Comparing Cortactin Expression in MDA‐231 and A549 Cancer Cells

Abstract

Cortactin is an actin‐binding protein that is associated with the progression of cancer. It is over‐expressed in many cancers including melanoma, colorectal cancer, breast cancer and glioblastoma. Cortactin is an important biomarker for aggressive cancers. Past research has focused on the post‐translational modifications (PTMs), acetylation and phosphorylation of expressed cortactin in prokaryotic cells. Studies also show that cortacin is overexpressed in many prokaryotic cells altering cell migration, invasion and metastasis. The structural differences of cortactin expressed in eukaryotic cells is a blank canvas. In addition, previous research regarding the role of cortactin in cell migration has remained inconsistent. To gain a better understanding of cortactin, a confluent culture of MDA‐231 human breast cancer cells and A549 lung cancer cells was used. Cortactin was purified from the cell lysate using a combination of size exclusion and ion exchange chromatography. Cortactin produced by cancer cells was visualized on SDS‐PAGE and Western Blot. Our current research focuses on gaining a better understanding of the diverse properties of cortactin when purified from cancer cells. The expression of cortactin in cancer cells enables our research to focus on studying the PTM, glycosylation to gain a better understanding of cortactin and its role in aggressive cancers.