ABSTRACT
To screen for serum biomarkers for lung squamous carcinoma, two-dimensional gel electrophoresis (2-DE) was performed to separate serum proteins from healthy individuals and stage 1 lung squamous carcinoma(LSC) patients, respectively. PDquest software was used to analyze 2-DE images, and the differential serum protein spots between the healthy individuals and LSC patients were identified by ESI-Q-TOF MS/MS. Then Western blot and immunohistochemistry were used to detect the expression levels of haptoglobin-2(HP-2), one of the differential proteins, in the sera and tumor tissues in the patients with LSC, respectively. 2-DE maps of serum proteins from healthy individuals and stage 1 LSC patients were established. Ten differential serum protein spots were detected, four proteins of which were identified by MS/MS. Western blot showed that the serum level of HP-2 in the LSC patients was significantly higher than that in healthy individuals, but was not associated with LSC staging. Immunohistochemistry showed that the expression level of HP-2 in the LSC tissues was significantly higher than that in the normal bronchial epithelial tissues adjacent to tumors. The results indicated that serum HP-2 protein is a candidate biomarker for LSC, and might be useful for diagnosis of LSC. Up-regulation of HP-2 in the LSC tissues may contribute to the high serum level of HP-2 in the patients.