Retinal proteome analysis reveals region-specific change in the rabbit myopia model

Uncovering region-specific change in myopic retina can provide the clue for explaining the pathogenesis of myopia progression. After imposing form deprivation myopia (FDM) on the right eye of 6-week-old rabbits, we investigated the proteome profile of each retinal region (central, mid periphery, and far periphery retina) using high-resolution, accurate mass (HRAM) mass spectrometry. Protein expression was analyzed with gene ontology and network analysis compared to the control, the left eyes. Among total 2065 proteins detected from whole retinal samples, 249 differentially-expressed proteins (DEPs) were identified: 164 DEPs in far periphery; 39 DEPs in mid periphery; 83 DEPs in central retina. In network analysis, far periphery retina showed the most significant connectivity between DEPs. Regulation of coagulation was the most significant biological process in up-regulated DEPs in far periphery retina. Proteasome was the most significant KEGG pathway in down-regulated DEPs in central retina. Antithrombin-III, fibrinogen gamma chain, and fibrinogen beta chain were identified as biomarkers for myopia progression, which were up-regulated in far periphery retina. Proteomic analysis in this study suggested that the oxidative stress can be the main pathogenesis of myopia progression and the far periphery retina played a role as the key responder.