Identification and Validation of HOMER2 as a Novel Upregulated Biomarker in Prostate Cancer

Author : Christian Cedric Bongolo , Erick Thokerunga, Yu Zhang and Shi Chao Wang

Abstract :Background: Prostate cancer (PCa) is a major global health concern with a complex etiology. Its diagnosis currently relies on biomarkers like Prostate-Specific Antigen (PSA), which suffers from low specificity and fails to detect all aggressive cases, highlighting an urgent need for more reliable biomarkers. This study aims to identify and validate novel molecular markers to improve PCa diagnosis. Methods: We conducted an unbiased proteomic screening of PCa tissue samples compared to benign controls to identify differentially expressed proteins. From this screen, HOMER2, a scaffolding protein implicated in signal transduction, was selected as a candidate. Its mRNA expression was subsequently validated using quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR) on an independent cohort of 50 PCa and 20 benign prostate tissues. Furthermore, protein localization and expression levels were assessed via immunohistochemistry (IHC). Key Findings: Our proteomic analysis identified HOMER2 as significantly upregulated in PCa. Validation by qPCR confirmed that HOMER2 mRNA levels were consistently and significantly elevated in PCa tissues compared to benign controls (p-value < 0.001). IHC analysis further corroborated these f indings, demonstrating strong HOMER2 protein expression in malignant glands. Significance: This study is the first to comprehensively identify and validate the upregulation of HOMER2 in prostate cancer. Our findings position HOMER2 as a highly promising novel biomarker. Future research will focus on elucidating its functional role in tumorigenesis and evaluating its potential utility as a diagnostic and prognostic tool in liquid biopsies to overcome the limitations of current standards like PSA.

Keywords :Prostate Cancer, Biomarker, HOMER2, Proteomics, qPCR, Diagnosis.

Conference Name :International Conference on Molecular Cancer and Cancer Cell Biology (ICMCCCB-25)

Conference Place Singapore, Singapore

Conference Date 4th Nov 2025