Isolation and identification of O- and N-linked glycoproteins in milk from different mammalian species and their roles in biological pathways which support infant growth.

Milk serves as the sole nutrition for newborns, as well as a medium for the transfer of immunological components from the mother to the baby. This study reveals different glycoprotein profiles obtained from human, bovine, and caprine milk and their potential roles in supporting infant growth. Proteins from these three milk samples are separated and analyzed using two-dimensional gel electrophoresis (2-DE).

Human Milk Fat Globule Membrane Contains Hundreds of Abundantly Expressed and Nutritionally Beneficial Proteins That Are Generally Lacking in Caprine Milk.

Background: Bioactive proteins from milk fat globule membrane (MFGM) play extensive roles in cellular processes and defense mechanisms in infants. The aims of this study were to identify differences in protein compositions in human and caprine MFGM using proteomics and evaluate possible nutritional benefits of caprine milk toward an infant's growth, as an alternative when breastfeeding or human milk administration is not possible or inadequate.

Materials And Methods: Human and caprine MFGM proteins were isolated and analyzed, initially by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, and subsequently by quadrupole time-of-flight liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry.

Contrasting increased levels of serum amyloid A in patients with three different bone sarcomas: An indicator of tumor malignancy?

Sarcoma is a malignant tumor that originates from the bone or soft tissue. In this study, abundances of serum amyloid A (SAA) in patients with pleomorphic sarcoma (PS), chondrosarcoma (CS), and osteosarcoma (OS) were analyzed and compared with those from their respective age-matched healthy control subjects. Results obtained from our analysis by 2DE showed that the levels of SAA were markedly elevated in patients with PS and OS, which are highly metastatic, while in patients with CS, which is a less aggressive sarcoma, the increase appeared less pronounced.

Biomarkers for Bone Tumors: Discovery from Genomics and Proteomics Studies and Their Challenges.

Diagnosis of bone tumor currently relies on imaging and biopsy, and hence, the need to find less invasive ways for its accurate detection. More recently, numerous promising deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) and protein biomarkers with significant prognostic, diagnostic and/or predictive abilities for various types of bone tumors have been identified from genomics and proteomics studies. This article reviewed the putative biomarkers for the more common types of bone tumors (that is, osteosarcoma, Ewing sarcoma, chondrosarcoma [malignant] and giant cell tumor [benign]) that were unveiled from the studies.

Can the acute-phase reactant proteins be used as cancer biomarkers?

The association between the acute-phase reactant proteins (APRPs) and cancer has long been established. There have been numerous reports correlating altered levels of various APRPs with different types of cancers. However, researchers are often quick to dismiss the use of these APRPs as potential biomarkers for the diagnosis and monitoring of cancer because alterations in APRP concentrations are observed in a wide range of diseases.