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Androgen receptor splice variants contribute to prostate cancer aggressiveness through induction of EMT and expression of stem cell marker genes
Author(s) -
Kong Dejuan,
Sethi Seema,
Li Yiwei,
Chen Wei,
Sakr Wael A.,
Heath Elisabeth,
Sarkar Fazlul H.
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
the prostate
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.295
H-Index - 123
eISSN - 1097-0045
pISSN - 0270-4137
DOI - 10.1002/pros.22901
Subject(s) - prostate cancer , androgen receptor , cancer research , stem cell , cancer stem cell , du145 , stem cell marker , epithelial–mesenchymal transition , biology , androgen deprivation therapy , cancer , lncap , microbiology and biotechnology , metastasis , genetics
BACKGROUND The mechanism(s) by which androgen receptor (AR) splice variants contribute to castration‐resistant prostate cancer (CRPC) is still lacking. METHODS Expressions of epithelial‐to‐mesenchymal transition (EMT) and stem cell markers were molecularly tested using prostate cancer (PCa) cells transfected with AR and AR3 (also known as AR‐V7) plasmids or siRNA, and also cultured cells under androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) condition. Cell migration, clonogenicity, sphere‐forming capacity was assessed using PCa cells under all experimental conditions and 3,3′‐diindolylmethane (DIM; BR‐DIM) treatment. Human PCa samples from BR‐DIM untreated or treated patients were also used for assessing the expression of AR3 and stem cell markers. RESULTS Overexpression of AR led to the induction of EMT phenotype, while overexpression of AR3 not only induced EMT but also led to the expression of stem cell signature genes. More importantly, ADT enhanced the expression of AR and AR3 concomitant with up‐regulated expression of EMT and stem cell marker genes. Dihydrotestosterone (DHT) treatment decreased the expression of AR and AR3, and reversed the expression of these EMT and stem cell marker genes. BR‐DIM administered to PCa patients prior to radical prostatectomy inhibited the expression of cancer stem cell markers consistent with inhibition of self‐renewal of PCa cells after BR‐DIM treatment. CONCLUSION AR variants could contribute to PCa progression through induction of EMT and acquisition of stem cell characteristics, which could be attenuated by BR‐DIM, suggesting that BR‐DIM could become a promising agent for the prevention of CRPC and/or for the treatment of PCa. Prostate 75:161–174, 2015 . © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.