Comparative proteomic analysis of Celastrus hindsii Benth. phenotypes reveals an intraspecific variation

In Vietnam, Celastrus hindsii Benth, a medicinal plant rich in secondary metabolites, has been used to alleviate distress caused by ulcers, tumors, and inflammation for generations. The occurrence of two phenotypes, Broad Leaf (BL) and Narrow Leaf (NL), has raised questions about the selection of appropriate varieties for conservation and crop improvement to enhance medicinal properties. This study examined molecular differences in C. hindsii by comparing protein profiles between the NL and BL types using 2DPAGE and MS. Peptide sequences and proteins were identified by matching MS data against the MSPnr100 databases and verified using the MultiIdent tool on ExPASy and the Blast2GO software. Our results revealed notable variations in protein abundance between the NL and BL proteomes. Selected proteins were confidently identified from 12 protein spots, thereby highlighting the molecular variation between NL and BL proteomes. Upregulated proteins in BL were found to be associated with flavonoid and amino acid biosynthesis as well as nuclease metabolism, which probably attributed to the intraspecific variations. Several bioactive proteins identified in this study can have applications in cancer therapeutics. Therefore, the BL phenotype characterized by healthier external morphological features has higher levels of bioactive compounds and could be better suited for medicinal use.