Proteome analysis of rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) liver responses to chronic heat stress using DIA/SWATH

Aquaculture of rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) is severely hampered by high temperatures in summer, and understanding the regulatory mechanisms controlling responses to chronic heat stress may assist the development of measures to relieve heat stress. In the present study, biochemical parameters revealed a strong stress response in rainbow trout at 24 °C, including activation of stress defence and immune systems. Liver proteome analysis under heat stress (24 °C) and control (18 °C) conditions using DIA/SWATH identified precursors (90,827), peptides (67,028), proteins (6770) and protein groups (5124), among which 460 differentially abundant proteins (DAPs; q-value < 0.05, fold change >1.5), 201 and 259 were up- and down-regulated, respectively. Many were related to heat shock proteins (HSPs), metabolism and immunity. Gene Ontology (GO) analysis showed that some DAPs induced at high temperature were involved in regulating cell homeostasis, metabolism, adaptive stress and stimulation. Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) analysis identified metabolic pathways, protein processing in endoplasmic reticulum, PPAR signalling, and complement and coagulation cascades. Protein-protein interaction (PPI) network analysis indicated that HSP90b1 and C3 may cooperative to affect cell membrane integrity under heat stress. Our findings assist the development of strategies to relieve heat stress in rainbow trout.