英国研究人员日前报告说，他们发现人体尿液中一种蛋白质可作为前列腺癌风险标记物。研究人员认为，这一发现有助开发一种新的、较为方便的检测前列腺癌变的技术。
英国癌症研究会等机构的研究人员在美国学术期刊《科学公共图书馆综合卷》上报告说，这种名为MSMB的蛋白质由正常的前列腺细胞产生，其功能是调控前列腺细胞的死亡。研究人员对350名男性进行了前列腺组织和尿液取样，并检测他们尿液中MSMB蛋白质含量。结果发现，与健康男性相比，患有前列腺癌的男性尿液中MSMB蛋白质含量明显要低。
领导这项研究的海利·惠特克博士说，检测尿液中这种蛋白质含量的方法非常简单，所以它有可能发展成一种新的、较为方便的检测前列腺癌的技术。
目前常规的前列腺癌检查方法是基于一种叫做前列腺特异抗原的生物标记物。但是人体血液中前列腺特异抗原的含量受多种因素影响，从而影响该方法的准确性。
参与研究的罗莎琳德·伊尔斯表示，截至目前，检测血液中前列腺特异抗原含量仍是诊断前列腺癌最有效的方法，但这种方法有许多局限性。因此，当务之急是寻找诸如MSMB蛋白质这样新的生物标记物，并将其应用于前列腺癌的检查和诊断。（生物谷Bioon.com）
生物谷推荐英文摘要：
PLoS ONE 5(10): e13363. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0013363
The rs10993994 Risk Allele for Prostate Cancer Results in Clinically Relevant Changes in Microseminoprotein-Beta Expression in Tissue and Urine
Hayley C. Whitaker1*, Zsofia Kote-Jarai2,3#, Helen Ross-Adams1#, Anne Y. Warren4, Johanna Burge1, Anne George1, Elizabeth Bancroft2,3, Sameer Jhavar2,3, Daniel Leongamornlert2,3, Malgorzata Tymrakiewicz2,3, Edward Saunders2,3, Elizabeth Page2,3, Anita Mitra2,3, Gillian Mitchell5, Geoffrey J. Lindeman6, D. Gareth Evans7, Ignacio Blanco8, Catherine Mercer9, Wendy S. Rubinstein10, Virginia Clowes11, Fiona Douglas12, Shirley Hodgson13, Lisa Walker14, Alan Donaldson15, Louise Izatt16, Huw Dorkins17, Alison Male18, Kathy Tucker19, Alan Stapleton20, Jimmy Lam20, Judy Kirk21, Hans Lilja22, Douglas Easton23, The IMPACT Study Steering Committee?a, The IMPACT Study Collaborators?b, UK GPCS Collaborators?c, Colin Cooper2,3, Rosalind Eeles2,3, David E. Neal1
Background
Microseminoprotein-beta (MSMB) regulates apoptosis and using genome-wide association studies the rs10993994 single nucleotide polymorphism in the MSMB promoter has been linked to an increased risk of developing prostate cancer. The promoter location of the risk allele, and its ability to reduce promoter activity, suggested that the rs10993994 risk allele could result in lowered MSMB in benign tissue leading to increased prostate cancer risk.
Methodology/Principal Findings
MSMB expression in benign and malignant prostate tissue was examined using immunohistochemistry and compared with the rs10993994 genotype. Urinary MSMB concentrations were determined by ELISA and correlated with urinary PSA, the presence or absence of cancer, rs10993994 genotype and age of onset. MSMB levels in prostate tissue and urine were greatly reduced with tumourigenesis. Urinary MSMB was better than urinary PSA at differentiating men with prostate cancer at all Gleason grades. The high risk allele was associated with heterogeneity of MSMB staining and loss of MSMB in both tissue and urine in benign prostate.
Conclusions
These data show that some high risk alleles discovered using genome-wide association studies produce phenotypic effects with potential clinical utility. We provide the first link between a low penetrance polymorphism for prostate cancer and a potential test in human tissue and bodily fluids. There is potential to develop tissue and urinary MSMB for a biomarker of prostate cancer risk, diagnosis and disease monitoring.
