Back to discover

Protein / target

Prostate-specific antigen

Encoded byKLK3P07288Homo sapiensSwiss-Prot
Clinically validated
Therapeutic maturity
1
Approved medicines
Open Targets target-level
Small-molecule tractable
Druggability
Structure with Ligand
24
Research papers

Protein at a glance

Biological role

Serine-type endopeptidase

Strongest disease association

Prostate carcinoma

Via encoding gene KLK3 · Genetic evidence · score 0.92

Therapeutic position

Established drug target

Antibodies

Research activity

Emerging research

24 papers · latest 2024

Derived from structured UniProt, Open Targets and literature data on this page.

Protein profile

UniProt 2026_02

Canonical identity and biological annotation from UniProt.

Function overview

Hydrolyzes semenogelin-1 thus leading to the liquefaction of the seminal coagulum

Subcellular location

Secreted
Domains and Gene Ontology detail (16)

Domains & features

Peptidase S1

Gene Ontology

  • Cextracellular exosome
  • Cextracellular region
  • Cextracellular space
  • Cnucleus
  • Cprotein-containing complex
  • Csecretory granule
  • Fendopeptidase activity
  • Fhydrolase activity, acting on carbon-nitrogen (but not peptide) bonds, in linear amides
  • Fserine-type endopeptidase activity
  • Fserine-type peptidase activity
  • Pnegative regulation of angiogenesis
  • Ppositive regulation of antibacterial peptide production

261 aa · 29 kDa · 5 isoforms

Biological roles

What this protein does, drawn together from its UniProt function, Gene Ontology terms and Reactome pathways.

ProteolysisGO
View supporting evidence

Proteolysis

  • ·endopeptidase activity
  • ·serine-type endopeptidase activity
  • ·serine-type peptidase activity
  • ·proteolysis

Concepts derived from UniProt GO Reactome — each badge above shows which sources supported that role.

Translational evidence

Open Targets 26

Why this target matters therapeutically, strongest evidence first. Disease associations are gene-level (via the gene that encodes this protein) and open into the full confidence synthesis; the development universe, tractability and safety annotations are target-level, from Open Targets.

Strongest disease associations · via encoding gene KLK3

Gene-level evidence surfaced through the gene KLK3that encodes this protein — not a direct protein–disease relationship. Ranked by Forefront's causal-directness weighting, so genetically- and clinically-evidenced diseases lead over ones that merely share the literature.

Prostate carcinoma
0.94Well supported

Genetic evidence dominant · Open Targets 0.59

Prostatic Neoplasms
0.93Well supported

Genetic evidence dominant · Open Targets 0.62

Neoplasms
0.74Moderately supported

Genetic evidence dominant · Open Targets 0.45

Chronic prostatitis
0.73Moderately supported

Genetic evidence dominant · Open Targets 0.45

Benign prostatic hyperplasia
0.62Moderately supported

Genetic evidence dominant · Open Targets 0.37

View evidence synthesis (5)
Prostate carcinomaWell supported
0.94
agreement 0.801.00
Genetic86%Literature14%

Open Targets aggregate 0.59 · 2 independent evidence families

Prostatic NeoplasmsWell supported
0.93
agreement 0.821.00
Genetic58%Clinical31%Literature10%

Open Targets aggregate 0.62 · 3 independent evidence families

NeoplasmsModerately supported
0.74
agreement 0.600.88
Genetic82%Literature18%

Open Targets aggregate 0.45 · 2 independent evidence families

Chronic prostatitisModerately supported
0.73
agreement 0.590.87
Genetic87%Literature13%

Open Targets aggregate 0.45 · 2 independent evidence families

Benign prostatic hyperplasiaModerately supported
0.62
agreement 0.480.76
Genetic79%Literature21%

Open Targets aggregate 0.37 · 2 independent evidence families

This ranking differs from Open Targets' own: re-weighting moves genetically-evidenced diseases above more heavily co-mentioned ones. The evidence agreement range shows how closely the independent evidence families agree — it is not a statistical confidence interval, and nothing here is fitted to outcome data. Derived from Open Targets evidence types under Forefront weighting; the per-type scores above show the calculation.

Show all associations
Prostatic Neoplasms0.62
Prostate carcinoma0.59
Neoplasms0.45
Chronic prostatitis0.45
Benign prostatic hyperplasia0.37
Male reproductive organ cancer0.37
Neurodegenerative Diseases0.19
Optic Atrophy0.14

Drug development

1 compounds recorded · 1 approved

Open Targets' development universe — every compound recorded against the target at any stage, not all approved medicines.

View all recorded compounds (1)
CAPROMABApproval

Open Targets known-drugs universe. Drug name and highest clinical stage only — the disease relationship is NOT read from this slice (it carries trial-context noise); approved indications come from the canonical graph above.

Tractability

Small moleculesEmerging

Feasibility evidence (structure with ligand and med-quality pocket) — no clinical-stage drug of this modality recorded.

AntibodiesStrong

Advanced Clinical and GO CC high conf support this modality.

Protein degradersEmerging

Feasibility evidence (database ubiquitination and small molecule binder) — no clinical-stage drug of this modality recorded.

View underlying tractability evidence (9)
SM · Structure with LigandSM · Med-Quality PocketSM · Druggable FamilyAB · Advanced ClinicalAB · GO CC high confAB · UniProt loc med confAB · UniProt SigP or TMHMMPR · Database UbiquitinationPR · Small Molecule Binder

Raw Open Targets tractability assessment buckets, by modality.

Research activity

24 papers · to 2024

Papers linked directly to this protein. This is the protein's own literature — descriptor-derived papers are kept separate below.

Most cited

Sweeney CJ · The New England journal of medicine · 2015

Sartor O · The New England journal of medicine · 2021

James ND · The New England journal of medicine · 2017

Recent

Circulating Tumor DNA Assessment for Treatment Monitoring Adds Value to PSA in Metastatic Castration-Resistant Prostate Cancer.

Sweeney CJ · Clinical cancer research : an official journal of the American Association for Cancer Research · 2024

A Phase I Study of Acapatamab, a Half-life Extended, PSMA-Targeting Bispecific T-cell Engager for Metastatic Castration-Resistant Prostate Cancer.

Dorff T · Clinical cancer research : an official journal of the American Association for Cancer Research · 2024

Evaluating Immune Checkpoint Blockade in Metastatic Castration-Resistant Prostate Cancers with Deleterious CDK12 Alterations in the Phase 2 IMPACT Trial.

Nguyen CB · Clinical cancer research : an official journal of the American Association for Cancer Research · 2024

Deep Semisupervised Transfer Learning for Fully Automated Whole-Body Tumor Quantification and Prognosis of Cancer on PET/CT.

Leung KH · Journal of nuclear medicine : official publication, Society of Nuclear Medicine · 2024

Europe PMC papers linked directly to this protein.