Nuclear Matrix Protein PC-1--Marker for Prostate Cancer

A putative prostate cancer marker called PC-1 has been identified in prostate cancers, but notin benign hyperplasia or normal prostate. We have produced specific anti-PC-1 monoclonal antibodies,selected by immunofluorescent nuclear antigen localization on the PC-1-positive prostate tumor cell lineLNCAP and 1-D immunoblots against LNCAP-extracted nuclear matrix proteins. Following furthercharacterization of PC-1-specific antibodies by 2-D immunoblotting on nuclear matrix extracted fromprostate cancer tissue, our goal is to evaluate the tissue specificity of PC-1 by immunohistochemicallocalization of PC-1 antigen in frozen sections of prostate tumor tissue, benign hyperplastic and normalprostate, as well as a panel of non-prostate tissues. Antibodies selected for their ability to distinguishbetween cancerous and benign/normal prostate tissue will be used to search for PC-1 protein in urineor serum from prostate cancer patients by two site immunoassay. If tissue localization of PC-1 candistinguish cancer patients from those with benign disease, or if PC-1 is detectable in either serum orurine, then an immunoassay based upon the detection of this protein could improve patientsmanagement or could aid in the early detection of prostate cancer.