Proteomic Analysis of Bladder Cancer Cells Reveals Potential Candidates of Biomarkers in Bladder Tumorigenesis

Abstract

Background: Bladder cancer is the most prevalent type of cancer of the urinary tract in Taiwan. In order to identify the molecular basis of bladder carcinogenesis, we analyzed the proteomic profiling of transitional cell carcinoma (TCC) cell lines to search for novel biomarkers for human bladder cancer. Materials and Methods: Two human TCC cell lines (TSGH8301, Grade II and BFTC905, Grade III) were selected for proteomic analysis. The candidate genes were identified by tandem mass spectrometry. Results: Eight differentially-expressed spots were revealed by high resolution 2-D electrophoresis. Five genes were identified by spectrometry as showing higher expression in the TSGH8301 cells, i.e. heat-shock protein 27, maspin, prohibitin and glutathione S-transferase P1-1 and Chaperonin-containing t-complex polypeptide 1 β subunit. In contrast, S100A4 and annexin V exhibited higher levels in the BFTC905 cells. The differential expression patterns of the identified genes were confirmed by immunoblotting and further analyzed using a variety of TCC cell lines. Conculsion: Our studies implicate the potential role of these de-regulated proteins in bladder cancer and warrant further investigation in clinical samples.