BACKGROUND: Selection of the human drug sensitive and invasive cell line (MDA-MB-435S-F) with the chemotherapeutic agent paclitaxel, resulted in the development of drug resistant cell lines displaying enhanced invasion-related characteristics. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Serum-free conditioned media from the human cancer drug-sensitive and invasive cell line (MDA-MB-435S-F) and its paclitaxel-resistant superinvasive variant (MDA-MB-435S-F/Taxol10p4pSI) were analyzed using Surface enhanced laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (SELDI-TOF MS). RESULTS: A differentially expressed protein was observed at 7.6 kDa, which was 4-fold up-regulated in MDA-MB-435S-F/Taxol10p4pSI. The differentially expressed protein was identified using matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization tandem time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF/TOF MS), as a fragment of bovine transferrin. The transferrin receptor was also found to be overexpressed in the superinvasive cell line. CONCLUSION: Cleavage of serum proteins such as transferrin could provide a valuable source of markers for malignant tumours and could also play a role in aspects of cancer pathogenesis, such as tumour cachexia.
BACKGROUND: Selection of the human drug sensitive and invasive cell line (MDA-MB-435S-F) with the chemotherapeutic agent paclitaxel, resulted in the development of drug resistant cell lines displaying enhanced invasion-related characteristics. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Serum-free conditioned media from the humancancer drug-sensitive and invasive cell line (MDA-MB-435S-F) and its paclitaxel-resistant superinvasive variant (MDA-MB-435S-F/Taxol10p4pSI) were analyzed using Surface enhanced laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (SELDI-TOF MS). RESULTS: A differentially expressed protein was observed at 7.6 kDa, which was 4-fold up-regulated in MDA-MB-435S-F/Taxol10p4pSI. The differentially expressed protein was identified using matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization tandem time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF/TOF MS), as a fragment of bovinetransferrin. The transferrin receptor was also found to be overexpressed in the superinvasive cell line. CONCLUSION: Cleavage of serum proteins such as transferrin could provide a valuable source of markers for malignant tumours and could also play a role in aspects of cancer pathogenesis, such as tumour cachexia.