Comparative proteomic analysis of matched primary and metastatic melanoma cell lines

Identification of the biochemical pathways involved in the transformation from primary to metastatic melanoma is an area under intense investigation. A 2DE proteomics approach has been applied herein to the matched patient primary and metastatic melanoma cell lines WM-115 and WM-266-4, respectively, to better understand the processes that underlie tumor progression. Image analysis between samples aligned 470 common gel spots. Quantitative gel analysis indicated 115 gel spots of greater intensity in the metastatic line compared with the primary one, leading to the identification of 131 proteins via database searching of nano-LC-ESI-Q-TOF-MS/MS data. This more than tripled the number of proteins previously shown to be of higher abundance during melanoma progression. Also observed were 22 gel spots to be of lesser intensity in the metastatic line with respect to the primary one. Of these gel spots 15 proteins could be identified. Numerous proteins from both groups had not been reported previously to participate in melanoma progression. Further analysis of one protein, cyclophilin A, confirmed that this protein is expressed at higher levels in metastatic melanoma compared with primary melanoma and normal fibroblasts. Overall, this study expands our knowledge of protein modulation during melanoma stages, and suggests new targets for inhibitor development.