Proteome research in urothelial carcinoma.

In all creatures including humans, the molecules that function in accordance with the genetic code are mainly proteins. After completing the sequencing of the human genome, rapid progress has been made in proteome analysis. The primary structures of almost all proteins were determined by the human genome sequence. However, the whole picture of proteins cannot be elucidated because of alternative splicing and post-translational modifications. Therefore, genomic as well as systematic and comprehensive information of proteins is required. Modern methods of proteomics have dramatically improved the quality and speed of protein analysis. Developments in both bioinformatics and mass spectrometry have contributed to the technical improvement, making it possible to identify proteins in a short time with high accuracy even from a very small sample. In the field of cancer research, many studies of useful diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers using these proteomic technologies have been reported, and target molecules for treatment have been explored. The aim of the present review was to summarize the basic technologies of proteomics and recent research in the field of urothelial cancer obtained using proteomic methods.