Identification and verification of heat shock protein 60 as a potential serum marker for colorectal cancer

Author(s):

Céline Hamelin, Emilie Cornut, Florence Poirier, Sylvie Pons, Corinne Beaulieu, Jean-Philippe Charrier, Hader Haïdous, Eddy Cotte, Claude Lambert, Françoise Piard, Yasemin Ataman-Önal, Geneviève Choquet-Kastylevsky

Field(s):

Immunoproteomics, Biomarkers, Anatomo-pathology, Clinical Trials, Surgical Oncology, Immunology

Document Content:

This study investigated the potential of heat shock protein 60 (HSP60) as a serum biomarker for colorectal cancer (CRC). The research employed a phased approach, starting with proteomics to identify differentially expressed proteins in tumor tissues compared to normal tissues using 2D-DIGE. Seventeen proteins showed significant differential expression. HSP60 was selected for further validation due to prior reports of its active secretion by tumor cells and correlation with tumor progression. Western blotting and immunohistochemistry confirmed the overexpression of HSP60 in CRC tissues. An immunoassay for HSP60 in serum was developed and validated. Elevated serum HSP60 levels were observed in two independent cohorts of CRC patients. Receiver-operating characteristic curve analysis indicated that HSP60 alone has moderate diagnostic performance, comparable to carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA). However, combining HSP60 with CEA and carbohydrate antigen 19-9 (CA19-9) improved the diagnostic performance. The findings suggest that serum HSP60 may be more specific for advanced-stage CRC and potentially more useful for prognosis or monitoring therapy rather than for early detection.

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