Ellagic Acid Modulates Lipid Metabolism in Prostate Cancer: Gene–Nutrient Interactions

: Prostate cancer is second most common cancer affecting male population all over the world. The existence of a correlation between lipid metabolism disorders and cancer of the prostate gland has been widely known for a long time. According to hypotheses, cholesterol may contribute to prostate cancer progression as a result of its participation as a signalling molecule in prostate growth and differentiation via numerous biologic mechanisms including Akt signalling and de novo steroidogenesis. The results of some studies suggest that increased cholesterol levels may be associated with higher risk of more aggressive course of disease. The aforementioned alterations in the synthesis of fatty acids are a unique feature of cancer and, therefore, it constitutes an attractive target for therapeutic intervention in the treatment of prostate cancer. Pharmacological or gene therapy aimed to reduce the activity of enzymes involved in de novo synthesis of fatty acids, FASN, ACLY (ATP citrate lyase) or SCD-1 (stearoyl-CoA desaturase) in particular, may result in cells growth arrest. Nevertheless, not all cancers are unequivocally associated with hypocholesterolaemia. It cannot be ruled out that the relationship between prostate cancer and lipid disorders is not a direct quantitative correlation between carcinogenesis and the amount of the circulating cholesterol. Perhaps the correspondence is more sophisticated and connected to the distribution of cholesterol fractions, or even sub-fractions of e.g. HDL cholesterol.

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YAP1 overexpression contributes to the development of enzalutamide resistance by induction of cancer stemness and lipid metabolism in prostate cancer

Oncogene ◽

10.1038/s41388-021-01718-4 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Hsiu-Chi Lee ◽

Chien-Hui Ou ◽

Yun-Chen Huang ◽

Pei-Chi Hou ◽

Chad J. Creighton ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Prostate Cancer ◽

Lipid Metabolism ◽

Critical Issue ◽

Castration Resistant Prostate Cancer ◽

Cancer Stemness ◽

New Treatment ◽

Underlying Mechanisms ◽

Transcriptional Complex

AbstractMetastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) is a malignant and lethal disease caused by relapse after androgen-deprivation (ADT) therapy. Since enzalutamide is innovated and approved by US FDA as a new treatment option for mCRPC patients, drug resistance for enzalutamide is a critical issue during clinical usage. Although several underlying mechanisms causing enzalutamide resistance were previously identified, most of them revealed that drug resistant cells are still highly addicted to androgen and AR functions. Due to the numerous physical functions of AR in men, innovated AR-independent therapy might alleviate enzalutamide resistance and prevent production of adverse side effects. Here, we have identified that yes-associated protein 1 (YAP1) is overexpressed in enzalutamide-resistant (EnzaR) cells. Furthermore, enzalutamide-induced YAP1 expression is mediated through the function of chicken ovalbumin upstream promoter transcription factor 2 (COUP-TFII) at the transcriptional and the post-transcriptional levels. Functional analyses reveal that YAP1 positively regulates numerous genes related to cancer stemness and lipid metabolism and interacts with COUP-TFII to form a transcriptional complex. More importantly, YAP1 inhibitor attenuates the growth and cancer stemness of EnzaR cells in vitro and in vivo. Finally, YAP1, COUP-TFII, and miR-21 are detected in the extracellular vesicles (EVs) isolated from EnzaR cells and sera of patients. In addition, treatment with EnzaR-EVs induces the abilities of cancer stemness, lipid metabolism and enzalutamide resistance in its parental cells. Taken together, these results suggest that YAP1 might be a crucial factor involved in the development of enzalutamide resistance and can be an alternative therapeutic target in prostate cancer.

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