Vitamin D Deficiency, MEGALIN and High Prostatic Androgens in African American Men

Prostate cancer is the most frequent (excluding skin) malignancy diagnosed in males (in the US) and it is estimated that 1 in 7 men will be diagnosed within their life. African American men are inordinately at risk for developing this disease and are twice as likely to die from it compared to European American men. African American men are also susceptible to vitamin D deficiency as melanin inhibits cutaneous synthesis of vitamin D. Vitamin D is a hormone suspected to be chemopreventive in the prostate and its deficiency has been theorized to promote prostate cancer disparities in African American men. Androgens are another class of steroid hormones with carcinogenic properties that promote prostate cancer progression. This thesis challenges the ideas and explores the outcomes of an extracellular receptor, MEGALIN, that can internalize and be negatively regulated transcriptionally by vitamin D and androgens within the prostate