Proteomics and ingestive behaviour

Abstract

Ingestion behavior is controlled, among others, by affective factors, which lead to different preferences. Diet selection depends on animal past experience as well as taste perception, in which saliva is involved. Salivary proteins have diverse functions, which include lubrication, digestion, protection against microorganisms and antinutritional compounds and have an important role in taste transduction. Our approach to the study of feeding behavior uses proteomics to access expression profile and to identify salivary proteins. The word proteomics is used to describe the study of proteome, i.e. the simultaneous measurement of the entirety of proteins from a biological matrix. We aim to contribute to a better understanding of grazing and browsing control mechanisms through the study of sheep and goats salivary proteome, species that show different diet preferences.