title: Abnormal expression of leiomyoma cytoskeletal proteins involved in cell migration.
abstract: Uterine leiomyomas are monoclonal tumors. Several factors are involved in the neoplastic transformation of the myometrium. In our study we focused on dysregulated cytoskeletal proteins in the leiomyoma as compared to the myometrium. Paired tissue samples of ten leiomyomas and adjacent myometria were obtained and analyzed by two‑dimensional gel electrophoresis (2-DE). Mass spectrometry was used for protein identification, and western blotting for 2-DE data validation. The values of ten cytoskeletal proteins were found to be significantly different: eight proteins were upregulated in the leiomyoma and two proteins were downregulated. Three of the upregulated proteins (myosin regulatory light polypeptide 9, four and a half LIM domains protein 1 and LIM and SH3 domain protein 1) are involved in cell migration, while downregulated protein transgelin is involved in replicative senescence. Myosin regulatory light polypeptide 9 (MYL9) was further validated by western blotting because it is considered to be a cell migration marker in several cancers and could play a key role in leiomyoma development. Our data demonstrate significant alterations in the expression of cytoskeletal proteins involved in leiomyoma growth. A better understanding of the involvement of cytoskeletal proteins in leiomyoma pathogenesis may contribute to the identification of new therapeutic targets and the development of new pharmacological approaches.
authors.affiliation: Institute for Maternal and Child Health - IRCCS 'Burlo Garofolo', Trieste, Italy.
authors.forename: Blendi
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Ura
authors.affiliation: Institute for Maternal and Child Health - IRCCS 'Burlo Garofolo', Trieste, Italy.
authors.forename: Federica
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Scrimin
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Padova, Padova, Italy.
authors.forename: Giorgio
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Arrigoni
authors.affiliation: Institute for Maternal and Child Health - IRCCS 'Burlo Garofolo', Trieste, Italy.
authors.forename: Emmanouil
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Athanasakis
authors.affiliation: Institute for Maternal and Child Health - IRCCS 'Burlo Garofolo', Trieste, Italy.
authors.forename: Michelangelo
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Aloisio
authors.affiliation: Institute for Maternal and Child Health - IRCCS 'Burlo Garofolo', Trieste, Italy.
authors.forename: Lorenzo
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Monasta
authors.affiliation: Institute for Maternal and Child Health - IRCCS 'Burlo Garofolo', Trieste, Italy.
authors.forename: Giuseppe
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Ricci
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002465:Cell Movement; D003598:Cytoskeletal Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007889:Leiomyoma / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D008875:Middle Aged; D060066:Protein Interaction Maps; D020543:Proteome / Q000378:metabolism; D014594:Uterine Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology
chemical_list: D003598:Cytoskeletal Proteins; D020543:Proteome