RT Journal Article SR Electronic T1 Proteomics analysis of extracellular matrix remodeling during zebrafish heart regeneration JF bioRxiv FD Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory SP 588251 DO 10.1101/588251 A1 Anna Garcia-Puig A1 Jose Luis Mosquera A1 Senda Jiménez-Delgado A1 Cristina García-Pastor A1 Ignasi Jorba A1 Daniel Navajas A1 Francesc Canals A1 Angel Raya YR 2019 UL http://biorxiv.org/content/early/2019/03/25/588251.abstract AB Adult zebrafish, in contrast to mammals, are able to regenerate their hearts in response to injury or experimental amputation. Our understanding of the cellular and molecular bases that underlie this process, although fragmentary, has increased significantly over the last years. However, the role of the extracellular matrix (ECM) during zebrafish heart regeneration has been comparatively rarely explored. Here, we set out to characterize the ECM protein composition in adult zebrafish hearts, and whether it changed during the regenerative response. For this purpose, we first established a decellularization protocol of adult zebrafish ventricles that significantly enriched the yield of ECM proteins. We then performed proteomic analyses of decellularized control hearts and at different times of regeneration. Our results show a dynamic change in ECM protein composition, most evident at the earliest (7 days post-amputation) time-point analyzed. Regeneration associated with sharp increases in specific ECM proteins, and with an overall decrease in collagens and cytoskeletal proteins. We finally tested by atomic force microscopy that the changes in ECM composition translated to decreased ECM stiffness. Our cumulative results identify changes in the protein composition and mechanical properties of the zebrafish heart ECM during regeneration.