title: Deep-coverage rhesus red blood cell proteome: a first comparison with the human and mouse red blood cell.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Macaques are the closest evolutionary relatives of humans routinely used in basic and applied biomedical research. Their genetic, physiological, immunological and metabolic similarity to humans, second only to that of the great apes, makes them invaluable models of human disease. These similarities also mean that macaques are often the only experimental models available for evaluating increasingly specific drugs in development, and as a proof-of-concept bridge can help reduce the numbers of compounds that fail in clinical pharmaceutical research. In vertebrates, red blood cells (RBCs) diseases are frequently severe as their role as sole gas transporter makes them indispensable to survival; much research has therefore focused on an in-depth understanding of the functioning of the RBC. RBCs also host malaria, babesia and other parasites. Recently, we presented an in-depth proteome for the human RBC and a comparative human/mouse RBC proteome.
  
  
  METHODS
  Here, we present directly comparable data for the human, mouse and rhesus RBC proteomes. All proteins were identified, validated and categorized in terms of sub-cellular localization, protein family and function and, in comparison with the human and mouse RBC, were classified as orthologues, family-related or unique. Splice isoforms were identified and polypeptides migrating with anomalous apparent molecular weights were grouped into putatively ubiquitinylated or partially degraded complexes.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Overall there was close concordance between mouse, human and rhesus proteomes, confirming the unexpected RBC complexity. Several novel findings in the human and mouse proteomes have been confirmed here. This comparison sheds light on several open issues in RBC biology and provides a departure point for more comprehensive understanding of RBC function.
authors.affiliation: Biomedical Primate Research Centre, Rijswijk, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Erica M
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: Pasini
authors.forename: Morten
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kirkegaard
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Mortensen
authors.forename: Matthias
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mann
authors.forename: Alan W
authors.initials: AW
authors.lastname: Thomas
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D004912:Erythrocytes / Q000737:chemistry*; D006801:Humans; D008253:Macaca mulatta; D051379:Mice; D010455:Peptides / Q000032:analysis / Q000378:metabolism; D020033:Protein Isoforms / Q000032:analysis; D011506:Proteins / Q000032:analysis / Q000145:classification; D020543:Proteome / Q000032:analysis*
chemical_list: D010455:Peptides; D020033:Protein Isoforms; D011506:Proteins; D020543:Proteome