[Screening and identification analysis of serum protein biomarkers in nephroblastoma]

Abstract

Objective: To screen and characterize the serum protein biomarkers in nephroblastoma so as to establish the proteins as the specific serum biomarkers for diagnosis and prognosis monitoring.

Methods: The differential protein peaks were located by detecting serum samples of preoperative and postoperative patients and normal children using the SELDI-TOF MS technology. After purification, the differential proteins were further analyzed by LC-MS/MS and the protein sequences searched in database.

Results: Two peaks with m/z of 6455.5 and 6984.4 were selected as potential biomarkers. They were weakly expressed in nephroblastoma (intensity: 1029 +/- 364, 297 +/- 126) but highly expressed in normal individuals (2108 +/- 837, 753 +/- 226); another peak with m/z of 9190.8 was weakly expressed in preoperative sera (283 +/- 154) but highly expressed in serum samples of postoperative patients and normal children (5974 +/- 657, 6231 +/- 519). The protein at 6455.5 and 9190.8 were identified as apolipoprotein C-III and haptoglobin respectively.

Conclusion: The detection of differentially expressed apolipoprotein C-III and haptoglobin may have potential utilities for serum diagnosis, malignancy classification and prognosis monitoring of nephroblastoma and is worthy of further studies and applications.