scholarly journals Long Terminal Repeats Act as Androgen-Responsive Enhancers for the PSA-Kallikrein Locus

Endocrinology ◽  
2012 ◽  
Vol 153 (7) ◽  
pp. 3199-3210 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mitchell G. Lawrence ◽  
Carson R. Stephens ◽  
Eleanor F. Need ◽  
John Lai ◽  
Grant Buchanan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Prostate Cancer ◽  
Cancer Cells ◽  
Transcriptional Activation ◽  
Target Genes ◽  
Specific Antigen ◽  
Endogenous Retrovirus ◽  
Repetitive Elements ◽  
Prostate Cancer Cells ◽  
Distal Enhancer ◽  
Detailed Understanding

The androgen receptor (AR) signaling pathway is a common therapeutic target for prostate cancer, because it is critical for the survival of both hormone-responsive and castrate-resistant tumor cells. Most of the detailed understanding that we have of AR transcriptional activation has been gained by studying classical target genes. For more than two decades, Kallikrein 3 (KLK3) (prostate-specific antigen) has been used as a prototypical AR target gene, because it is highly androgen responsive in prostate cancer cells. Three regions upstream of the KLK3 gene, including the distal enhancer, are known to contain consensus androgen-responsive elements required for AR-mediated transcriptional activation. Here, we show that KLK3 is one of a specific cluster of androgen-regulated genes at the centromeric end of the kallikrein locus with enhancers that evolved from the long terminal repeat (LTR) (LTR40a) of an endogenous retrovirus. Ligand-dependent recruitment of the AR to individual LTR-derived enhancers results in concurrent up-regulation of endogenous KLK2, KLK3, and KLKP1 expression in LNCaP prostate cancer cells. At the molecular level, a kallikrein-specific duplication within the LTR is required for maximal androgen responsiveness. Therefore, KLK3 represents a subset of target genes regulated by repetitive elements but is not typical of the whole spectrum of androgen-responsive transcripts. These data provide a novel and more detailed understanding of AR transcriptional activation and emphasize the importance of repetitive elements as functional regulatory units.

Androgen receptor: acting in the three-dimensional chromatin landscape of prostate cancer cells

2011 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Harri Makkonen ◽  
Jorma J. Palvimo
Keyword(s):  
Prostate Cancer ◽  
Androgen Receptor ◽  
Cancer Cells ◽  
Binding Sites ◽  
Target Genes ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Regulatory Elements ◽  
Gene Promoters ◽  
Loop Formation ◽  
Prostate Cancer Cells

AbstractAndrogen receptor (AR) acts as a hormone-controlled transcription factor that conveys the messages of both natural and synthetic androgens to the level of genes and gene programs. Defective AR signaling leads to a wide array of androgen insensitivity disorders, and deregulated AR function, in particular overexpression of AR, is involved in the growth and progression of prostate cancer. Classic models of AR action view AR-binding sites as upstream regulatory elements in gene promoters or their proximity. However, recent wider genomic screens indicate that AR target genes are commonly activated through very distal chromatin-binding sites. This highlights the importance of long-range chromatin regulation of transcription by the AR, shifting the focus from the linear gene models to three-dimensional models of AR target genes and gene programs. The capability of AR to regulate promoters from long distances in the chromatin is particularly important when evaluating the role of AR in the regulation of genes in malignant prostate cells that frequently show striking genomic aberrations, especially gene fusions. Therefore, in addition to the mechanisms of DNA loop formation between the enhancer bound ARs and the transcription apparatus at the target core promoter, the mechanisms insulating distally bound ARs from promiscuously making contacts and activating other than their normal target gene promoters are critical for proper physiological regulation and thus currently under intense investigation. This review discusses the current knowledge about the AR action in the context of gene aberrations and the three-dimensional chromatin landscape of prostate cancer cells.

scholarly journals Recruitment of NCOR1 to VDR target genes is enhanced in prostate cancer cells and associates with altered DNA methylation patterns

2012 ◽  
Vol 34 (2) ◽  
pp. 248-256 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. L. Doig ◽  
P. K. Singh ◽  
V. K. Dhiman ◽  
J. L. Thorne ◽  
S. Battaglia ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Prostate Cancer ◽  
Dna Methylation ◽  
Cancer Cells ◽  
Target Genes ◽  
Prostate Cancer Cells ◽  
Methylation Patterns

scholarly journals Recruitment of β-Catenin by Wild-Type or Mutant Androgen Receptors Correlates with Ligand-Stimulated Growth of Prostate Cancer Cells

