The Single Cell Proteome Project - Cell-Cycle Dependent Protein Expression in Breast Cancer Cell Lines

Abstract

Abstract : Protein fingerprints of single MCF7 breast cancer cells were mapped using both one-dimensional and two-dimensional capillary electrophoresis (CE). While one-dimensional CE can resolve dozens of proteins, two-dimensional CE has the potential to resolve hundreds or thousands of proteins with broad dynamic range. Cellular proteins are labeled on column by coupling lysine residues with the fluorogenic reagent 3-(2-furoyl)quinoline-2 carboxaldehyde. Labeled proteins are detected by laser-induced fluorescence in a sheath flow cuvette. Capillary sieving electrophoresis and capillary micellar electrophoresis were used to characterize proteins in single cells in one-dimensional separations, while the two techniques were combined to generate two-dimensional protein fingerprints from single cells.