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Reversible protein phosphorylation mediated by protein kinases and phosphatases is the most studied post-translational modification. Efficient characterization of phosphoproteomes is hampered by (1) low stoechiometry, (2) the dynamic nature of the phosphorylation process and (3) the difficulties of mass spectrometry to identify phosphoproteins from complex mixtures and to determine their sites of phosphorylation. Combination of the phosphopeptide enrichment method with MALDI-TOFMS, or alternatively, with HPLC-ESI-MS/MS and MS(3) analysis was shown to be a step forward for the successful application of MS in the study of protein phosphorylation. In our study we used phosphopeptide enrichment performed in a simple single-tube experiment using zirconium dioxide (ZrO(2)). A simple protein mixture containing precipitated bovine milk caseins was enzymatically digested and the mixture of tryptic fragments was analysed before and after enrichment using nanoflow HPLC-ESI-MS/MS and surface-enhanced laser desorption/ionization (SELDI)-MS/MS on QqTOF instruments to compare the efficiency of the two methods in the determination of phosphorylation sites. Both approaches confirm the high selectivity obtained by the use of batch-wise, ZrO(2)-based protocol using di-ammonium phosphate as the eluting buffer. More phosphorylation sites (five for beta-casein and three for alpha(S1)-casein) were characterized by SELDI-MS/MS than by nanoflow HPLC-ESI-MS/MS. Therefore, ZrO(2)-based phosphopeptide enrichment combined with SELDI-MS/MS is an attractive alternative to previously reported approaches for the study of protein phosphorylation in mixtures of low complexity with the advance of fast in situ peptide purification. The method was limited to successful analysis of high-abundance proteins. Only one phosphorylation site was determined for the minor casein component alpha(S2)-casein by ESI-MS/MS and none for kappa-casein. Therefore an improvement in enrichment efficiency, especially for successful phosphoproteomic applications, is needed.

Estrogens are powerful mitogens that play a critical role in the onset of breast cancer and its progression. About two-thirds of all breast cancers are estrogen receptor (ER)+ at the time of diagnosis, and the ER expression is the determinant of a tumor phenotype associated with hormone responsiveness. The molecular basis of the relationship between ER expression, (anti)hormonal responsiveness, and breast cancer prognosis is still unknown. To identify the proteins affected by the presence of the hormone we used 2-D-PAGE-based bottom-up proteomics for the study of the proteome of MCF-7 cells of estrogen-responsive breast carcinoma exposed to a mitogenic concentration of 17beta-estradiol (E2) for 12, 18, 24, and 30 h. Differential expression analysis showed significant changes for 12 proteins. These include ezrin-radixin-moesin-binding phosphoprotein of 50 kDa which was previously shown to be directly regulated by E2. Expression profiles of other proteins already implicated in the progression of breast cancer, such as stathmin, calreticulin, heat shock 71 kDa, alpha-enolase are also described. Moreover, it is observed that different unexpected proteins, translation factors, and energetic metabolism enzymes are also influenced by the presence of the hormone.

To identify a growth-promoting activity related to retinoblastoma-interacting-zinc-finger (RIZ) protein, differential protein expression of MCF-7 cell lines expressing the zinc-finger or the proline-rich domain of RIZ protein was analyzed by a robust bottom-up mass-spectrometry proteomic approach. Spots corresponding to qualitative and quantitative differences in protein expression have been selected and identified. Some of these proteins have been previously reported as being associated with different types of carcinomas or involved in cell proliferation and differentiation. Knowledge of specific differentially expressed proteins by MCF-7-derived cell lines expressing RIZ different domains will provide the basis for identifying a growth-promoting activity related to RIZ gene products.

RAI, also named ShcC/N-Shc, one of the members of the Shc proteins family, is a substrate of the RET receptor tyrosine kinase. Here, we show that RAI forms a protein complex with both RET/MEN 2 A and RET/PTC oncoproteins. By co-immunoprecipitation, we found that RAI associates with the Grb 2-associated binder 1 (GAB 1) adapter. This association is constitutive, but, in the presence of RET oncoproteins, both RAI and GAB 1 are tyrosine-phosphorylated, and the stoichiometry of this interaction remarkably increases. Consequently, the p 85 regulatory subunit of phosphatidylinositol-3 kinase (PI-3 K) is recruited to the complex, and its downstream effector Akt is activated. We show that human thyroid cancer cell lines derived from papillary or medullary thyroid carcinoma (PTC or MTC) carrying, respectively, RET/PTC and RET/MEN 2 A oncoproteins express RAI proteins. We also show that human PTC samples express higher levels of RAI, when compared to normal thyroid tissue. In thyroid cells expressing RET/PTC 1, ectopic expression of RAI protects cells from apoptosis; on the other hand, the silencing of endogenous RAI by small inhibitory duplex RNAs in a PTC cell line that expresses endogenous RET/PTC 1, increases the rate of spontaneous apoptosis. These data suggest that RAI is a critical substrate for RET oncoproteins in thyroid carcinomas., (Oncogene (2005) 24, 6303-6313.)

