Identification of Melanoma Antigens Using a Serological Proteome Approach (SERPA)

Background: Melanoma is an intractable cancer with a poor prognosis and increasing prevalence worldwide. Specific biomarkers for early diagnosis have yet to be found.

Materials And Methods: Serum samples from melanoma patients and healthy volunteers were utilized for identifying melanoma marker proteins using a serological proteome approach. Specifically, G361 cell protein spots separated by 2-dimensional gel electrophoresis and transferred to a membrane were incubated with patient sera, and positive spots that reacted with more than 5 serum samples were identified using time of flight mass spectrometry.

Results: Only patient sera showed many spots reacted in G361 gels. A total of 13 positive spots were detected and 5 proteins were identified: eukaryotic elongation factor2 (EEF2), enolase1 (ENO1), aldolase A (ALDOA), glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH) and heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoproteins (HNRNP) A2B1. The mRNAs of four proteins (EEF2, ENO1, ALDOA and HNRNPA2B1) were highly expressed in G361 cells compared with melanocytes. EEF2, ENO1 and ALDOA mRNAs were also frequently expressed in other melanoma cell lines.

Conclusion: The autoantibody-based proteomic approach was effective for investigating melanoma biomarkers. This study might contribute to the development of a diagnostic device for the early detection of cancer.