Spatial proteomic signature of metabolic pathways in microdissected samples of renal tumor

• Grant number: 24/12892-8
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: October 01, 2024
• End date: September 30, 2025
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Biochemistry - Chemistry of Macromolecules
• Principal Investigator: Vitor Marcel Faça
• Grantee: João Ernani Vaz Elias
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Medicina de Ribeirão Preto (FMRP). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Ribeirão Preto , SP, Brazil
• Associated research grant: 23/07866-5 - Establishing strategies to study the spatial complexity of the tumor proteome, AP.R

Abstract

Cancer is a set of multifactorial diseases characterized by the uncontrolled proliferation of cells that invade tissues and organs. The acquisition of the necessary competencies for this involves the occurrence of various genomic and proteomic alterations, which profoundly modify the functioning of the cell and its relationship with the microenvironment in which it is inserted. Among these modifications, increasing attention has been given to those related to cellular metabolism. Currently, it is known that these metabolic alterations, besides being of fundamental importance for tumor survival, also influence its invasiveness, metastatic capacity, and immunological interactions, so that the ability to modulate metabolism has been included in the group of cancer biomarkers. In this work, samples of renal tumor tissue extracted from patients undergoing immunotherapy will be stored in refrigeration and microdissected. Then, their proteins will be extracted and prepared for analysis in a mass spectrometer using the targeted proteomics strategy. The objective is to identify enzymes belonging to the main metabolic pathways. As a result, we hope to detect variations in the expression of these proteins in different regions of the tumor tissue and relate them to the characteristics of each area, such as invasiveness and the presence of inflammatory infiltrate. Therefore, this study may contribute to the identification of new biomarkers of response to immunotherapy in RCC patients.