The role of P21/Cdc42/Rac1-activated kinases (PAK) in prostate cancer.

前列腺癌是西方男性癌症死亡的第二大原因。它最初可以用雄激素剥夺疗法来治疗，但最终会进展到对我们所用的治疗方法不敏感。下一阶段是化疗，平均生存时间在10到20个月之间。我们知道，负责前列腺癌生长的主要受体(雄激素受体)对细胞内不同的细胞信号通路有影响，特别是那些涉及细胞生长和细胞运动的信号通路。新的链接表明，这种关系发生的方式之一是通过能量调节途径。我们的目标是显示能量调节途径与细胞生长和细胞运动之间的联系。其目的是集中于这些机制之一--rac1/PAK1通路--并确定其在前列腺癌生长和转移中的作用。我们知道，侵袭性更强的前列腺癌具有更高水平的rac1和PAK1，但我们还不知道它们在前列腺癌的发生发展中所起的作用及其对癌症生长和扩散的影响。我们的目标是找出它的工作机制和调节它的途径。这最初将在实验室中的细胞中进行，但也会在人体组织上进行标本采集。其目的是最终发现帮助控制前列腺癌的新药开发的新靶点。

Prostate cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death in men in the West. It is initially treatable with androgen deprivation therapy but eventually progresses to become insensitive to the treatment we have. The next stage is to have chemotherapy, which gives an average survival of between 10 and 20 months. We know that the main receptor responsible for prostate cancer growth (androgen receptor) has an effect on the different cell signaling pathways within the cell, particularly those involved in cell growth and cell movement. New links have shown one of the ways this relationship occurs is through energy regulating pathways. What we are aiming to do is to show a link between the energy regulating pathways and cell growth and cell movement. The aim is to concentrate on one of these mechanisms - the Rac1/PAK1 pathway - and determine its role in prostate cancer growth and metastasis. We know that more aggressive prostate cancers have higher levels of Rac1 and PAK1 but we do not yet know what their role is in the development of prostate cancer or its effect on cancer growth and spread. We aim to find out the mechanisms by which it works and the pathways that regulate it. This will initially be in the laboratory in cells but also on human tissue from specimens. The aim is to eventually discover new targets for the development of new medicines to help control prostate cancer.