Background of the antigen
Leupaxin is a 386 amino acid cytoplasmic protein and member of the paxillin family. Leupaxin is highly expressed in lymphoid tissues such as spleen, lymph node, thymus and appendix, with low expression in bone marrow and fetal liver. Consisting of four leucine-rich LD-motifs at the N-terminus and four LIM domains at the C-terminus, leupaxin associates with a member of the focal adhesion kinase family, PYK2, in lymphoid cells. The leupaxin and PYK2 complex is involved in cell type-specific signaling in which it regulates signaling at sites of adhesion. Leupaxin is a substrate for tyrosine kinase in lymphoid cells and is suggested to participate in and be regulated by tyrosine kinase activity. Leupaxin may be a potential progression marker for a subset of prostate cancer and may act as a novel coactivator of the androgen receptor.
