title: A Proteomic Approach for the Identification of Up-Regulated Proteins Involved in the Metabolic Process of the Leiomyoma.
abstract: Uterine leiomyoma is the most common benign smooth muscle cell tumor of the uterus. Proteomics is a powerful tool for the analysis of complex mixtures of proteins. In our study, we focused on proteins that were upregulated in the leiomyoma compared to the myometrium. Paired samples of eight leiomyomas and adjacent myometrium were obtained and submitted to two-dimensional gel electrophoresis (2-DE) and mass spectrometry for protein identification and to Western blotting for 2-DE data validation. The comparison between the patterns revealed 24 significantly upregulated (p < 0.05) protein spots, 12 of which were found to be associated with the metabolic processes of the leiomyoma and not with the normal myometrium. The overexpression of seven proteins involved in the metabolic processes of the leiomyoma was further validated by Western blotting and 2D Western blotting. Four of these proteins have never been associated with the leiomyoma before. The 2-DE approach coupled with mass spectrometry, which is among the methods of choice for comparative proteomic studies, identified a number of proteins overexpressed in the leiomyoma and involved in several biological processes, including metabolic processes. A better understanding of the mechanism underlying the overexpression of these proteins may be important for therapeutic purposes.
authors.affiliation: Institute for Maternal and Child Health-IRCCS "Burlo Garofolo", Trieste 34137, Italy. blendi.ura2006@libero.it.
authors.forename: Blendi
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Ura
authors.affiliation: Institute for Maternal and Child Health-IRCCS "Burlo Garofolo", Trieste 34137, Italy. federica.scrimin@burlo.trieste.it.
authors.forename: Federica
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Scrimin
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Padova, Padova 35121, Italy. giorgio.arrigoni@unipd.it.|Proteomics Center, Padova University, Padova 35129, Italy. giorgio.arrigoni@unipd.it.
authors.forename: Giorgio
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Arrigoni
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Padova, Padova 35121, Italy. cinzia.franchin@unipd.it.|Proteomics Center, Padova University, Padova 35129, Italy. cinzia.franchin@unipd.it.
authors.forename: Cinzia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Franchin
authors.affiliation: Institute for Maternal and Child Health-IRCCS "Burlo Garofolo", Trieste 34137, Italy. lorenzo.monasta@burlo.trieste.it.
authors.forename: Lorenzo
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Monasta
authors.affiliation: Institute for Maternal and Child Health-IRCCS "Burlo Garofolo", Trieste 34137, Italy. giuseppe.ricci@burlo.trieste.it.|Department of Medical, Surgery and Health Sciences, University of Trieste, Trieste 34149, Italy. giuseppe.ricci@burlo.trieste.it.
authors.forename: Giuseppe
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Ricci
mesh_terms: D015180:Electrophoresis, Gel, Two-Dimensional; D005260:Female; D015972:Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic; D006801:Humans; D007889:Leiomyoma / Q000378:metabolism*; D013058:Mass Spectrometry / Q000379:methods; D009215:Myometrium / Q000378:metabolism; D020543:Proteome / Q000378:metabolism*; D040901:Proteomics / Q000379:methods*; D015854:Up-Regulation; D014594:Uterine Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D020543:Proteome
keywords: 2-DE; leiomyoma; metabolic process; myometrium; proteomic