Abstract:

OBJECTIVE: To study the different nuclear protein expression in primary focus of downward progressive type of nasopharyngeal carcinoma in patients with different clinical patterns according to TCM classification. METHODS：Nuclear proteins profiles in fire-toxin stagnation type，Qi-yin deficiency type and Qi-blood coagulation type were measured by two-dimensional gel electrophoresis and matrix assisted laser. RESULTS：Compared with the expression of nuclear protein spots from patients with Qi-yin deficiency type，there were 28 up-regulated protein spots and 12 down-regulated protein spots from patients with Qi-blood coagulation type. We also found 9 up-regulated protein spots and 19 down-regulated protein spots from patients with fire-toxin stagnation type. Compared with the expression of nuclear protein spots from patients with Qi-blood coagulation type，there were 25 up-regulated protein spots and 18 down-regulated protein spots from patients with fire-toxin stagnation type. Three differential proteins were identified successfully by MALDI-TOF-MS. Up-regulated proteins in one spot were heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoprotein H (hnRNP H) and tubulin beta-1 chain (TUB1) from patients with Qi-blood coagulation type and the other down-regulated protein spot was type VI collagen alpha 2 chain (COLⅥA2) precursor. CONCLUSION：Heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoprotein H (hnRNP H) and tubulin beta-1 chain (TUB1) in nasopharyngeal carcinoma tissues from patients with Qi-blood coagulation type were up-regulated，type VI collagen alpha 2 chain precursor in those tissues from patients with fire-toxin stagnation type was down-regulated.

Key words: downward progressive type of nasopharyngeal carcinoma, patterns in terms of TCM, nuclear protein；different expressions