Background and objectives: Prostate carcinoma (CaP) is the frequently diagnosed cancer in man. Prostate specific antigen (PSA), which is now widely used as a diagnostic marker for CaP, lacks specificity and fails to predict possible CaP progression. So it is necessary to identify the new biomarkers for CaP.
Method: We identified several genes that were differentially expressed between benign prostatic hyperplasia and CaP by microarray analysis. One gene that was overexpressed encoded a serine/threonine kinase PIM-1. Reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and immunohistochemical analysis were used to investigate PIM-1 mRNA and protein expression in malignant and benign prostate samples.
Result: PIM-1 was overexpressed in CaP, and the overexpression of PIM-1 was related to the grade and neoplastic transformation of CaP.
Conclusions: The data, together with the molecular functions of PIM-1 suggest that PIM-1 may have an important role in CaP progression and has potential to be a diagnostic and prognostic marker for CaP.
2005 Wiley-Liss, Inc.