Human urine proteomics: building a list of human urine cancer biomarkers

Abstract

In the last decade, several reports have focused on the identification and characterization of proteins present in urine. In an effort to build a list of proteins of interest as biomarkers, we reviewed the largest urine proteomes and built two updated lists of proteins of interest (available as supplementary tables). The first table includes a consensus list of 443 proteins found in urine by independent laboratories and reported on the top three largest urine proteomes currently published. This consensus list of proteins could serve as biomarkers to diagnose, monitor and manage a number of diseases. Here, we focus on a reduced list of 35 proteins with potential interest as cancer biomarkers in urine following two criteria: first, proteins previously detected in urine using bottom-up proteomic experiments, and second, those suggested as cancer protein biomarkers in human plasma. In an effort to standardize the information presented and its use in future studies, here we include the updated International Protein Index (v. 3.80) and primary Swiss-Prot accession numbers, official gene symbols and recommended full names. The main variables that influence urine proteomic experiments are also discussed.

Keywords::

• biofluid
• blood
• bottom-up
• cancer biomarker
• LC–MS/MS
• plasma
• protein depletion
• proteomics
• serum
• urine

Acknowledgements

We thank Maite Vilella for technical and bibliographic support.

Financial & competing interests disclosure

This work was supported by Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación (SAF2008-03750 and RD06-0020-0016 Fondo Europeo de Desarrollo Regional, Una manera de hacer Europa) and Comunidad de Madrid (S-BIO-0280-2006). The authors have no other relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript apart from those disclosed.

No writing assistance was utilized in the production of this manuscript.