2004 ◽  
Vol 18 (10) ◽  
pp. 2388-2401 ◽  
Author(s):  
David Masiello ◽  
Shao-Yong Chen ◽  
Youyuan Xu ◽  
Manon C. Verhoeven ◽  
Eunis Choi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Prostate Cancer ◽  
Cell Growth ◽  
Cancer Cells ◽  
Nuclear Receptor ◽  
Specific Antigen ◽  
Prostate Cancer Cells ◽  
Prostate Cell ◽  
Nuclear Receptor Corepressor ◽  
Prostate Cancers

Abstract Prostate cancers respond to treatments that suppress androgen receptor (AR) function, with bicalutamide, flutamide, and cyproterone acetate (CPA) being AR antagonists in clinical use. As CPA has substantial agonist activity, it was examined to identify AR coactivator/corepressor interactions that may mediate androgen-stimulated prostate cancer growth. The CPA-liganded AR was coactivated by steroid receptor coactivator-1 (SRC-1) but did not mediate N-C terminal interactions or recruit β-catenin, indicating a nonagonist conformation. Nonetheless, CPA did not enhance AR interaction with nuclear receptor corepressor, whereas the AR antagonist RU486 (mifepristone) strongly stimulated AR-nuclear receptor corepressor binding. The role of coactivators was further assessed with a T877A AR mutation, found in LNCaP prostate cancer cells, which converts hydroxyflutamide (HF, the active flutamide metabolite) into an agonist that stimulates LNCaP cell growth. The HF and CPA-liganded T877A ARs were coactivated by SRC-1, but only the HF-liganded T877A AR was coactivated by β-catenin. L-39, a novel AR antagonist that transcriptionally activates the T877A AR, but still inhibits LNCaP growth, similarly mediated recruitment of SRC-1 and not β-catenin. In contrast, β-catenin coactivated a bicalutamide-responsive mutant AR (W741C) isolated from a bicalutamide-stimulated LNCaP subline, further implicating β-catenin recruitment in AR-stimulated growth. Androgen-stimulated prostate-specific antigen gene expression in LNCaP cells could be modulated by β-catenin, and endogenous c-myc expression was repressed by dihydrotestosterone, but not CPA. These results indicate that interactions between AR and β-catenin contribute to prostate cell growth in vivo, although specific growth promoting genes positively regulated by AR recruitment of β-catenin remain to be identified.

scholarly journals 1α,25-Dihydroxyvitamin D3 Inhibits Growth of VCaP Prostate Cancer Cells Despite Inducing the Growth-Promoting TMPRSS2:ERG Gene Fusion

Endocrinology ◽  
2010 ◽  
Vol 151 (4) ◽  
pp. 1409-1417 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michele N. Washington ◽  
Nancy L. Weigel
Keyword(s):  
Prostate Cancer ◽  
Androgen Receptor ◽  
Cancer Cells ◽  
Target Gene ◽  
Target Genes ◽  
Fusion Gene ◽  
Critical Factor ◽  
Synthetic Analog ◽  
Prostate Cancer Cells ◽  
Dihydroxyvitamin D3

Vitamin D receptor (VDR) agonists have been shown to reduce the growth of several prostate cancer cell lines. However, the effects of VDR activation have not been examined in the presence of the recently identified androgen-regulated TMPRSS2:ERG gene fusions, which occur in a high percentage of prostate cancers and play a role in growth and invasiveness. In a previous microarray study, we found that VDR activation induces TMPRSS2 expression in LNCaP prostate cancer cells. Here we show that the natural VDR agonist 1α,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 and its synthetic analog EB1089 increase expression of TMPRSS2:ERG mRNA in VCaP prostate cancer cells; this results in increased ETS-related gene (ERG) protein expression and ERG activity as demonstrated by an increase in the ERG target gene CACNA1D. In VCaP cells, we were not able to prevent EB1089-mediated TMPRSS2:ERG induction with an androgen receptor antagonist, Casodex, although in LNCaP cells, as reported for some other common androgen receptor and VDR target genes, Casodex reduces EB1089-mediated induction of TMPRSS2. However, despite inducing the fusion gene, VDR agonists reduce VCaP cell growth and expression of the ERG target gene c-Myc, a critical factor in VDR-mediated growth inhibition. Thus, the beneficial effects of VDR agonist treatment override some of the negative effects of ERG induction, although others remain to be tested.

