Comparative secretomic and N-glycoproteomic profiling in human MCF-7 breast cancer and HMEpC normal epithelial cell lines using a gel-based strategy

Abstract

Background: Concurrent study of secretomic and glycoproteomic profiles in cancer cell lines represents an excellent approach for investigating cancer progression and identifying novel biomarker candidates. In this study, we performed a comparative secretomic and N-glycoprotein profiling from the secretions of normal human mammary epithelial cells (HMEpC) and the MCF-7 human breast cancer cell line. Method: We analyzed these cell lines using a combined methodology involving glycan-binding lectins and two-dimensional electrophoresis and identified several differentially secreted factors, including osteonectin and haptoglobin. Result: Notably, comparative analyses also revealed that MCF-7 cells produced differentially N-glycosylated forms of haptoglobin. Conclusion: The present data suggested that osteonectin and haptoglobin might have potential to be served as potential biomarkers for breast cancer. However, further investigation is needed to validate the findings.