Mrp14 is a potential biomarker for biliary tract neoplasms

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Objective To provide clues to find a biomarker for early diagnosis, prognosis and therapy, as well as to understand the molecular mechanisms governing cancer progression. Methods Surgical specimens were obtained from 87 patients with histopathologically proven malignant or benign lesions. The differential protein profiles of these malignant and benign specimens were detected using two-dimensional electrophoresis (2-DE) combined with matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF/MS). Western blotting and immuno-histochemistry were used to validate the results. RT-PCR was used to detect the gene expression in the tissues. Results Mrp14 was found to be overexpressed in the tumor tissues of gallbladder cancer and extra-hepatic bile duct cancer, and in the bile of patients with malignant biliary tract tumours. The result was further verified using Western blot and immuno-histochemistry. RT-PCR confirmed the overexpression of Mrpl4 at the gene level. Mrp14 is a potential biomarker for biliary tract neoplasms. Conclusions This is the first report which described the overexpression of Mrp14 in biliary tract neoplasms and further studies are needed to confirm our findings. Mrp14 may be a potential hiomarker for biliary tract neoplasms. It may provide important clues on the molecular mechanisms governing cancer progression. Key words: Bile duct cancer; Cholangiocarcinoma; Gallbladder cancer; Tumor markers; Proteomics