Integrated proteomic, transcriptomic, and biological network analysis of breast carcinoma reveals molecular features of tumorigenesis and clinical relapse

Mol Cell Proteomics. 2012 Jun;11(6):M111.014910. doi: 10.1074/mcp.M111.014910. Epub 2012 Jan 12.

Abstract

Gene and protein expression changes observed with tumorigenesis are often interpreted independently of each other and out of context of biological networks. To address these limitations, this study examined several approaches to integrate transcriptomic and proteomic data with known protein-protein and signaling interactions in estrogen receptor positive (ER+) breast cancer tumors. An approach that built networks from differentially expressed proteins and identified among them networks enriched in differentially expressed genes yielded the greatest success. This method identified a set of genes and proteins linking pathways of cellular stress response, cancer metabolism, and tumor microenvironment. The proposed network underscores several biologically intriguing events not previously studied in the context of ER+ breast cancer, including the overexpression of p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase and the overexpression of poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase 1. A gene-based expression signature biomarker built from this network was significantly predictive of clinical relapse in multiple independent cohorts of ER+ breast cancer patients, even after correcting for standard clinicopathological variables. The results of this study demonstrate the utility and power of an integrated quantitative proteomic, transcriptomic, and network analysis approach to discover robust and clinically meaningful molecular changes in tumors.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adolescent
  • Adult
  • Aged
  • Breast Neoplasms / metabolism*
  • Breast Neoplasms / mortality
  • Breast Neoplasms / pathology
  • Carcinoma, Ductal / metabolism*
  • Carcinoma, Ductal / mortality
  • Carcinoma, Ductal / pathology
  • Case-Control Studies
  • Cell Transformation, Neoplastic / metabolism*
  • Epithelium / metabolism
  • Female
  • Gene Expression Profiling
  • Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic
  • Gene Expression*
  • Gene Regulatory Networks
  • Humans
  • Kaplan-Meier Estimate
  • Laser Capture Microdissection
  • Middle Aged
  • Neoplasm Recurrence, Local / metabolism*
  • Proportional Hazards Models
  • Protein Interaction Maps
  • Proteome / genetics
  • Proteome / metabolism*
  • Proteomics
  • ROC Curve
  • Young Adult

Substances

  • Proteome