Hox B4 as potential marker of non-differentiated cells in human cervical cancer cells Ana P. Barba-de la RosaErika Briones-CereceroOfelia Lugo-MelchorAntonio De Leon-Rodrõ ´guez • Leticia SantosJulio Castelo-RuelasAlejandra ValdiviaPatricia PinaAlicia Chagolla-Lopez • Daniel Hernandez-CuetoAlejandra MantillaMinerva Lazos-OchoaBeatriz Gonzalez-Yebra •

Background Cervical cancer (CC) is a common malignancy in women worldwide. Cervical tumorigenesis involves a multistep process in which accumulations of genetic alterations are present. Homeotic genes, such as HOX gene re-expression, have been reported in a wide variety of tumors. Methods In order to know the role of HOX B4 gene expression in CC, in the present study, two-dimensional polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization, and time-of-flight mass spectrometry were used for differential screening of protein expression in CC. Immunohistochemical analysis was performed on the cervical tissue microarray (TMA) to detect the Hox B4 protein.