Androgen Regulation of JM-27 is Associated With the Diseased Prostate

Abstract

Despite intense research efforts, the etiology of prostatic hyperplasia associated with both benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) and prostate cancer remains poorly understood. Our previous studies using array technology identified JM-27 as a transcript that is dramatically up-regulated in the prostates of patients with symptomatic BPH and in normal, adjacent prostatic regions of patients with prostate cancer. In the present study, using an extended sample set, we show a correlation between the messenger RNA and protein expression of JM-27. To investigate the possible functions of this gene, its expression in the rat prostate was examined by immunoblot analysis using a polyclonal antibody specific to human JM-27. This antibody reacts with 2 rat polypeptides of 17 kd and 27 kd in size. Whereas the 27-kd form of the JM-27 protein found in human prostate is selectively expressed in the dorsolateral lobes of the rat pros-tate, the 17-kd form is expressed only in the ventral lobe. Expression of both forms of this protein appears to be androgen-regulated. There is a time-dependent decrease in expression of the protein products in the ventral and dorsolateral lobes of the rat prostate after castration. Administration of exogenous testosterone in castrated animals maintains protein expression in both lobes. Androgens are believed to play a central role in prostate growth and development, and therefore, it is tempting to speculate that JM-27, an androgenregulated gene, may be involved in prostatic growth regulation. Further studies are underway to evaluate such a function for JM-27 in prostatic diseases.

A Comprehensive Approach Toward Novel Serum Biomarkers for Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia: The MPSA Consortium

“…Utilizing antibodies generated by the Johns Hopkins site, it was revealed that JM-27 is an androgen-regulated stromal-specific protein. 19 Furthermore, based upon immunohistochemical analysis both in single samples and in tissue microarrays (TMAs), it was shown that JM-27 can distinguish at the tissue level highly symptomatic individuals from those with histologic disease. At the mRNA level, JM-27 is found to be expressed around 18 fold higher in men with highly symptomatic BPH.…”