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Prostate-specific human kallikrein (hK2) as a novel marker for prostate cancer
1Department of Urology, Medical School, Mayo Clinic/Foundation, Rochester, Minnesota 55905, USA.
Background:
Although prostate-specific antigen (PSA) has aided significantly in the diagnosis of prostate cancer, more sensitive and accurate assays are needed. Presently, we are developing a sensitive immunoassay for hK2 protein for the detection of prostate cancer.
Methods:
Polyclonal and monoclonal antibodies specific for hK2 were produced and used for Western blot analysis and immunohistochemistry for detection of hK2 protein in serum and human tissues. The reverse-transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) was utilized to detect hK2 mRNA from patient blood samples.
Results:
Western blot analysis demonstrated that the antibodies used are monospecific for hK2. Immunohistochemistry showed that hK2 is expressed only in prostatic epithelia. An RT-PCR study showed that hK2 mRNA would be a useful candidate for early detection of prostatic micrometastasis.
Conclusions:
Monospecific antibodies for hK2 have been developed for detecting hK2 protein. Our studies indicate that hK2 may be a useful marker for prostate cancer.