
analyses of DEGs and DEPs revealed their enrichment in oxidation-related
GOs, as well as in lysosome-related pathways. A protein–protein
interaction (PPI) regulatory network was constructed based on the
DEPs. The integration of transcriptomic and proteomic analyses identified
six genes that were significantly different at both the transcript
and the protein levels. This study provides valuable insights into
the molecular mechanisms underlying β-CG-induced intestinal
injury in piglets.