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Quantitative proteomics of exosomes in small cell lung cancer

Alexander McDonald

Small cell lung cancer (SCLC) requires very reliable markers for early identification. Evidence is mounting that extracellular vesicles convey tumour cell-specific cargo that could be used as cancer protein markers. Quantitative proteome analysis of circulating microvesicles and exosomes can be used as a high-throughput platform for finding new molecular insights and potential indicators. In order to improve early detection, this study looked into the proteome dynamics of plasma-derived microvesicles and exosomes in newly diagnosed SCLC patients. Microvesicles and exosomes produced from plasma were extracted from healthy subjects and patients using either high-speed or ultracentrifugation. Proteins extracted from these extracellular vesicles were measured using label-free mass spectrometry, with the goal of discovering significantly different protein expressions between SCLC patients and healthy controls. Furthermore, functional enrichment analysis was performed on significantly expressed proteins to uncover molecular pathways involved in SCLC pathogenesis. Several differently expressed proteins were discovered when SCLC patients and healthy people were compared. This is the first study to indicate that circulating extracellular vesicles may contain specific proteins with potential diagnostic properties for SCLC, potentially paving the way for new non-invasive indicators.