Laser-Assisted Microdissection in Proteomic Analyses

Abstract

Current research on the molecular basis of human reproductive cancers involves mapping cellular pathways and identifying molecular alterations associated with disease onset and progression. The ability to characterize changes in protein expression that occur during the transition from normal to benign disease to invasive cancer requires homogeneous populations of cells free from contamination by other cell types. With advances in proteomic technologies, proteins can now be quantified in a relatively small number of target cells obtained from a limited amount of tissue. The increased demand for selective isolation of pure cell populations from small quantities of tissue calls for refined protocols for tissue preparation and efficient methods of tissue microdissection that preserve protein integrity.