Sarah Ahmad, Saima Naz, Farkhanda Ghafoor, Saleem Akhtar, Mahjabeen Saleem, Waheed Akhtar.
Electrophoretic analysis of serum proteins in prostate cancer.
Pak J Med Res Jan ;43(1):15-8.

Objective: This work was undertaken to analyse qualitatively serum proteins separated by SDS-PAGE and stained with Coomassie Brilliant Blue R-250, to detect novel proteins, which could possibly serve as markers for the early detection of prostate cancer. Design: This study (carried out on subjects who were confirmed by biopsy as cancer prostate (CaP) patients) was a preliminary step towards the detection of some new protein markers for CaP. Place and Duration of Study: This study was conducted at the Institute of Biochemistry and Biotechnology University of the Punjab Lahore, from January to March 2003. Subjects and Methods: Serum samples, 36 cases of cap and 36 controls of similar age group were separated by SDS-PAGE on a 12% gel, and then stained using Coomassie Brilliant Blue R-250. Protein fractions were analyzed using the computer software program “GeneGenius Gel Documentation & Analysis System”. Results: The appearance and relative raw volumes of 14 major protein fractions ranging in molecular weight from 0.23-157 kD in each group were studied. It was seen, on the whole, that the raw volume of most of the protein fractions decreased in the CaP cases as compared to the controls. Furthermore, the protein fractions of 1.27, 100, 114, 122 and 140 kD were absent in a significant number of the cases. However, it was seen that the protein fraction of 0.23 kD was absent in all the control samples while it appeared in most of the cases. Conclusion: A number of proteins were found to have been lost during malignant transformation. Further investigations are warranted to identify these novel proteins using 2D-PAGE followed by immunoblotting.

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