The etiology of human BPH pathogenesis, although remains unclear, ar centered around testes, aging, and morphological and functional changes within the prostate. The present study seeks to identify and characterize the morphological and functional changes that develop in BPH. Use of newly developed techniques such as 2-D electrophoresis and immunocytochemistry for cytoskeleton proteins should provide new insight into local changes that characterize BPH. Since the prostate epithelial cells are a group of highly differentiated and specialized cells, changes in pathological states of the tissue are likely associated with changes in expression of PAP and PSA. Therefore the present application proposes to investigate morphological and functional changes within the prostate that are associated with BPH. We propose to examine human prostate surgical specimens and human prostate secretions. The prostatic specimens will include the normal prostate, carcinoma of the prostate, and BPH, especially, the edenoma and the peripheral tissues of the same prostate. The following studies are proposed: (1) To study the cellular localization and distribution of cytoskeletal proteins: microtubules, microfilaments and intermediate filaments and their associated proteins in various cell types of human prostatic tissues, (2) To conduct 2-D electrophoresis on different human prostatic tissues and to identify different cytoskeletal proteins in this 2-D protein profile using Western Blot technique, (3) By comparison of the results of the above two studies, proteins associated with specific cell types will be identified and further purified. Specific antibodies can be developed from these purified proteins as probes for further investigation and for possible use in clinical diagnosis (4) Biochemical and immunohistochemical analysis of prostatic acid phosphatase (PAP) and prostatic specific antigen (PSA) in different human prostatic tissues. In addition, total tissue DNA and total protein content in these tissues will be analyzed. Special attention will be given to investigate and differences between the adenoma and the peripheral prostate tissue of the same prostate gland with BPH. (5) Since prostatic fluid composition may reflect metabolic and pathologic state of the prostate cells, the following study is also proposed: Characterization of proteins in prostatic fluid from men with """"""""normal"""""""" prostate, carcinoma of the prostate, and BPH by 2-D electrophoresis.
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