Analysis of Post-Translational Modifications (PTMs) in the Urinary Proteome of Patients with Metabolic-Associated Fatty Liver Disease (MAFLD)

Metabolic-associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD) is a highly prevalent chronic liver disease worldwide, and its progression poses substantial risks. Based on publicly available raw urinary proteome data, this study comparatively analyzed the differential characteristics of post-translational modifications (PTMs) in urinary proteins among the healthy control group, mild hepatic steatosis group (MRI-PDFF 5%–10%), and severe hepatic steatosis group (MRI-PDFF > 10%). The results showed that a total of 281 differential modifications were identified between the mild steatosis group and the healthy control group, 445 differential modifications between the severe steatosis group and the healthy control group, and 181 differential modifications between the mild and severe steatosis groups. Among these, multiple proteins with differential modifications have been reported to function or undergo changes in MAFLD, and 6 of these proteins exhibited simultaneous alterations in both expression levels and modification status in both mild and severe steatosis groups. The findings indicate that the urinary proteome PTMs of patients with mild or severe hepatic steatosis differ from those of healthy individuals, providing a novel perspective for the diagnosis and mechanism exploration of MAFLD.