Immunoassay-based proteome profiling of 24 pancreatic cancer cell lines

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma is one of the most deadly forms of cancers, with a mortality that is almost identical to incidence. The inability to predict, detect or diagnose the disease early and its resistance to all current treatment modalities but surgery are the prime challenges to changing the devastating prognosis. Also, relatively little is known about pancreatic carcinogenesis. In order to better understand relevant aspects of pathophysiology, differentiation, and transformation, we analysed the cellular proteomes of 24 pancreatic cancer cell lines and two controls using an antibody microarray that targets 741 cancer-related proteins. In this analysis, 72 distinct disease marker proteins were identified that had not been described before. Additionally, categorizing cancer cells in accordance to their original location (primary tumour, liver metastases, or ascites) was made possible. A comparison of the cells' degree of differentiation (well, moderately, or poorly differentiated) resulted in unique marker sets of high relevance. Last, 187 proteins were differentially expressed in primary versus metastatic cancer cells, of which the majority is functionally related to cellular movement.

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► Pancreatic cancer cell lines were profiled on antibody microarrays.
► A novel set of proteins was identified discriminating between normal and cancer cells.
► Another set was defined to distinguish cells based on their degree of differentiation.
► A specific proteomic signature exists for cells from different tumour locations.
► Proteins were identified that differentiate between primary and metastatic cells