Human tissue kallikrein gene family: applications in cancer

Human tissue kallikrein genes, located on the long arm of chromosome 19, are a subgroup of the serine protease family of proteolytic enzymes. Initially thought to consist of three members, the human kallikrein locus has now been extended and includes 15 tandemly located genes. These genes, and their...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Cancer letters 2005-06, Vol.224 (1), p.1-22
Main Authors: Obiezu, Christina V., Diamandis, Eleftherios P.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Biomarkers
Biomarkers, Tumor - blood
Breast cancer
Cancer
Chromosomes
Diagnosis
Diagnosis, Differential
Enzymes
Female
Genes
Genomes
Humans
Kallikreins
Kallikreins - blood
Kallikreins - genetics
Male
Neoplasm Invasiveness
Neoplasm Metastasis
Neoplasms - diagnosis
Neoplasms - genetics
Neoplasms - pathology
Prognosis
Prostate cancer
Proteins
Serine proteases
Studies
Tumor invasion and metastasis
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Summary:Human tissue kallikrein genes, located on the long arm of chromosome 19, are a subgroup of the serine protease family of proteolytic enzymes. Initially thought to consist of three members, the human kallikrein locus has now been extended and includes 15 tandemly located genes. These genes, and their protein products, share a high degree of homology and are expressed in a wide array of tissues, mainly those that are under steroid hormone control. PSA (hK3) is one of the human kallikreins, and is the most useful tumor marker for prostate cancer screening, diagnosis, prognosis and monitoring. hK2, another prostate-specific kallikrein, has also been proposed as a complementary prostate cancer biomarker. In the past 5 years, the newly discovered kallikreins (KLK4–KLK15) have been associated with several types of cancer. For example, hK4, hK5, hK6, hK7, hK8, hK10, hK11, hK13 and hK14 are emerging biomarkers for ovarian, breast, prostate and testicular cancer. New evidence raises the possibility that some kallikreins are directly involved with cancer progression. We here review the evidence linking kallikreins and cancer and their applicability as novel biomarkers for cancer diagnosis and management.
ISSN:0304-3835
1872-7980
DOI:10.1016/j.canlet.2004.09.024