Proteomic Analysis of the MCF7 Breast Cancer Cell Line

Background: The MCF7 breast cancer cell line is a cellular model for breast cancer studies and marker discovery. Therefore, a better knowledge of its proteome is a prerequisite for a more efficient use of this model.

Materials and methods: Proteins expressed during the exponential growth phase of MCF7 cells were analyzed and mapped using two-dimensional gel electrophoresis and mass spectrometry.

Results: From the spots excised from preparative gels of whole-cell extracts, a subset of 368 different polypeptides, corresponding to 249 different proteins, was identified. These polypeptides were positioned on a silver-stained gel to construct a reference map.

Conclusion: The data allowed the construction of the most extensive reference map for MCF7 published to date, with 189 novel proteins, which had not been previously listed on maps, and are now accessible on World 2D-PAGE database, providing a basis for further studies on MCF7.