ABSTRACT
Objective::Astragalus membranaceus var. mongholicus and A. membranaceus are medicinal Astragalus, which are closely related and similar in composition, but with unclear medicinal value. Water-soluble protein profiles for A. membranaceus var. mongholicus and A. membranaceus were established to explore the differences between the two kinds of Astragalus Radix. Method::The water-soluble protein components were obtained through water ultrasonic extraction and acetone precipitation. After digested with trypsin, the obtained peptides were analyzed by nano ESI-LC-MS/MS method. Proteome Discovery 1.4 software was used to identify the proteins by comparing with the legume protein database, and the different expression water-soluble proteins were analyzed by the label-free quantitative software SIEVE. Finally, relevant information for common expression proteins, including classification, molecular function, involved biological process and signaling pathway, were analyzed by bioinformatics. Result::There were 920 and 717 specific proteins identified for A. membranaceus var. mongholicus and A. membranaceus, respectively. Totally 472 proteins were found to be co-expressed, in which 21 were differentially expressed, such as PR-10 protein, NDK-1 protein, glutelin A2, and phospholipase D. There were 14 highly expressed proteins in A. membranaceus var. mongholicus and 7 highly expressed proteins in A. membranaceus. Conclusion::There are significant differences in water-soluble protein profiles for two kinds of Astragalus Radix. Specific proteins, differentially expressed proteins and common expressed proteins can provide references for the identification of A. membranaceus var. mongholicus and A. membranaceus. It also can be used to define pharmacological mechanisms and search for drug action targets.