IPO-38 is identified as a novel serum biomarker of gastric cancer based on clinical proteomics technology.

Gastric cancer is one of the most common malignancies in China. So far, there are few reliable serum biomarkers for diagnosis. The available biomarkers of CEA, CA19-9 and CA72-4 are not sufficiently sensitive and specific for gastric cancer. In this study, a high density antibody microarray was used for identifying new biomarkers from serum samples of gastric cancer. Serum samples from colorectal cancer, pancreatic cancer, hepatocellular cancer, and breast cancer were also screened for comparative study. As result, some candidate biomarkers were identified. IPO-38, an up-regulated serum protein in gastric cancer was selected for subsequent validation including serum IPO-38 expression by ELISA and IPO-38 protein expression by immunohistochemistry. The immunoprecipitation by IPO-38 for gastric cancer cell line and MALDI-TOF/TOF mass spectrometer suggested that pull-down of IPO-38 belongs to H2B histone, which was supported by co-localization study of laser scanning confocal microscope. A follow-up study showed that the survival rate of IPO-38 negative group was better than that in IPO-38 positive group. The study first clarified the property of IPO-38 proliferating marker, and proposed that IPO-38 protein is a promising biomarker both for diagnosis and for predicting prognosis of gastric cancer.