The Expression of a Variant Prostate-specific Antigen in Human Prostate1
- Departments of Urology [F. J. M., A. S., C. Y. F. Y.], Biochemistry/Molecular Biology [F. J. M., A. S., C. Y. F. Y.], and Experimental Pathology [L. J.], Mayo Clinic/Foundation, Rochester, Minnesota 55905
Abstract
Although a splicing variant of prostate specific antigen (PSA-v) mRNA has been described previously, whether its protein (PSA-v or PSA-related protein 1, i.e., PSA-RP1) is actually expressed in human prostate cells remains elusive. We report that PSA-v protein is expressed in prostatic epithelia of both cancerous and benign tissues. Also, secreted PSA-v can be detected in the medium of a prostate cancer (PCa) cell line. Consistently, PSA-v mRNA is exclusively expressed in benign luminal epithelia and cancer cells of the prostate by in situ hybridization. Northern analysis of a cohort of 51 pairs of RNA samples from microdissected tissues showed that PSA-v mRNA levels remained constant in both benign and cancerous tissues, whereas PSA levels declined in cancerous areas. Our result suggests that it would be feasible to develop proper immunoassays for PSA-v to test whether PSA-v could have some clinical utility.
Footnotes
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The costs of publication of this article were defrayed in part by the payment of page charges. This article must therefore be hereby marked advertisement in accordance with 18 U.S.C. Section 1734 solely to indicate this fact.
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↵1 This work was in part supported by National Cancer Institute Grants CA 87092 and CA 91956.
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↵2 To whom requests for reprints should be addressed, at Departments of Urology and Biochemistry/Molecular Biology, Mayo Clinic/Foundation, Guggenheim Building 1742B, 200 First Street SW, Rochester, MN 55905. Phone: (507) 284-8336; Fax: (507) 284-2384; E-mail: young.charles{at}mayo.edu
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↵3 The abbreviations: PSA, prostate-specific antigen; PSA-v, variant prostate specific antigen; PCa, prostate cancer.
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- Accepted January 6, 1902.
- Received September 28, 1901.
- Revision received December 31, 1901.