scholarly journals Regenerated Luminal Epithelial Cells Are Derived from Preexisting Luminal Epithelial Cells in Adult Mouse Prostate

2011 ◽  
Vol 25 (11) ◽  
pp. 1849-1857 ◽  
Author(s):  
June Liu ◽  
Laura E. Pascal ◽  
Sudhir Isharwal ◽  
Daniel Metzger ◽  
Raquel Ramos Garcia ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Prostate Cancer ◽  
Epithelial Cells ◽  
Cancer Cells ◽  
Androgen Deprivation Therapy ◽  
Specific Antigen ◽  
Androgen Deprivation ◽  
Genetic Lineage ◽  
Prostate Cancer Cells ◽  
Mouse Prostate ◽  
Luminal Epithelial Cells

Abstract Determining the source of regenerated luminal epithelial cells in the adult prostate during androgen deprivation and replacement will provide insights into the origin of prostate cancer cells and their fate during androgen deprivation therapy. Prostate stem cells in the epithelial layer have been suggested to give rise to luminal epithelium. However, the extent of stem cell participation to prostate regrowth is not clear. In this report, using prostate-specific antigen-CreERT2-based genetic lineage marking/tracing in mice, preexisting luminal epithelial cells were shown to be a source of regenerated luminal epithelial cells in the adult prostate. Prostatic luminal epithelial cells could survive androgen deprivation and were capable of proliferating upon androgen replacement. Prostate cancer cells, typically exhibiting a luminal epithelial phenotype, may retain this intrinsic capability to survive and regenerate in response to changes in androgen signaling, providing part of the mechanism for the ultimate failure of androgen deprivation therapy in prostate cancer.

Preclinical investigation of a small molecule inhibitor of p300/CBP reveals efficacy in patient-derived prostate tumor explants.

2019 ◽  
Vol 37 (15_suppl) ◽  
pp. e16534-e16534 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lisa Butler ◽  
Swati Irani ◽  
Margaret Centenera ◽  
Natalie Ryan ◽  
Neil Pegg ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Prostate Cancer ◽  
Cancer Cells ◽  
Small Molecule ◽  
Single Agent ◽  
Specific Antigen ◽  
Resistance Mechanisms ◽  
Prostate Cancer Cells ◽  
In Vivo Models

e16534 Background: Growth and survival of prostate cancer cells are initially dependent upon androgens, and androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) is used to control tumor growth. Unfortunately, resistance to ADT inevitably occurs, and patients relapse with lethal castrate-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC). Increased expression of the androgen receptor (AR) and constitutively active AR variants are hallmarks of CRPC, and treatments targeting aberrant AR signaling are urgently required. CCS1477 is an inhibitor of p300/CBP currently in a Phase I/IIa study for CRPC. CCS1477 enhances degradation of numerous cellular proteins including the AR and AR variants in prostate cancer cells. Our preclinical studies with this compound demonstrated potent single-agent efficacy of CCS1477 using in vitro and in vivo models of prostate cancer and, when used in combination, CCS1477 enhances the efficacy of enzalutamide, a clinical AR antagonist. Understanding the response of clinical tumors to CCS1477, and their potential adaptive evolution, is essential to personalize treatment and predict potential resistance mechanisms. Methods: To assess CCS1477 in human disease, we used a unique model in which clinical prostate tumors from radical prostatectomy are cultured as explants with maintenance of tissue integrity, cell proliferation and androgen signaling. Tumors from 13 patients were cultured in the absence or presence of CCS1477 (10µM) or enzalutamide (10µM) for 48 or 72 hours; micromolar doses were selected to account for altered small molecule uptake and penetration into tissues compared to cell lines, as previously reported. Proliferation, apoptosis and androgen signaling were all analyzed post-culture. Results: Whereas the tumor explants exhibited highly heterogenous proliferative responses to enzalutamide, tumors from all patients exhibited a marked antiproliferative response to CCS1477 (mean reduction in Ki67 immunoreactivity of > 90% compared to vehicle control; p < 0.0005). Culture with CCS1477 was associated with repression of androgen signaling in the prostate tissues, measured by expression and secretion of the clinical biomarker prostate specific antigen (PSA). Conclusions: The consistent and pronounced efficacy of CCS1477 in this patient-derived model would support further investigation of this class of epigenetic agents in the castrate-sensitive prostate cancer setting.

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