Discovery of Protein Markers in Breast Cancer by Mass Spectrometry.

摘要

The purpose of this research is to discover protein markers associated with the early development of breast cancer. One of the earliest common changes in this process occurs when some breast epithelial cells begin to grow and proliferate independently of estradiol. Normal breast epithelium requires this hormone for growth and proliferation. Dr. Robert Clarke of Georgetown University has provided us with two breast epithelial cell lines: MCF7 cells, whose proliferation is dependent on estradiol; and LCC1 cells, a cell line derived from MCF7 whose proliferation is independent of estradiol. We have begun applying proteomics techniques (two dimensional electrophoresis and mass spectrometry) in order to characterize broadly the patterns of protein expression in these two cell lines both in the presence and in the absence of estradiol. We have confirmed Dr. Clarke's previous findings that the patterns of protein expression of the LCC1 cells are not affected much by estradiol and more closely resemble the those patterns seen in the estradiol- stimulated MCF7 cells than they do the unstimulated MCF7 cells. We have begun to identify the estradiol-induced protein changes by mass spectrometry and have implemented methods for subcellular fractionation in order to increase the depth and breadth of our discovery efforts.