Identification and Characterization of the Ligand of Prostate Specific Membrane Antigen

摘要

Prostate Specific Membrane Antigen (PSMA) is a transmembrane protein expressed predominantly in prostate' epithelial cells. The expression of PSMA increases several fold in cancer cells, and recently it was shown that, PSMA is involved in the modulation of invasiveness of prostate cancer cells. The objective of this project was to identify a potential ligand for PSMA. For this purpose, we have employed the yeast two-hybrid system using different regions of the extracellular domain of PSMA as baits and screened a human prostate specific cDNA expression library. In this screen, we have identified three extracellular matrix components, collagen XVIII, fibulin like protein, and laminin 5 receptor like protein as potential interacting partners of PSMA.