Description

The androgen receptor antibody recognizes a protein of 110 k Da molecular weight identified as androgen receptor (AR). It is a type of nuclear receptor which is activated by binding of either of the androgenic hormones testosterone or dihydrotestosterone. It is highly specific and does not cross-react with estrogen, progesterone and glucocorticoid receptors. The expression of AR is reportedly inversely correlated with histologic grade i.e. well differentiated prostate tumors show higher expression than the poorly differentiated tumors. In prostate cancer, AR has been proposed, as a marker of hormone-responsiveness and thus it may be useful in identifying patients likely to benefit from anti-androgen therapy. Anti-androgen receptor has been useful clinically in differentiating morpheaform basal cell carcinoma (mBCC) from desmoplastic trichoepithelioma (DTE) in the skin. Other applications for androgen receptor include breast cancer, Paget’s disease and dermatopathology.