Pro-neuropeptide Y Identified as Prognostic Biomarker for Aggressive Prostate Cancer
By LabMedica International staff writers Posted on 07 Feb 2016 |
Image: Structure of neuropeptide Y (NPY) (Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons).
Overexpression of pro-neuropeptide Y (pro-NPY) has been identified as a prognostic biomarker for aggressive prostate cancer.
Pro-NPY is a member of the NPY family. NPY is a secreted protein and is one of the most abundant peptides in the nervous system. NPY can be cleaved into neuropeptide Y and C-flanking peptide of NPY chain, which regulates energy usage, and it is involved in learning, memory processing, and epilepsy. NPY is implicated in the control of feeding and in secretion of gonadotrophin-release hormone. In addition, NPY increases the proportion of energy stored as fat.
Investigators at the University of Copenhagen (Denmark) studied cellular processes altered in prostate cancer using system-wide quantitative analysis of changes in protein expression in clinical samples in order to identify prognostic biomarkers for disease aggressiveness.
For this purpose they used mass spectrometry to perform genome-scale quantitative proteomic profiling of 28 prostate tumors and neighboring nonmalignant tissue in eight cases obtained from formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded prostatectomy samples. Two independent cohorts of prostate cancer patients (total of 752 cases) were used for immunohistochemical evaluation of pro-NPY as a prognostic biomarker.
Results revealed that among the 9,000 proteins identified in the study, pro-NPY was found to exhibit high levels in a subgroup of prostate cancer samples. Pro-NPY was found to be overexpressed by at least five-fold in prostate cancer, but this protein was largely absent in other solid tumor types. Overexpression of pro-NPY was associated with an increased risk of prostate cancer-specific mortality.
"Our research shows that high pro-NPY levels are very specific to prostate cancer and can serve to predict prostate cancer related death among diagnosed patients who have not received surgical treatment," said senior author Dr. Amilcar Flores-Morales, professor of molecular disease biology at the University of Copenhagen. "So identifying the biomarker pro-NPY could help us identify patients who would benefit from early active treatment, whereby we would also reduce unnecessary treatment of patients who undergo surgery when they have low-grade tumors that for the most part do not put their lives at risk. In the end, due to side effects, this could prove more harmful than beneficial to patients."
The study was published in the December 2, 2015, online edition of the journal European Urology.
Related Links:
University of Copenhagen
Pro-NPY is a member of the NPY family. NPY is a secreted protein and is one of the most abundant peptides in the nervous system. NPY can be cleaved into neuropeptide Y and C-flanking peptide of NPY chain, which regulates energy usage, and it is involved in learning, memory processing, and epilepsy. NPY is implicated in the control of feeding and in secretion of gonadotrophin-release hormone. In addition, NPY increases the proportion of energy stored as fat.
Investigators at the University of Copenhagen (Denmark) studied cellular processes altered in prostate cancer using system-wide quantitative analysis of changes in protein expression in clinical samples in order to identify prognostic biomarkers for disease aggressiveness.
For this purpose they used mass spectrometry to perform genome-scale quantitative proteomic profiling of 28 prostate tumors and neighboring nonmalignant tissue in eight cases obtained from formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded prostatectomy samples. Two independent cohorts of prostate cancer patients (total of 752 cases) were used for immunohistochemical evaluation of pro-NPY as a prognostic biomarker.
Results revealed that among the 9,000 proteins identified in the study, pro-NPY was found to exhibit high levels in a subgroup of prostate cancer samples. Pro-NPY was found to be overexpressed by at least five-fold in prostate cancer, but this protein was largely absent in other solid tumor types. Overexpression of pro-NPY was associated with an increased risk of prostate cancer-specific mortality.
"Our research shows that high pro-NPY levels are very specific to prostate cancer and can serve to predict prostate cancer related death among diagnosed patients who have not received surgical treatment," said senior author Dr. Amilcar Flores-Morales, professor of molecular disease biology at the University of Copenhagen. "So identifying the biomarker pro-NPY could help us identify patients who would benefit from early active treatment, whereby we would also reduce unnecessary treatment of patients who undergo surgery when they have low-grade tumors that for the most part do not put their lives at risk. In the end, due to side effects, this could prove more harmful than beneficial to patients."
The study was published in the December 2, 2015, online edition of the journal European Urology.
Related Links:
University of Copenhagen
Latest Pathology News
- AI Integrated With Optical Imaging Technology Enables Rapid Intraoperative Diagnosis
- HPV Self-Collection Solution Improves Access to Cervical Cancer Testing
- Hyperspectral Dark-Field Microscopy Enables Rapid and Accurate Identification of Cancerous Tissues
- AI Advancements Enable Leap into 3D Pathology
- New Blood Test Device Modeled on Leeches to Help Diagnose Malaria
- Robotic Blood Drawing Device to Revolutionize Sample Collection for Diagnostic Testing
- Use of DICOM Images for Pathology Diagnostics Marks Significant Step towards Standardization
- First of Its Kind Universal Tool to Revolutionize Sample Collection for Diagnostic Tests
- AI-Powered Digital Imaging System to Revolutionize Cancer Diagnosis
- New Mycobacterium Tuberculosis Panel to Support Real-Time Surveillance and Combat Antimicrobial Resistance
- New Method Offers Sustainable Approach to Universal Metabolic Cancer Diagnosis
- Spatial Tissue Analysis Identifies Patterns Associated With Ovarian Cancer Relapse
- Unique Hand-Warming Technology Supports High-Quality Fingertip Blood Sample Collection
- Image-Based AI Shows Promise for Parasite Detection in Digitized Stool Samples
- Deep Learning Powered AI Algorithms Improve Skin Cancer Diagnostic Accuracy
- Microfluidic Device for Cancer Detection Precisely Separates Tumor Entities