Abstract
Myopia is the most common refractive error which is estimated to affect half the population of the world by 2050. It has been suggested that it could be determined by multiple factors such as environmental and genetic, but the mechanism behind the cause of myopia is still yet to be identified. Vitreous humor (VH) is a transparent gelatin-like substance that takes up to 80% of the volume of the eye, making it the largest component of the eye. Although VH is the main contributor to axial elongation of the eye including normal eye growth (emmetropization) and myopia, the diluted nature of VH (made up of 99% of water) made it difficult for less abundant molecules to be identified and therefore often overlooked. Using the more sensitive label-free mass spectrometry approach with data-independent acquisition (SWATH-MS), we established a comprehensive VH proteome library in chick animal model and quantified possible protein biomarkers that are responsible for the axial elongation during emmetropization (7, 14, 21, 28 days after hatching, n = 48 eyes). Raw data files for both information-dependent acquisition (IDA) and data-independent acquisition (SWATH-MS) were uploaded on PeptideAtlas for public access (http://www.peptideatlas.org/PASS/PASS01258).