A working model of how chronic, latent <i>T. vaginalis</i> infection of prostate tissue up-regulates the signaling cascade leading to prostate carcinogenesis.
<p>Production of IL-6 leads to transcriptional activation of the STAT3-PIM1-HMGA1 cascade. In this case induced transcriptional activation of the <i>HMGA1</i> proto-oncogene contributes directly to prostate cancer progression via pathways involving COX2 and the prostate-specific membrane antigen. The inset shows a <i>T. vaginalis</i> organism adherent to a VEC, and the same mechanism of cytoadherence occurs for PECs.</p
