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Abiraterone treatment in castration-resistant prostate cancer selects for progesterone responsive mutant androgen receptors.

ABSTRACT: The CYP17A1 inhibitor abiraterone markedly reduces androgen precursors and is thereby effective in castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC). However, abiraterone increases progesterone, which can activate certain mutant androgen receptors (AR) identified previously in flutamide-resistant tumors. Therefore, we sought to determine if CYP17A1 inhibitor treatment selects for progesterone-activated mutant ARs.AR was examined by targeted sequencing in metastatic tumor biopsies from 18 patients with CRPC who were progressing on a CYP17A1 inhibitor (17 on abiraterone, 1 on ketoconazole), alone or in combination with dutasteride, and by whole-exome sequencing in residual tumor in one patient treated with neoadjuvant leuprolide plus abiraterone.The progesterone-activated T878A-mutant AR was present at high allele frequency in 3 of the 18 CRPC cases. It was also present in one focus of resistant tumor in the neoadjuvant-treated patient, but not in a second clonally related resistant focus that instead had lost one copy of PTEN and both copies of CHD1. The T878A mutation appeared to be less common in the subset of patients with CRPC treated with abiraterone plus dutasteride, and transfection studies showed that dutasteride was a more potent direct antagonist of the T878A versus the wild-type AR.These findings indicate that selection for tumor cells expressing progesterone-activated mutant ARs is a mechanism of resistance to CYP17A1 inhibition.

SUBMITTER: Chen EJ

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4359958 | biostudies-literature | 2015 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Abiraterone treatment in castration-resistant prostate cancer selects for progesterone responsive mutant androgen receptors.

Chen Eddy J EJ Sowalsky Adam G AG Gao Shuai S Cai Changmeng C Voznesensky Olga O Schaefer Rachel R Loda Massimo M True Lawrence D LD Ye Huihui H Troncoso Patricia P Lis Rosina L RL Kantoff Philip W PW Montgomery Robert B RB Nelson Peter S PS Bubley Glenn J GJ Balk Steven P SP Taplin Mary-Ellen ME

Clinical cancer research : an official journal of the American Association for Cancer Research 20141015 6

<h4>Purpose</h4>The CYP17A1 inhibitor abiraterone markedly reduces androgen precursors and is thereby effective in castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC). However, abiraterone increases progesterone, which can activate certain mutant androgen receptors (AR) identified previously in flutamide-resistant tumors. Therefore, we sought to determine if CYP17A1 inhibitor treatment selects for progesterone-activated mutant ARs.<h4>Experimental design</h4>AR was examined by targeted sequencing in met ...[more]

PMID: 25320358

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Project description:IntroductionCastration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC) remains dependent on androgen receptor (AR) signalling, which is largely driven by conversion of adrenal androgen precursors lasting after castration. Abiraterone, an inhibitor of the steroidogenic enzyme CYP17A1, has been demonstrated to reduce adrenal androgen synthesis and prolong CRPC patient survival. To study mechanisms of resistance to castration and abiraterone, we created coculture models using human prostate and adrenal tumours.Materials and methodsCastration-naïve and CRPC clones of VCaP were incubated with steroid substrates or cocultured with human adrenal cells (H295R) and treated with abiraterone or the antiandrogen enzalutamide. Male mice bearing VCaP xenografts with and without concurrent H295R xenografts were castrated and treated with placebo or abiraterone. Response was assessed by tumour growth and PSA release. Plasma and tumour steroid levels were assessed by LC/MS-MS. Quantitative polymerase chain reaction determined steroidogenic enzyme, nuclear receptor and AR target gene expression.ResultsIn vitro, adrenal androgens induced castration-naïve and CRPC cell growth, while precursors steroids for de novo synthesis did not. In a coculture system, abiraterone blocked H295R-induced growth of VCaP cells. In vivo, H295R promoted castration-resistant VCaP growth. Abiraterone only inhibited VCaP growth or PSA production in the presence of H295R. Plasma steroid levels demonstrated CYP17A1 inhibition by abiraterone, whilst CRPC tumour tissue steroid levels showed no evidence of de novo intratumoural androgen production. Castration-resistant and abiraterone-resistant VCaP tumours had increased levels of AR, AR variants and glucocorticoid receptor (GR) resulting in equal AR target gene expression levels compared to noncastrate tumours.ConclusionsIn our model, ligand-dependent AR-regulated regrowth of CRPC was predominantly supported via adrenal androgen precursor production while there was no evidence for intratumoural androgen synthesis. Abiraterone-resistant tumours relied on AR overexpression, expression of ligand-independent AR variants and GR signalling.

Project description:Androgen deprivation therapy remains the single most effective treatment for the initial therapy of advanced prostate cancer, but is uniformly marked by progression to castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC). Residual tumor androgens and androgen axis activation are now recognized to play a prominent role in mediating CRPC progression. Despite suppression of circulating testosterone to castrate levels, castration does not eliminate androgens from the prostate tumor microenvironment and residual androgen levels are well within the range capable of activating the androgen receptor (AR) and AR-mediated gene expression. Accordingly, therapeutic strategies that more effectively target production of intratumoral androgens are necessary. The introduction of abiraterone, a potent suppressor of cytochrome P450 17 ?-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase-mediated androgen production, has heralded a new era in the hormonal treatment of men with metastatic CRPC. Herein, the androgen and AR-mediated mechanisms that contribute to CRPC progression and establish cytochrome P450 17 ?-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase as a critical therapeutic target are briefly reviewed. The mechanism of action and pharmacokinetics of abiraterone are reviewed and its recently described activity against AR and 3-?-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase is discussed. The Phase I and II data initially demonstrating the efficacy of abiraterone and Phase III data supporting its approval for patients with metastatic CRPC are reviewed. The safety and tolerability of abiraterone, including the incidence and management of side effects and potential drug interactions, are discussed. The current place of abiraterone in CRPC therapy is reviewed and early evidence regarding cross-resistance of abiraterone with taxane therapy, mechanisms of resistance to abiraterone, and observations of an abiraterone withdrawal response are presented. Future directions in the use of abiraterone, including optimal dosing strategies, the role of abiraterone in earlier disease settings, including castration sensitive, biochemically recurrent, or localized disease, and the rationale for combinatorial treatment strategies of abiraterone with enzalutamide and other targeted agents are also discussed.

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Abiraterone treatment in castration-resistant prostate cancer selects for progesterone responsive mutant androgen receptors.

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Abiraterone treatment in castration-resistant prostate cancer selects for progesterone responsive mutant androgen receptors.

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