Protein expression during the embryonic development of a gastropod

Despite the potential use of gastropod embryos in basic and applied research, little is known about their protein expression. We examined, for the first time, changes in proteomic profile during embryonic development of Pomacea canaliculata from an embryo without a shell (stage II) to an embryo with a fully formed shell (stage III) to understand the roles that proteins play in critical developmental events, such as the formation of shell, operculum and heart, and the differentiation of head and foot. To analyze protein expression during development, we used 2-DE to detect, MS to analyze, and de novo peptide sequencing followed by MS-BLAST to identify the proteins. The de novo cross-species protein identification method was adopted because of a lack of genomic and proteomic data in the whole class of Gastropoda. 2-DE detected approximately 700 protein spots. Among the 125 spots that were abundant, 52% were identified, a marked improvement over the conventional direct MS-BLAST method. These proteins function in perivitelline fluid utilization, shell formation, protein synthesis and folding, and cell cycle and cell fate determination, providing evidence to support that this embryonic period is a period of dynamic protein synthesis and metabolism. The data shall provide a basis for further studies of how gastropod embryos respond to natural and human-induced changes in the environment.