A comprehensive proteome and phosphoproteome atlas across nine organs of the Chinese hamster

Abstract

Background: The Chinese hamster (Cricetulus griseus) is not only an important model organism but also the source of Chinese hamster ovary cells, which play an indispensable role in biomedical and biopharmaceutical research. However, systematic investigations of the proteome and phosphoproteome across multiple organs of this species remain limited.

Methods: A comprehensive proteomic and phosphoproteomic analysis was performed across nine major organs of the Chinese hamster, including heart, liver, lung, kidney, spleen, cerebral cortex, skeletal muscle, stomach, and testis or ovary. High-throughput mass spectrometry–based approaches were used to identify and quantify proteins and phosphorylation sites across these tissues.

Results: In total, 14 219 proteins were identified in the proteome, with 11 828 phosphorylated proteins and 47 122 phosphorylation sites in the phosphoproteome. The comparative analysis revealed pronounced interorgan differences in protein composition and phosphorylation regulation, reflecting distinct physiological functions.

Conclusions: This work provides a systematic framework for understanding organ-specific functions of the Chinese hamster and establishes a theoretical basis for its use as a disease model, filling a critical gap in multiorgan proteomic and posttranslational modification datasets for this species.

Keywords

Chinese hamster / multiorgan / phosphoproteomics / proteomics

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2026 The Author(s). Animal Models and Experimental Medicine published by John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd on behalf of The Chinese Association for Laboratory Animal Sciences.