Uses
Prostate Specific Antigen from human semen has been used:
- in microarray sandwich assay
- in the preparation of sandwich immunosensor
- as a target protein to test composite organic?inorganic nanoparticle (COIN) and Alexa conjugates in a plate-binding assay
General Description
Prostate specific antigen (PSA) is a 26kDa single-chain glycoprotein containing 237 amino acids, encoded by the kallikrein gene mapped to human chromosome 19. It is specifically expressed by human prostate tissue and is a highly abundant proteolytic enzyme expressed in the seminal fluid.
Biochem/physiol Actions
Prostate-specific antigen (PSA) is an androgen-regulated serine protease specifically produced by prostatic tissue and is secreted into the lumen. PSA in semen cleaves semenogelins present in the seminal coagulum. Total PSA levels are increased in serum of prostate cancer (PCa) patients. PSA functions as a potential biomarker for PCa. Serum protease inhibitors such as α1-antichymotrypsin (α1-ACT), α2-macroglobulin (α2-M) and other acute-phase proteins form irreversible complexes with circulating PSA and hinder proteolytic activity of PSA.
