2026-04-22 カロリンスカ研究所（KI）
＜関連情報＞
- https://news.ki.se/blood-protein-levels-change-significantly-from-childhood-to-adulthood
- https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-026-72095-3
小児期から成人初期にかけての血液中のタンパク質プロファイリングの縦断的研究 Longitudinal protein profiling of blood during childhood into early adulthood
Sofia Bergström,Sophia Björkander,María Bueno Álvez,Simon Kebede Merid,Hanna Danielsson,Anna Bergström,Inger Kull,Anne-Sophie Merritt,Fredrik Edfors,Susanna Klevebro,Mathias Uhlén,Peter Nilsson & Erik Melén
Nature Communications Published:22 April 2026
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-026-72095-3
Abstract
Proteomic research enhances our understanding of health- and disease-related biological processes. Protein profiling during healthy childhood provides important insights into normal physiological development. We longitudinally measured 5416 plasma proteins at four follow-ups during childhood (4-, 8-, 16 years) and early adulthood (24 years) in 100 randomly selected subjects participating in a population-based Swedish cohort, using Olink Explore HT. In total, 3509 proteins were included in the analysis. 54% of the proteins were found to be associated with age, and we observed several protein trajectories from childhood to adulthood based on clustering. In addition to proteins involved in bone, teeth and cartilage formation, we identified differences in proteins involved in neural function, drug metabolism, and hormonal control. There were pronounced sex-related differences in protein levels, particularly at follow-ups 16 and 24, characterized by, for example, growth, response to stimuli and regulation of catabolic processes. We demonstrate dynamic age- and sex-related changes in protein levels during the first two decades of life. Our study results may serve as an important resource in understanding human physiological development, disease etiology, and for future protein biomarker research.
