Labeled-free quantitative proteomic analysis of cervical squamous cell carcinoma identifies potential protein biomarkers

Sep 21, 2026

Uploaded by Maeve

Cervical cancer remains a prevalent disease in women, and dependence on surgical and radio-chemical therapies can irreversibly affect patients’ lifespan and quality of life. Early diagnosis and deeper investigation of cervical cancer pathogenesis are therefore critical. This study applied label-free quantitative proteomics with bioinformatics to compare normal cervical squamous cell tissues and cancer tissues and assess differential protein expression. A total of 562 proteins were identified as differentially expressed, with pathway enrichment and validation indicating candidate biomarker involvement.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages20

Reading Time50 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

Materials and Methods

Results

Conclusion

Submitted 30 October 2023 Accepted 2 May 2024 Published 28 June 2024 Corresponding author Hongyun Zheng, [shenzheng2008@163.com](shenzheng2008@163.com) Academic editor Sonia Oliveira Additional Information and Declarations can be found on page 17 DOI 10.7717/peerj.17444 Copyright 2024 Bai and Zheng Distributed under Creative Commons CC-BY 4.0 Labeled-free quantitative proteomic analysis of cervical squamous cell carcinoma identiﬁes potential protein biomarkers Hua Bai and Hongyun Zheng Department of Clinical Laboratory, Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan, Hubei province, China ABSTRACT Background: Cervical cancer remains a prevalent cancer among women, and reliance on surgical and radio-chemical therapies can irreversibly affect patients’ lifespan and quality of life. Thus, early diagnosis and further exploration into the pathogenesis of cervical cancer are crucial. Mass spectrometry technology is widely applied in clinical practice and can be used to further investigate the protein alterations during the onset of cervical cancer. Methods: Employing labeled-free quantitative proteomics technology and bioinformatics tools, we analyzed and compared the differential protein expression proﬁles between normal cervical squamous cell tissues and cervical squamous cell cancer tissues. GEPIA is an online website for analyzing the RNA sequencing expression data of tumor and normal tissue data from the TCGA and the GTEx databases. This approach aided in identifying qualitative and quantitative changes in key proteins related to the progression of cervical cancer. Results: Compared to normal samples, a total of 562 differentially expressed proteins were identiﬁed in cervical cancer samples, including 340 up-regulated and 222 down-regulated proteins. Gene ontology functional annotation, and KEGG pathway, and enrichment analysis revealed that the differentially expressed proteins mainly participated in metabolic pathways, spliceosomes, regulation of the actin cytoskeleton, and focal adhesion signaling pathways. Speciﬁcally, desmoplakin (DSP), protein phosphatase 1, regulatory (inhibitor) subunit 13 like (PPP1R13L) and ANXA8 may be involved in cervical tumorigenesis by inhibiting apoptotic signal transmission. Moreover, we used GEPIA database to validate the expression of DSP, PPP1R13L and ANXA8 in human cancers and normal cervix. Conclusion: In this study, we identiﬁed 562 differentially expressed proteins, and there were three proteins expressed higher in the cervical cancer tissues. The functions and signaling pathways of these differentially expressed proteins lay a theoretical foundation for elucidating the molecular mechanisms of cervical cancer. Subjects Bioinformatics, Cell Biology, Molecular Biology, Gynecology and Obstetrics, Oncology Keywords Cervical cancer, Proteomics, Quantitative proteomics, Labeled-free quantitative proteomics, Cancer How to cite this article Bai H, Zheng H. 2024. Labeled-free quantitative proteomic analysis of cervical squamous cell carcinoma identiﬁes potential protein biomarkers. PeerJ 12:e17444 DOI 10.7717/peerj.17444 INTRODUCTION Cervical cancer stands as the fourth most frequently diagnosed cancer and the fourth leading cause of cancer-related deaths among women, with an estimated 604,000 new cases and 342,000 deaths globally in 2020 (Sung et al., 2021). Although incidence and mortality rates have declined in most regions worldwide over the past decades, substantial disparities in cervical cancer mortality still exist between impoverished and non-impoverished areas (Siegel, Miller & Jemal, 2019) . Human papillomavirus (HPV) is a necessary but insufﬁcient cause of cervical cancer (Walboomers et al., 1999), with other contributing factors including certain sexually transmitted infections, smoking, aging, and prolonged use of oral contraceptives (Burd, 2003) . Despite signiﬁcant advances in preventive vaccination, cytological screening, and cervical cancer t

FAQs

Why is early diagnosis of cervical cancer important in this study?

The study emphasizes that late diagnosis and inadequate treatment can reduce survival rates and quality of life, making early diagnostic improvements essential.

What approach was used to compare normal and cancer tissues?

The study used label-free quantitative proteomics combined with bioinformatics tools to analyze and compare differential protein expression profiles.

How many differentially expressed proteins were identified?

Compared with normal samples, 562 differentially expressed proteins were identified in cervical cancer samples, including 340 up-regulated and 222 down-regulated proteins.

Sep 21, 2026

Uploaded by Maeve