Discovery and identification of serum biomarkers of Wilms' tumor in mice using proteomics technology.
BACKGROUND
Wilms' tumor (nephroblastoma) is a cancer of the kidneys that occurs typically in children and rarely in adults. Early diagnosis is very important for the treatment and prognosis of the disease. The aim of our study was to discover and identify potential non-invasive and convenient biomarkers for the diagnosis of Wilms' tumor.


METHODS
Nude mice were used to construct a Wilms' tumor model by injecting nephroblastoma cells into their bilateral abdomen. We collected 94 serum samples from mice consisting of 45 samples with Wilms' tumor and 49 controls. The serum proteomic profiles of the samples were analyzed via surface-enhanced laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry. The candidate biomarkers were purified by high-performance liquid chromatography, identified by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry, and validated using ProteinChip immunoassays.


RESULTS
We finally retrieved two differential proteins (m/z 4509.2; 6207.9), which were identified as apolipoprotein A-II and polyubiquitin, respectively. The expression of apolipoprotein A-II was higher in the Wilms' tumor group than in the control group (P < 0.01). By contrast, the expression of polyubiquitin was lower in the Wilms' tumor group than in the control group.


CONCLUSIONS
Apolipoprotein A-II and polyubiquitin may be used as potential biomarkers for nephroblastoma in children, and the analysis of apolipoprotein A-II may help diagnose and treat Wilms' tumor.
Department of Urologic Surgery, First Affiliated Hospital, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan 450052, China.
Zhan-Kui
ZK
Jia
Jia-Xiang
JX
Wang
Jin-Jian
JJ
Yang
Rui
R
Xue
Da
D
Zhang
Guan-Nan
GN
Wang
Sheng-Li
SL
Ma
Zhen-Feng
ZF
Duan
D000818:Animals; D016633:Apolipoprotein A-II / Q000097:blood; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood*; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D051379:Mice; D008819:Mice, Nude; D025821:Polyubiquitin / Q000097:blood; D040901:Proteomics / Q000379:methods*; D009396:Wilms Tumor / Q000097:blood* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology
D016633:Apolipoprotein A-II; D015415:Biomarkers; D025821:Polyubiquitin