Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 9, 2026

Isolation, Culture, and Characterization of Prostate Cancer-Associated Fibroblasts
Published on: August 1, 2025
Links between Propionibacterium acnes and prostate cancer
Beverley A Shannon1, Kerryn L Garrett, Ronald J Cohen
1Tissugen Pty Ltd, Perth, Western Australia.
Abstract:
Incidental foci of prostate cancer are found at autopsy in 30% of men in their third decade, and by their eighth decade more than 75% have histological evidence of cancer. This unprecedented cancer prevalence points to a ubiquitous causative agent or perhaps an interaction between multiple common carcinogenic cofactors. We propose that one of these carcinogens is Propionibacterium acnes. Several characteristics of prostate cancer suggest the involvement of an infectious agent and we provide evidence that P. acnes is an excellent candidate. We have cultured P. acnes from a substantial proportion of prostate glands containing cancer and shown a significant positive association with prostatic inflammation. P. acnes is well suited to cause persistent, low-grade infection involving a marked inflammatory response and the P. acnes subtypes most frequently associated with prostate cancer become highly prevalent in the urinary tract of males following puberty.
Related Concept Videos
Acne Infection
mTOR Signaling and Cancer Progression
The mTOR pathway or the...
Clinical Significance of Antibiotic Resistance
Activation of Integrins
In "outside-in signaling," external factors in the extracellular space bind to exposed ligand binding sites on integrins. This causes the inactive protein to undergo a conformational change to become active. Integrins are often clustered on the cell membrane. Repetitive and regularly spaced ligand binding events provide an effective stimulus.
The Skin Microbiota
Integrins
Some ECM proteins assemble into a basement membrane to which the remaining components adhere. Proteoglycans typically form the bulk of the ECM while fibrous proteins, like collagen,...

