Proteomic analysis identifies cytoskeleton-interacting proteins as major downstream targets of altered folate status in the aorta of adult rat

Scope Mild folate deficiency and subsequently elevated plasma level of homocysteine are associated with an increased risk for vascular diseases in adults. Conversely, high intakes of folic acid (FA) may have beneficial effects on vascular function, presumably in part through homocysteine lowering. However, these effects have not yet been translated in terms of prevention or treatment of vascular pathologies. Besides, the complex biologic perturbation induced by variations of the folate supply is still not fully deciphered. We thus carried out a proteomic analysis of the aorta of adult rats after a dietary FA depletion or supplementation. Methods and results Nine month‐old rats were fed a FA‐depleted, FA‐supplemented or control diet for 8 weeks. Total proteins from adventitia‐free aortas were separated by 2DE and differentially expressed proteins were identified by MS. FA depletion or supplementation resulted in significantly changed abundance of 29 spots (p < 0.05), of which 20 proteins were identified. Bioinformatic analysis revealed that most of these proteins are involved in cytoskeleton‐related processes important to cell function/maintenance, assembly/organization, and movement. Conclusion Our proteomic study supports that expression of proteins essential to vascular structure and, presumably, function is modulated by high intake as well as deprivation of FA.