Phosphorylation of the androgen receptor in a human prostate tumor cell line

The aim of the study described in this thesis was to deterntine whether the androgen receptor is a phosphoprotein, resembling in this respect the other members of the steroid/vitamin D /thyroid hormone receptor fantily. Furthermore, it was investigated whether the androgen receptor undergoes a hormone-dependent phosphorylation For all studies described in this thesis, the human LNCaP (Lymp Node Carcinoma of the Prostate) cell line was used. The androgen receptor in these cells was characterized with respect to molecular mass and ligand-binding properties (Chapter 3). The characterization of androgen receptor-specific polyclonal antibodies, which are useful tools for the phosphorylation studies, is described in Chapter 4. Studies on androgen receptor phosphorylation are presented in the Chapters 5 and 6. In addition to polyclonal antibodies, an androgen receptor-specific monoclonal antibody has been used for these studies. The preparation of the monoclonal antibody has been described briefly in Chapter 5. A detailed description of the generation and characterization of this antibody has been presented elsewhere (Zegers eta!, 1991).