Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 12, 2026
06:48
An Orthotopic Murine Model of Human Prostate Cancer Metastasis
Published on: September 18, 2013
Keratinocyte growth factor expression in hormone insensitive prostate cancer
1Department of Surgery, The Medical School, University of Newcastle upon Tyne, UK.
Oncogene
|August 28, 1997
Summary
Keratinocyte Growth Factor (KGF) is upregulated in prostate cancer stroma and promotes epithelial cell proliferation. KGF expression correlates with hormone-insensitive tumors, suggesting a role in advanced prostate cancer progression.
Area of Science:
- Oncology
- Molecular Biology
- Cell Biology
Background:
- Cellular interactions between prostate stroma and epithelium are crucial for prostate cancer growth.
- Peptide growth factors, such as Keratinocyte Growth Factor (KGF or FGF7), may drive prostate cancer progression.
- KGF has known differentiative and proliferative effects on developing rat prostate epithelium.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate KGF as a paracrine agent in human prostate cancer.
- To examine the expression of KGF and its receptors (FGFRs) in prostate cancer.
- To determine the relationship between KGF expression and tumor characteristics.
Main Methods:
- Reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) for KGF and FGFR mRNA detection.
- In vitro primary culture model to identify KGF source.
- Proliferation assays using recombinant KGF on prostatic epithelial cells.
Main Results:
- KGF mRNA was detected in 65% of prostate cancers (CaP) but not in benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH).
- KGF expression was upregulated in hormone-insensitive tumors.
- FGFR1IIIb and FGFR2IIIb were expressed in CaP and BPH, while FGFR2IIIc was present in CaP but absent in BPH.
- Recombinant KGF showed a mitogenic effect on prostatic epithelial cells.
Conclusions:
- Prostatic stroma expresses KGF, which acts as a paracrine factor promoting epithelial cell proliferation in prostate cancer.
- KGF upregulation is associated with hormone-insensitive prostate tumors.
- FGFR expression patterns suggest specific roles in prostate cancer, with FGFR2IIIc potentially linked to hormone insensitivity.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
02:38Mitogens and the Cell Cycle
Mitogens and their receptors play a crucial role in controlling the progression of the cell cycle. However, the loss of mitogenic control over cell division leads to tumor formation. Therefore, mitogens and mitogen receptors play an important role in cancer research. For instance, the epidermal growth factor (EGF) - a type of mitogen and its transmembrane receptor (EGFR), decides the fate of the cell's proliferation. When EGF binds to EGFR, a member of the ErbB family of tyrosine kinase...
02:23Abnormal Proliferation
Under normal conditions, most adult cells remain in a non-proliferative state unless stimulated by internal or external factors to replace lost cells. Abnormal cell proliferation is a condition in which the cell's growth exceeds and is uncoordinated with normal cells. In such situations, cell division persists in the same excessive manner even after cessation of the stimuli, leading to persistent tumors. The tumor arises from the damaged cells that replicate to pass the damage to the daughter...
02:38The Ras Gene
The Ras-gene-encoded proteins are regulators of signaling pathways controlling cell proliferation, differentiation, or cell survival. The Ras-gene family in humans constitutes three primary members—the HRas, NRas, and KRas. These genes code for four functionally distinct yet closely related proteins—the HRas, NRas, KRas4A, and KRas4B. The involvement of mutant Ras genes in human cancer was first discovered in 1982 and is among the most common causes of human tumorigenesis.
Ras is a superfamily...
Ras is a superfamily...
03:03mTOR Signaling and Cancer Progression
The mammalian target of rapamycin or mTOR protein was discovered in 1994 due to its direct interaction with rapamycin. The protein gets its name from a yeast homolog called TOR. The mTOR protein complex in mammalian cells plays a major role in balancing anabolic processes such as the synthesis of proteins, lipids, and nucleotides and catabolic processes, such as autophagy in response to environmental cues, such as availability of nutrients and growth factors.
The mTOR pathway or the...
The mTOR pathway or the...
01:24Regulation of Angiogenesis and Blood Supply
Rapidly dividing tumors, embryos, and wounded tissues require more oxygen than usual, lowering the oxygen concentration in the blood. At low oxygen or hypoxic conditions, an oxygen-sensitive transcription factor called the hypoxia-inducible factor 1 or HIF1 is activated. HIF1 is a dimeric protein of alpha (ɑ) and beta (β) subunits. Under optimal oxygen conditions, HIF1β is present in the nucleus while HIF1ɑ remains in the cytosol. HIF1ɑ is hydroxylated by prolyl hydroxylase and factor...