Molecular response of leukemia HL-60 cells to genistein treatment, a proteomics study

Genistein (GEN) is a natural protein tyrosine kinase inhibitor. We analyzed the molecular response of HL-60 cells to GEN treatment by gel-based proteomics approach. Fourteen differentially expressed proteins which are functionally involved in metabolism, cell signaling, RNA processing, cell proliferation and motility, and chaperones were identified. Both the dose- and time-dependent up-regulation of Hsp70 protein 8 and heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoprotein (hnRNP) H1, and the down-regulation of Rab14, hnRNP C and stathmin-1 by GEN were verified by immunoblot analysis. Our novel findings provide insightful clues to the potential therapeutic targets for leukemia treatment in diverse tyrosine kinase-dependent cellular pathways.