Objective: To investigate the expression of nucleosomal binding protein 1 (NSBP1) in normal prostate (NP), benign prostate hyperplasia (BPH), and prostate cancer (PCa) and significance thereof.
Methods: Western blotting was used to detect the expression of NSBP1 in 10 specimens of NP from voluntary donors who died of accidents, and 15 specimens of PCa resected during operation. Immunohistochemistry was used to detect the NSBP1 expression in 19 specimens of NP resected during complete cystectomy from patients with bladder carcinoma, and 26 specimens of BPH and 40 specimens of PCa, all resected during operation.
Results: Western blotting showed that the relative optical density (OD) of NSBP1 in the PCa tissue was 0.66 +/- 0.02, significantly higher than that of the NP tissue (0.26 +/- 0.03, t = 37.308, P < 0.01). Immunohistochemistry showed that the positive and weak positive rates of protein expression of NSBP1 in the PCa tissue was 80.0% (32/40), significantly higher than those of the NP tissue (36.8%, 7/19) and BPH (34.6%, 9/26) (t = -3.569 and t = -4.152, both P < 0.01). The NSBP1 expression level in the PCa tissue was not correlated with the pathological staging, grade, and serum prostate-specific antigen (P = 0.911, 0.666, and 0.779).
Conclusion: Highly expressed in the PCa tissue, NSBP1 protein is may be involved in the carcinogenesis of PCa.