Purpose: Experimental data suggest a complex cross-talk between HER-2 and estrogen receptor, and it has been hypothesized that HER-2-positive tumors may be less responsive to certain endocrine treatments. Clinical data, however, have been conflicting. We have conducted a meta-analysis on the interaction between the response to endocrine treatment and the overexpression of HER-2 in metastatic breast cancer., Experimental Design: Studies have been identified by searching the Medline, Embase, and American Society of Clinical Oncology abstract databases. Selection criteria were (a) metastatic breast cancer, (b) endocrine therapy (any line of treatment), and (c) evaluation of HER-2 expression (any method). For each study, the relative risk for treatment failure for HER-2-positive over HER-2-negative patients with 95% confidence interval was calculated as an estimate of the predictive effect of HER-2. Pooled estimates of the relative risk were computed by the Mantel-Haenszel method., Results: Twelve studies (n = 2,379 patients) were included in the meta-analysis. The overall relative risk was 1.42 (95% confidence interval, 1.32-1.52; P < 0.00001; test for heterogeneity = 0.380). For studies involving tamoxifen, the pooled relative risk was 1.33 (95% confidence interval, 1.20-1.48; P < 0.00001; test for heterogeneity = 0.97); for studies involving other hormonal drugs, a pooled relative risk of 1.49 (95% confidence interval, 1.36-1.64; P < 0.00001; test for heterogeneity = 0.08) was estimated. A second meta-analysis limited to tumors that were either estrogen receptor positive, estrogen receptor unknown, or estrogen receptor negative/progesterone receptor positive yielded comparable results., Conclusions: HER-2-positive metastatic breast cancer is less responsive to any type of endocrine treatment. This effect holds in the subgroup of patients with positive or unknown steroid receptors.

Targeted therapies are causing a dramatic change in cancer drug development. Trastuzumab, a humanized recombinant monoclonal antibody that recognizes the extracellular domain of HER2 trans-membrane protein, is among the first target-specific drugs that have been licensed for clinical use and its development represents a model of integration of new agents with classical treatment strategies. In preclinical models, trastuzumab has demonstrated a marked antiproliferative effect and a synergistic action with several chemotherapeutic agents. Monotherapy trials indicate that trastuzumab is active as a single agent in HER2 positive patients, is well tolerated, and is associated with preservation of quality of life (QoL). Furthermore, as first line therapy for metastatic breast cancer overexpressing HER2 receptor, the addition of trastuzumab to taxane-based chemotherapy significantly increased rate of objective response, time to disease progression and survival when compared with chemotherapy alone. Trastuzumab has shown important activity when used with many chemotherapeutic agents such as platinum salts, gemcitabine, vinorelbine and capecitabine and liposomal anthracyclines. Various trials are now ongoing to optimize the use of trastuzumab and to investigate its role in the adjuvant and in the neo-adjuvant setting.

RET gene rearrangements, which generate chimeric RET/PTC oncogenes, are early events in the evolution of thyroid papillary carcinomas. Expression of RET/PTC oncogenes promotes neoplastic transformation of cultured thyroid cells and of thyroid glands in transgenic mice. Notwithstanding these oncogenic effects, we have found that the expression of two RET/PTC oncogenes (H4-RET and RFG-RET) induces apoptosis of rat thyroid PC CL 3 cells. Promotion of thyroid cell death depends on the kinase activity of RET/PTC and on the phosphorylation of a tyrosine residue (tyrosine 1062) that maps in the carboxy-terminus of the RET protein. Tyrosine 1062 is essential for RET/PTC-mediated activation of the Ras/ERK pathway. Inhibition of Ras/ERK by a dominant negative Ras or by the MEKI inhibitor, PD98059, obstructed RET/PTC-mediated apoptosis. We also show that signals transmitted by tyrosine 1062 mediate proapoptotic events like Bcl-2 down regulation and Bax upregulation, and that adoptive overexpression of Bcl-2 overcomes RET/PTC-induced apoptosis. Thus, gene rearrangements that generate RET/PTC oncogenes subvert RET function by converting it into a chronically active kinase that is constitutively phosphorylated on tyrosine 1062. In turn, Y1062 phosphorylation transmits not only mitogenic but also proapoptotic signals to thyroid cells.

Ion trap mass spectrometry has been shown to be particularly suitable for the structural analysis of high molecular weight peptides directly fragmented in the mass analyser without needing further sub-digestion reactions. Here we report the advantages of using multi-stage ion trap mass spectrometry in the structural characterisation of haemoglobin alkylated with epichlorohydrin and diepoxybutane. Alkylated globins were digested with trypsin and the peptide mixtures were analysed by MS(3). This technique allows the sequential fragmentation of peptides under analysis, giving rise to MS(3) product ion spectra with additional information with respect to MS(2) mass spectra. The results obtained complete the previously reported structural characterisation of alkylated haemoglobin, demonstrating the potential of ion trap mass spectrometry., (Copyright 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.)