Cancer Letters
Volume 224, Issue 1 , Pages 1-22, 16 June 2005

Human tissue kallikrein gene family: applications in cancer

  • Christina V. Obiezu

      Affiliations

    • Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Mount Sinai Hospital, 600 University Avenue, Toronto, Ont., Canada M5G 1X5
    • Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology, University of Toronto, 100 College Street, Toronto, Ont., Canada M5G 1L5
    • ,
  • Eleftherios P. Diamandis

      Affiliations

    • Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Mount Sinai Hospital, 600 University Avenue, Toronto, Ont., Canada M5G 1X5
    • Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology, University of Toronto, 100 College Street, Toronto, Ont., Canada M5G 1L5
    • Corresponding Author InformationCorresponding author. Address: Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Mount Sinai Hospital, 600 University Avenue, Toronto, Ont., Canada M5G 1X5. Tel.: +1 416 586 8443; fax: +1 416 586 8628.

Received 7 September 2004; accepted 15 September 2004.

Abstract 

Human tissue kallikrein genes, located on the long arm of chromosome 19, are a subgroup of the serine protease family of proteolytic enzymes. Initially thought to consist of three members, the human kallikrein locus has now been extended and includes 15 tandemly located genes. These genes, and their protein products, share a high degree of homology and are expressed in a wide array of tissues, mainly those that are under steroid hormone control. PSA (hK3) is one of the human kallikreins, and is the most useful tumor marker for prostate cancer screening, diagnosis, prognosis and monitoring. hK2, another prostate-specific kallikrein, has also been proposed as a complementary prostate cancer biomarker. In the past 5 years, the newly discovered kallikreins (KLK4–KLK15) have been associated with several types of cancer. For example, hK4, hK5, hK6, hK7, hK8, hK10, hK11, hK13 and hK14 are emerging biomarkers for ovarian, breast, prostate and testicular cancer. New evidence raises the possibility that some kallikreins are directly involved with cancer progression. We here review the evidence linking kallikreins and cancer and their applicability as novel biomarkers for cancer diagnosis and management.

Keywords: Kallikreins, Serine proteases, Cancer, Biomarkers, Prognosis, Diagnosis, Tumor invasion and metastasis

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PII: S0304-3835(04)00730-X

doi:10.1016/j.canlet.2004.09.024

Cancer Letters
Volume 224, Issue 1 , Pages 1-22, 16 June 2005

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