High-resolution 2-dimensional protein mapping of "diploid" and "aneuploid" mammary adenocarcinomas.

Two-dimensional-electrophoretic analysis has been applied to non-neoplastic mammary epithelium from eight healthy women, tumor tissue from eight "diploid" mammary adenocarcinomas, and tumor tissue from eight "aneuploid" mammary adenocarcinomas. Compared with non-neoplastic mammary epithelium, a slight numerical net non-neoplastic mammary epithelium, a slight numerical net increase of the protein spots was detected in "diploid" tumors and a marked increase in "aneuploid" tumors. Two prominent spots were present in all 16 malignant tissues examined and absent in all eight non-neoplastic tissues (silver staining method). The results suggest that a difference in the composition of cellular proteins exists both between non-neoplastic mammary cells and malignant tumor cells, and between "diploid" and "aneuploid" tumors.