Identification of differentially expressed proteins in human breast cancer by two-dimensional electrophoresis and mass spectrometry

【Objective】 To identify the molecular markers for early diagnosis of human breast cancer by comparing differentially expressed proteins between the breast cancer cell MCF7 and the non-cancerous human breast epithelial cell MCF10A.【Methods】 The total proteins were extracted from MCF7 and MCF10A cells cultured in vitro and then resolved by means of immobilized pH gradient-based on two-dimensional electrophoresis(2-DE).The differentially expressed proteins were analyzed by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time of flight mass spectrometry(MALDI-TOF-MS) and bioinformation.【Results】 Well-resolved 2-DE profiles of the two cell lines MCF7 and MCF10A were obtained,and average protein dots were(960±44) and(1 128±29) respectively;35 differentially expressed proteins were analyzed by mass spectrometry and bioinformation,16 of which were well characterized,including peroxiredoxin-6(PRDX6),phosphoglycerate kinase-1(PGK1),60kDa heat shock protein(CH60),glutamyltransferase 2 isoform a(TGM2).【Conclusions】 The differentially expressed proteins in MCF7 and MCF10A can be potential candidate biomarkers for diagnosis and prognosis of breast cancer.