Global Phospho-Proteomic Profiling of Pathway-Level Molecular Alterations in Barrett’s Esophagus

In the present study, we applied deep, quantitative mass-spectrometry to clinical samples (Barrett’s esophagus and matched adjacent normal biopsies) to gain a mechanistic understanding of the molecular pathways associated with disease progression. From our rich LC/MS profiles, we identified a robust proteomic signature that was able to correctly classify independent samples on disease status. Projection of this same signature against EAC tumor profiles was strongly predictive of survival outcomes, while subsequent comparative analysis with published BE transcriptomic profiles provided independent evidence in support of these results. Further, our phosphoproteomic analysis revealed signaling pathways specifically and significantly altered in BE relative to paired controls, providing some mechanistic insights into the cellular dysregulation of key components of specific processes that likely drives disease progression.