Peroxiredoxins and tropomyosins as plasma biomarkers for lung cancer and asbestos exposure

The prognosis of lung cancer is poor due to late diagnosis, the lack of established screening programs, and the paucity of early biomarkers for high-risk populations. Plasma proteome analysis was used to identify novel biomarkers for diagnosing lung cancer, and to unravel the mechanisms of underlying pathogenesis. Plasma proteins obtained from asbestos-exposed lung cancer cases detected by CT screening, asbestos-exposed subjects, clinical lung cancer patients, and healthy tobacco smokers, 5–6 cases in each group, were separated by two-dimensional gel electrophoresis, and identified with tandem mass spectrometry (LC–MS/MS). Nine proteins were selected for immunological confirmation in a test or validation set of plasma samples from an additional 49 clinical lung cancer cases, 66 asbestos-exposed patients, and 107 healthy tobacco smokers. Twenty-eight unique proteins were differentially expressed between the four study groups (p < 0.05). Peroxiredoxin 1 (PRX1) was detected as a novel plasma marker for lung cancer (p = 0.001). We also confirmed the previously found association of serum amyloid A with lung cancer (p < 0.001). High plasma levels of tropomyosin 4 (TPM4: p < 0.001) and peroxiredoxins 1 and 2 (PRX2: p < 0.001) correlated with asbestos exposure or a diagnosis of asbestosis. PRX1 and PRX2 exhibited an inverse correlation with tobacco smoking (p < 0.001). Plasma peroxiredoxins 1 and 2, and tropomyosin 4 were shown to associate with asbestos-exposure, and peroxiredoxin 1 with lung cancer. High plasma levels of peroxiredoxin 1 may result from genetic damage caused by reactive oxygen species. This study has identified several biomarkers worthy of further investigation in lung cancer and asbestos-related diseases.