title: Expression of novel molecules, MICAL2-PV (MICAL2 prostate cancer variants), increases with high Gleason score and prostate cancer progression.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The aim of this study is to identify novel molecular targets for development of novel treatment or diagnostic markers of prostate cancer through genome-wide cDNA microarray analysis of prostate cancer cells purified by laser microdissection.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Here, we identified molecule interacting with CasL-2 prostate cancer variants (MICAL2-PV), novel splicing variants of MICAL2, showing overexpression in prostate cancer cells. Immunohistochemical analysis using an antibody generated specific to MICAL2-PV revealed that MICAL2-PV was expressed in the cytoplasm of cancer cells with various staining patterns and intensities, whereas it was not or hardly detectable in adjacent normal prostate epithelium or prostatic intraepithelial neoplasia. Interestingly, immunohistochemical analysis of 105 prostate cancer specimens on the tissue microarray indicated that MICAL2-PV expression status was strongly correlated with Gleason scores (P < 0.0001) or tumor classification (P < 0.0001). Furthermore, the expression levels of MICAL2-PVs were also concordant to those of c-Met, a marker of tumor progression, with statistical significance (P = 0.0018). To investigate its potential of molecular therapeutic target for prostate cancers, we knocked down endogenous MICAL2-PVs in prostate cancer cells by small interfering RNA, which resulted in the significant reduction of prostate cancer cell viability.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our findings suggest that MICAL2-PV is likely to be involved in cancer progression of prostate cancer and could be a candidate as a novel molecular marker and/or target for treatment of prostate cancers with high Gleason score.
authors: Laboratory of Molecular Medicine, Human Genome Center, Institute of Medical Science, The University of Tokyo, Shirokanedai, Tokyo, Japan.
authors: Shingo
authors: S
authors: Ashida
authors: Mutsuo
authors: M
authors: Furihata
authors: Toyomasa
authors: T
authors: Katagiri
authors: Kenji
authors: K
authors: Tamura
authors: Yoshio
authors: Y
authors: Anazawa
authors: Hiroki
authors: H
authors: Yoshioka
authors: Tsuneharu
authors: T
authors: Miki
authors: Tomoaki
authors: T
authors: Fujioka
authors: Taro
authors: T
authors: Shuin
authors: Yusuke
authors: Y
authors: Nakamura
authors: Hidewaki
authors: H
authors: Nakagawa