Methods in molecular biology
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The third edition of "Plant Proteomics Methods and Protocols," with the title "Advances in Proteomics Techniques, Data Validation, and Integration with Other Classic and -Omics Approaches in the Systems Biology Direction," was conceived as being based on the success of the previous editions, and the continuous advances and improvements in proteomic techniques, equipment, and bioinformatics tools, and their uses in basic and translational plant biology research that has occurred in the past 5 years (in round figures, of around 22,000 publications referenced in WoS, 2000 were devoted to plants). The monograph contains 29 chapters with detailed proteomics protocols commonly employed in plant biology research. They present recent advances at all workflow stages, starting from the laboratory (tissue and cell fractionation, protein extraction, depletion, purification, separation, MS analysis, quantification) and ending on the computer (algorithms for protein identification and quantification, bioinformatics tools for data analysis, databases and repositories). ⋯ Unfortunately, only 10% of them kindly accepted. My gratitude to those who accepted our invitation but also to those who did not, as all of them have contributed to the plant proteomics field. I will enlist, in this introductory chapter, following my own judgment, some of the relevant papers published in the past 5 years, those that have shown us how to enhance and exploit the potential of proteomics in plant biology research, without aiming at giving a too exhaustive list.
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Tumor-associated antigens (TAAs) can be used as cancer markers and as signposts of therapeutic targets since their inimitable expression in cancer or significant overexpression in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) correlates with the initiation and progression of the diseases. Immunoblotting, also known as Western blotting or protein blotting, is a core technique in cell and molecular biology to detect proteins and glycoproteins. The technique allows detection of TAAs from complex protein samples such as in serum, aspirate, or solid tumor homogenate. ⋯ They were visualized within a gel matrix and then transferred to a supporting membrane. Finally, they are probed for binding with corresponding antibodies and identified the target proteins. Herein, we describe the Western blots analysis to detect protein or glycoprotein in samples from patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) or cells derived from ESCC.
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Pathological assessment of frozen sections of tissues is important in the clinical management (intraoperative consultation) and research in patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma. Frozen sections may be used in the assessment of status of resection margins, extent of cancer metastasis (pathological staging), confirmation of the pathology, and increased volume of cancer cells for tissue banking. However, the applications of frozen sections have many technical limitations. Thus, interpretation of frozen sections needs expertise, collaborations, and attention to proper technical skills in the sectioning.
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Endoscopic resection is commonly used for superficial squamous cell carcinoma or high-grade dysplasia of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma. The depth of invasion, clearance from resection margins, and other pathological parameters are important parameters to be examined. The depth of invasion by carcinoma is associated with the risk of lymph node metastases. In endoscopic resection of superficial squamous malignancies of the esophagus, proper pathological examination of the resected specimen could guide the management of the patients in terms of the need for additional treatment, including lymph node dissection, chemotherapy, and radiation therapies.
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Histological assessment of esophageal squamous malignancies is crucial for management of patients with the cancer as well as working in research on the cancer. The squamous malignancies in the esophagus comprise squamous dysplasia and squamous cell carcinoma. Current classification of squamous dysplasia in the esophagus is to divide it into low grade and high grade. ⋯ Preoperative chemoradiation is used commonly in the treatment of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma and induces changes in morphology. Tumor regression grading systems based on the percentage of the remaining carcinoma cells are used to assess the response to the neoadjuvant therapy in the cancer. Additional histological parameters including lymphovascular invasion, perineural invasion, clearance of resection margins, and carcinoma in the nodal and distant metastatic sites provide essential information for the management of the patient with the cancer.