Date of Defense

Spring 4-24-2006

Department

Biological Sciences

First Advisor

Bruce Bejcek, Biological Sciences

Second Advisor

John Geiser, Biological Sciences

Third Advisor

Cindy Miranti, Van Andel Research Institute

Abstract

Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in the United States besides skin cancers and nearly 1 in 6 men will be affected. It is fairly treatable if caught in the earlier stages of progression, but once metastasis occurs, complications arise making a cure less probable. The transition to metastasis goes undetected until cancerous cells are found in a novel location in the body, but by that point the cells have undergone changes at the cellular level that allow them to travel to distant sites in the body. Changes associated with metastasis include the loss of expression of metastasis suppressor genes, which normally function to prevent cells from gaining metastatic ability. The mechanisms by which these suppressors prevent metastasis are largely unknown. CD82 is a metastasis suppressor that is expressed in normal and primary prostate tumor cells. Re-expression of CD82 decreases cell migration and invasion. This study set out to determine if CD82 is able to suppress metastasis by regulating the extracellular proteolytic activity of prostate cancer cells.

Access Setting

Honors Thesis-Campus Only

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