Identification of proteins associated with lymph node metastasis of gastric cancer

The aim of this study was to identify proteins associated with gastric cancer lymph node metastasis and explore the clinicopathological significance of these proteins. Gastric cancer tissues were obtained from 24 patients with high or low lymph node metastatic potential. Total cellular proteins were separated by two-dimensional gel electrophoresis (2-DE), analyzed by MALDI/TOF-TOF MS, and identified by a database search. Expression of 14-3-3 beta and profilin-1 was then immunohistochemically verified in paraffin-embedded gastric cancer tissues from 128 patients and analyzed by multivariate logistic regression models, Kaplan-Meier curves, and Cox proportional hazard models. A total of 26 differentially expressed proteins were identified, 20 of which were overexpressed and 6 of which were underexpressed. 14-3-3 beta and profilin-1 were upregulated in gastric cancer tissues with and without lymph node metastasis, respectively. Expression of 14-3-3 beta protein was associated, but profilin-1 expression was inversely associated with gastric cancer lymph node metastasis. Multivariate analysis showed that overexpression of 14-3-3 beta and reduced expression of profilin-1 were independent risk factors for gastric cancer lymph node metastasis, while 14-3-3 beta overexpression was an independent prognostic factor for gastric cancer patients. The current study identified 26 differentially expressed proteins. Further studies showed that both 14-3-3 beta and profilin-1 protein may be useful biomarkers for prediction of gastric cancer lymph node metastasis and that expression of 14-3-3 beta was a prognostic marker for gastric cancer patients.