Trichomonosis, a Common Curable STI, and Prostate Carcinogenesis—A Proposed Molecular Mechanism
Figure 2
A working model of how chronic, latent T. vaginalis infection of prostate tissue up-regulates the signaling cascade leading to prostate carcinogenesis.
Production of IL-6 leads to transcriptional activation of the STAT3-PIM1-HMGA1 cascade. In this case induced transcriptional activation of the HMGA1 proto-oncogene contributes directly to prostate cancer progression via pathways involving COX2 and the prostate-specific membrane antigen. The inset shows a T. vaginalis organism adherent to a VEC, and the same mechanism of cytoadherence occurs for PECs.