The Control of Integrins in Prostate Cancer

Posted: October 17th, 2013

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The Control of Integrins in Prostate Cancer

Claire Sayers, an honors student in medical school, did a research project about controlling integrins in prostate cancer. Her supervisors in this project were Jo Dickinson and Adele Holloway. Sayers describes integrins as cell-surface proteins that play an integral role in cell differentiation, motility and cellular communication. She also adds that Integrins are idyllic restorative cell-surface receptors whose regulatory understanding may lead to enhanced therapeutic treatment for prostate cancer. She is predominantly interested in ITGA2. According to Sayers’ research, it has been discovered that a disparity in ITGA2 is connected to prostate cancer. The research was done to find out how RUNX, an imperative protein, which controls numerous cellular processes also controls other integrin proteins. RUNX plays a vital role in bone formation, and in cases of bone-related cancers such as prostate cancer, its production is immense. Most prostate cancer deaths are brought about when prostate tumors spread to the bones.

Prostate cancer is a cancer that commences in the prostate gland and can sometimes spread to other parts of the body. The prostate gland is a small gland in the male reproductive system. Prostate cancer is known to cause deaths in men above the age of 75 and is very rare in men below 40 years old. Prostate cancer develops in men who drink too much alcohol and eat food high in animal fat. In addition, it is a hereditary condition and is likely to affect painters and farmers. Some of its symptoms include traces of blood in urine and semen, seepage of urine after urinating, having a slow urinary stream and experiencing strain when urinating.

Most prostate cancers are said to grow slowly and can spread if the patient has other health conditions such as weak immune systems. This process is referred to as metastasis. Prostate cancer starts at the prostate and spreads to seminal vesicles, lymph nodes and in most cases bones. The most common sites for prostate cancer bone metastasis include the upper legs, pelvis and lower spine. However, it can be treated through surgery, hormone therapy and chemotherapy. Prostate cancer is currently the most commonly diagnosed cancer in men in Tasmania. Moreover, it is advisable to ensure diets low in animal fat and high in omega-3 fatty acids to lower the risks of prostate cancer.

The research looked into the hypothesis that RUNX protein control integrins. This is done through an extensive series of experiments at the reaction of these two proteins. The experiments involve scrutinizing the influence of RUNX on integrin intensities in prostate cancer cells. According to current results, the RUNX protein controls the production of the integrin. These results show potential because the direct management of integrins by the RUNX proteins in any cancer is novel and remarkable. Sayers says that by the end of the year she will corroborate that prostate cancer cells are forced to seize producing the RUNX protein. This process will further confirm that RUNX is standardizing the expression of integrin. She will also look at the development of integrin expression.