High-throughput proteomic and phosphoproteomic analysis of formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tissues

Abstract

Formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded (FFPE) patient tissues are a valuable resource for proteomic studies with the potential to associate derived molecular insights with clinical annotations and outcomes. Here we present an optimized, partially automated, plate-based workflow for FFPE proteomics combining pathology-guided macrodissection, xylene-free deparaffinization using Adaptive Focused Acoustics (AFA) sonication for lysis and decrosslinking, optimized S-Trap digestion and cleanup of peptides, and liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) using Exploris 480, Orbitrap Astral, and timsTOF HT instrumentation. The workflow enables analysis of up to 96 dissected FFPE tissue samples or 10 μm scrolls, identifying 8,000-10,000 unique proteins per sample with median CVs <20%. Application to lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) FFPE blocks confirms the platform's effectiveness in processing complex, clinically relevant samples, achieving deep proteome coverage and quantitative robustness comparable to TMT-based methods. Using the Orbitrap Astral with short, 24-minute gradients, the workflow identifies up to 10,000 unique proteins and 11,000 fully localized phosphosites in LUAD FFPE tissue, demonstrating the ability to derive biologically relevant phosphoprotein/peptide results from clinically derived FFPE tumor samples. This high-throughput, scalable workflow advances biomarker discovery and proteomic research in archival tissue samples.