According to a report that was first published in the May 2009 issue of The American Journal of Pathology SOCS – 1 has been found to negatively regulate the proliferation of prostate cancer.

SOCS family members are expressed in a range of different cancers including melanoma and prostate cancer, as well as chronic myeloid leukemia. Their role in carcinogenesis however may be tissue dependant.

The research was conducted at Austria’s Innsbruck Medical University by a team lead by Zoran Culig.

The team was able to identify SOCS -1 expression in both tissues taken from prostate cancer patients and in multiple prostate cancer cell lines. They found that while SOCS – 1 blocks the proliferation of prostate cancer cells inhibiting it stimulates tumor cell growth. SOCS – 1 therefore plays a negative regulatory role in the proliferation of prostate cancer.

Going forward the Austrian team will continue their studies and try to address other possible actions played by SOCS – 1 in prostate cancer, such as its effect on the regulation of immune response.