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Department

Biology

Disciplines

Cell and Developmental Biology

Abstract

Survivin is an Inhibitor of Apoptosis Protein (IAP), which makes it responsible for cell proliferation and survival by inhibiting regulated cell death and promoting mitosis. The exact role that it plays in prostate cancer is not yet fully understood; expression and regulation of Survivin is the primary focus of my project. The way Survivin was studied was through fractionating various cancer cells lines (LaPC-4, PC-3 E+, VCAP, C4-2 and DU145-Spindle, Round and Tight) and isolating the nuclear and cytosolic components. These fractionated samples were then treated and analyzed using Western Blot analysis being probed for nuclear and cytoplasmic Survivin, respectively. The two main goals of my project were to see if there is a difference in expression between nuclear and cytosolic Survivin as shown in previous immunohistochemical staining and also to test if movement of the Androgen Receptor from the nucleus to the cytoplasm occurs when the cell components are treated with charcoal-stripped media. The found results were that there is in fact a difference between nuclear and cytoplasmic Survivin as indicated by band definition in Western Blot analysis for all lines used. There was also movement seen in the Androgen Receptor of two cells lines (LaPC-4 and C4-2) with charcoal-stripped media. Since little is known about Survivin other than the fact that it is most readily seen in cancerous cells in humans, the hope is that through my results we will be able to inhibit expression of the protein by understanding what functions the two forms have.

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Faculty Mentor

Dr. Beatrice Knudsen