Proteômica Funcional da Cirrose e do Carcinoma Hepatocelular

Abstract

Introduction. Cancer is the most common given name to a series of molecular and physiological events which result in genetic instability and biochemical imbalance in cells. Among the seven events that drives cell cancer, the role of chronic inflammation and tumor microenvironment in cancer development were highlighted in this work . To experimentally evaluate some of these events was chosen as an experimental model, cirrhosis resulting from chronic hepatitis (viral and alcoholic) as a progressor of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), the most common liver cancer. Goals. To identify and correlate proteins/enzymes involved in chronic inflammatory process of cirrhosis and HCC establishment in cancer progress. Patients and Methods. The profile of soluble proteins in inflammatory tissue and in HCC were analyzed using Functional Proteomics techniques of , such as 2D DIGE, coupled to mass spectrometry. The interaction within the identified proteins signaling pathways´ was performed by using MetaCore® software. Results. In this study, where identified proteins that never been described in the literature, using differential gel electrophoresis within the different biological scenarios analyzed here, such as macrophage metalloelastase - MMP12; Collagenase 3 - MMP13; endoplasmina - HSP90B1; heat shock protein HSP 90β - HSP90AB1; Protein S100 A6; Disintegrin and metalloproteinase with a thrombospondin motifs 9 - ADAMTS9, those playing an important role in carcinogenesis. Discussion Relevant observations due to signaling pathways within the proposed biological scenario were analysed, as well as specific pathways in each etiology. Conclusion. Proteins/enzymes involved in cirrhosis and chronic inflammatory progression and the development of HCC were identified and related by their functionality. The interaction between identified proteins within each biological scenario was evaluated from the perspective of its signaling pathways, and differences between those pathways were demonstrated. Tumor microenvironment plays and undergoes significant influence on the variation of gene expression.