Prostate Cancer

Jamshed Arslan, Pharm D, PhD

Prostate cancer is caused by malignant cells developing in prostate tissue. Common warning signs of prostate cancer include problems with urination (sudden urges, pain, blood in urine, difficulty urinating), experiencing pain in the back and pelvis, and feeling tired/dizzy. There are different tests utilized to diagnose prostate cancer including PSA screening, TRUS, DRE, and biopsy.

Steroid receptors (SRs) are a superfamily of ligand-dependent nuclear transcription factors that activate responsive genes response to hormone. Androgen receptors (ARs) are found in a wide variety of tissues, including reproductive organs, central nervous system (CNS), and skeletal muscle. AR signaling is fundamental for the development and function of male reproductive organs, but also plays a role in non-reproductive organs such as muscle, hair follicles, and brain.

Monocyte Chemoattractant Protein (MCP1) is a potent monocyte attractant, is a member of the CC chemokine subfamily. MCP1 exerts its effects through binding to G-protein-coupled receptors on the surface of leukocytes targeted for activation and migration. The role of MCP1 and its receptor, chemokine receptor-2 (CCR2), in monocyte recruitment during infection or under other inflammatory conditions is well known. Recent studies indicate that MCP-1 may play an important role in pulmonary inflammation.

Myosin is a well-known, hexameric molecular motor that is a key cytoskeletal component. It consists of a pair of myosin heavy chain subunits (MHC), a pair of essential myosin light chain subunits (MLC), and a pair of regulatory light chain subunits (RLCs).

The Hypoxia-inducible Factor 1 (HIF1) protein is a heterodimeric transcription factor which plays an important role in mammalian oxygen homeostasis in conditions of hypoxia, or low oxygen concentration. HIF-1 alpha antibody reagents are widely used in disease research, as hypoxia is known to contribute to many diseases including cancer, pulmonary hypertension and congenital heart disease. We at Novus Biologicals are one of the leading antibody suppliers of HIF-1 products.