Data from: iTRAQ-based quantitative proteomic analysis on S100 calcium binding protein A2 in metastasis of laryngeal cancer

Laryngeal cancer is the most frequent neoplasm in the head and neck region, with the vast majority of tumors originating from squamous cells. The survival rate of patients with laryngeal cancer has not improved substantially over the past 25 years. To acquire further knowledge regarding the molecules responsible for laryngeal cancer oncogenesis and, in turn, to improve target therapy，iTRAQ and mass spectrometry analysis were utilized to detect differences in protein expression from 15 paired laryngeal cancer and adjacent non-cancerous tissue samples. Using mass spectrometry analysis, the expression levels of 100 proteins in laryngeal cancer samples were distinct from the non-tumor, non-cancerous samples. Further validation of the differentially expressed proteins S100A2, KRT16, FGB and HSPB1 were carried out using quantitative real-time RT-PCR, immunoblot and immunohistochemistry. Functional analysis of one of the highly expressed proteins, S100 calcium binding protein A2 (S100A2), was performed using RNA interference. As a consequence, attenuated S100A2 expression enhanced the ability of HEp-2 cell lines to migrate and invade in vitro. Our investigation complements the current understanding of laryngeal cancer progression. Furthermore, this study supports the concept that enhanced expression of S100A2 may be a promising strategy in developing novel cancer therapeutic drugs.

喉癌是头颈部区域最为常见的恶性肿瘤，绝大多数肿瘤起源于鳞状细胞。过去25年间，喉癌患者的存活率并未得到实质性提升。为进一步阐明驱动喉癌发生的分子机制，并以此优化靶向治疗方案，研究人员采用iTRAQ与质谱分析法（mass spectrometry），对15例配对的喉癌及癌旁正常组织样本的蛋白质表达差异进行了检测。通过质谱分析，研究人员发现喉癌样本中有100种蛋白质的表达水平与非肿瘤性正常组织存在显著差异。随后，研究人员借助实时定量逆转录聚合酶链反应（quantitative real-time RT-PCR）、免疫印迹（immunoblot）以及免疫组织化学（immunohistochemistry），对差异表达蛋白S100A2、KRT16、FGB及HSPB1开展了验证工作。针对高表达蛋白之一的S100钙结合蛋白A2（S100A2），研究人员通过RNA干扰（RNA interference）进行了功能学分析。结果显示，下调S100A2的表达可增强HEp-2细胞系的体外迁移与侵袭能力。本研究补充了当前学界对喉癌进展的认知，同时证实S100A2高表达有望成为开发新型抗癌治疗药物的潜在靶点。