While studying Bim, a BH3-only proapoptotic protein, we identified an B36 kDa protein, which was abundantly expressed in all five strains of primary normal human prostate (NHP) epithelial cells but significantly reduced or lost in seven prostate cancer cell lines. The B36 kDa protein was subsequently identified as annexin II by proteomic approach and confirmed by Western blotting using an annexin II-specific antibody. Conventional and 2D SDS-PAGE, together with Western blotting, also revealed reduced or lost expression of annexin I in prostate cancer cells. Subcellular localization studies revealed that in NHP cells, annexin II was distributed both in the cytosol and underneath the plasma membrane, but not on the cell surface. Prostate cancer cells showed reduced levels as well as altered expression patterns of annexin II. Since annexins play important roles in maintaining Ca 2+ homeostasis and regulating the cytoskeleton and cell motility, we hypothesized that the reduced or lost expression of annexin I/II might promote certain aggressive phenotypes of prostate cancer cells. In subsequent experiments, we indeed observed that restoration of annexin II expression inhibited the migration of the transfected prostate cancer cells without affecting cell proliferation or apoptosis. Hence, our results suggest that annexin II, and, likely, annexin I, may be endogenous suppressors of prostate cancer cell migration and their reduced or lost expression may contribute to prostate cancer development and progression.
Allele frequency distributions in the Caymanian population were determined using the AmpFlSTR® Identifiler® PCR amplification kit. Little evidence of departure from Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium or the association of alleles of different loci was detected. Comparison with relevant population groups supports the Caymanian population having a distinct allelic distribution. The 15 Identifiler® loci provide combined power of discrimination and exclusion values of 0.999999999999999995 and 0.9999992, respectively, proving suitable for the forensic and paternity testing requirements of the Cayman Islands.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.