PURPOSE Human kallikrein 13 (hK13; encoded by the KLK13 gene) is a secreted serine protease expressed in endocrine tissues, including the prostate, testis, breast, and ovary. We have previously reported steroid hormone regulation of the KLK13 gene and its clinical value as a marker of favorable prognosis in breast cancer at the mRNA level. We hypothesized that hK13 may represent a potential bio...

BACKGROUND The kallikrein family is a group of 15 serine protease genes clustered on chromosome 19q13.4. Human kallikrein gene 13 (KLK13) is a member of this family and encodes for a trypsin-like, secreted serine protease (hK13). Given that other kallikreins are sequestered by serum protease inhibitors, we hypothesized that hK13 may also interact with similar inhibitors. Our objective was to id...

BACKGROUND The aims of this study were to develop immunologic reagents and a sensitive and specific immunoassay for human kallikrein 13 (hK13) and to examine the presence of hK13 in human tissues and biological fluids. METHODS Recombinant hK13 protein was produced and purified with use of a Pichia pastoris yeast expression system. The protein was used as an immunogen to generate mouse monoclo...

The human tissue kallikrein 13 gene (KLK13), encoding for hK13 protein, was recently cloned and characterized. Here we describe the immunohistochemical (IHC) localization of hK13 in normal human tissues and compare it with the expression of two other kallikreins, hK6 and hK10. We performed the streptavidin-biotin IHC method on 204 paraffin blocks from archival, current, and autopsy material pre...

The human kallikrein 13 protein (hK13) is expressed in many normal tissues. Petraki et al have previously described presence of hK13 in salivary gland tissue, localized to duct epithelia and some acinar cells. The aim of this study was to determine whether hK13 is expressed in salivary gland tissues and salivary gland tumors (both benign and malignant), in order to compare normal with tumor tis...

The aim of our study was to monitor serum levels of two miRNAs (miR-21 and miR-141) and three KLKs (hK3/PSA, hK11, and hK13) before and 1, 5, and 30 days after radical prostatectomy, in order to characterize their fluctuations after surgery. 38 patients with prostate cancer were included. miR-21 and miR-141 were quantified through real-time PCR, while ELISA assays were used to quantify hK3 (PSA...

BACKGROUND Concentrations of human tissue kallikreins (hKs), a group of 15 secreted serine proteases found in many tissues, are modulated by steroid hormones in cancer cell lines. To gain insight into in vivo kallikrein regulation we measured kallikrein concentrations in serum and urinary tissue in female-to-male transsexuals before and after testosterone administration. METHODS We collected ...

PURPOSE Proteolytic factors of the human tissue kallikrein (hK) family and the plasminogen activation system play a key role in tumor progression in various malignancies. We determined antigen levels of urokinase-type plasminogen activator (uPA), its inhibitor PAI-1, and hK5-8, hK10, hK11, and hK13 by ELISA in primary tumor tissue extracts of 142 International Federation of Gynecology and Obste...

PURPOSE Our goal was to examine a panel of 11 biochemical variables, measured in cytosolic extracts of ovarian tissues (normal, benign, and malignant) by quantitative ELISAs for their ability to diagnose, prognose, and predict response to chemotherapy of ovarian cancer patients. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN Eleven proteins were measured (9 kallikreins, B7-H4, and CA125) in cytosolic extracts of 259 ov...