2017 Participants
Oliver Stewart
In healthy prostate tissue, Androgen Receptor (AR) signalling is highly regulated and controlled. AR is critical for prostate cancer development, due to the presence of Androgen Receptor Variants (AR-Vs). These AR-Vs are truncated versions of normal AR, whereby constitutive activation of the AR occurs, resulting in tumour growth and survival. Despite the development of anti-androgens such as Enzalutamide, as well as many tumours becoming castrate-resistant, novel targets must be identified for therapeutic intervention. My project focused on the usage of the 20S Proteasome as an example of one of these potential targets. The 20S Proteasome contains two components, entitled PSMA4 and PSMA6, which are critical in the initial assembly of the Proteasome. I knocked down the expression of these subunits in my CW22Rv1 cell line. Following this, I visualised the effect this has on AR signalling, via Western Blot analysis and Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR).
Funding Source: Newcastle University
Supervisor: Dr Luke Gaughan