Prostate cancer: a risk factor – trichomonas
A link between trichomoniasis and prostate cancer has been found
(WSU researchers discover mechanism leading from trichomoniasis to prostate cancer). The results of the work of molecular biologists, conducted under the guidance of Professor John Alderete from Washington State University, are published in the journal PLoS Pathogens (Sutcliffe et al.: Trichomonosis, a Common Curable STI, and Prostate Carcinogenesis—A Proposed Molecular Mechanism – VM).
Professor Alderet and colleagues studied the reaction of the blood serum of men and women infected with trichomoniasis to the alpha-actinin protein produced by the causative agent of trichomoniasis – the protozoan Trichomonas vaginalis. Alpha-actinin is a protein capable of stimulating the immune system to respond to a specific antigen. During the experiment, molecular biologists discovered that T. vaginalis triggers a cellular signaling cascade in the body, which involves proteins such as PIM1, c-MYC and HMGA1.
The PIM1 protein is a promoter of cancer cell growth, it also supports the activity of all other molecules participating in this cascade and is able to "turn off" and "turn on" a number of genes. According to the authors of the work, T. vaginalis triggers a signaling cascade by attaching to healthy prostate epithelial cells. "It's like a switch by which you turn on the lighting. If you don't control the brightness of the lighting after you turn it on, you may go blind. This is the main problem," Alderet said.
Diagram from the article in PLoS Pathogens – VMTrichomoniasis is one of the most common sexually transmitted diseases.
Every year 170 million women and the same number of men around the world are infected with this disease. In men, as a rule, the infection is asymptomatic, so very often it is simply not treated. In those infected with trichomoniasis, the risk of developing prostate cancer increases by 40 percent.
The authors note that the discovery of this mechanism of prostate cancer occurrence will help to develop new, more effective methods of diagnosis and treatment of this type of malignant tumors in men.
Portal "Eternal youth" http://vechnayamolodost.ru03.09.2012