The epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) is overexpressed in the majority of colorectal carcinomas and represents a target for therapeutic interventions with signal transduction inhibitors. We investigated the ability of CI-1033 to induce apoptosis and inhibition of proliferation in the colorectal cancer cell lines DiFi and Caco-2, which both express high levels of EGFR. While in Caco-2 cells CI-1033 treatment at a concentration 0.1 microM for 72 hours demonstrated only antiproliferative (53.7 +/- 4.3%) but no pro-apoptotic effects, treatment of DiFi cells resulted in a reduced proliferation rate (31.4 +/- 3.1%) and in apoptosis (44.2 +/- 8.9%). In order to define proteins involved in the regulation of apoptosis, we aimed to determine differences in the proteome profile of both cell lines before and after treatment with CI-1033. Cellular proteins were analyzed by 2-D gel electrophoresis followed by computational image analysis and mass spectrometry. Our data show that DiFi cells differ from Caco-2 cells in nine significantly upregulated proteins, and their potential role in apoptosis is described. We demonstrate that induction of apoptosis was triggered via caspase-independent pathways. Overexpression of leukocyte elastase inhibitor (LEI) and translocation of cathepsin D to the cytosol accompanied by upregulation of other defined proteins resulted in Bax-independent AIF translocation from mitochondria into the nucleus and apoptosis. Definition of these proteins can pave the way for functional studies and contribute to a better understanding of the effects of CI-1033 and the pathways of caspase-independent cell death.