Project description:Background: Prostate cancer (PCa) cells preferentially metastasize to bone at least in part by acquiring osteomimetic properties. Runx2, an osteoblast master transcription factor, is aberrantly expressed in PCa cells, and promotes their metastatic phenotype. The transcriptional programs regulated by Runx2 have been extensively studied during osteoblastogenesis, where it activates or represses target genes in a context-dependent manner. However, little is known about the gene regulatory networks influenced by Runx2 in PCa cells. We therefore investigated genome-wide mRNA expression changes in PCa cells in response to Runx2. Results: We engineered a C4-2B PCa sub-line called C4-2B/Rx2dox, in which doxycycline (Dox) treatment stimulates Runx2 expression from very low levels to levels observed in other PCa cells. Transcriptome profiling using whole genome expression array followed by in silico analysis indicated that Runx2 upregulated a multitude of genes with prominent cancer-associated functions. They included secreted factors (CSF2, SDF-1), proteolytic enzymes (MMP9, CST7), cytoskeleton modulators (SDC2, Twinfilin, SH3PXD2A), intracellular signaling molecules (DUSP1, SPHK1, RASD1) and transcription factors (Sox9, SNAI2, SMAD3) functioning in epithelium to mesenchyme transition (EMT), tissue invasion, as well as homing and attachment to bone. Consistent with the gene expression data, induction of Runx2 in C4-2B cells enhanced their invasiveness. It also promoted cellular quiescence by blocking the G1/S phase transition during cell cycle progression. Furthermore, the cell cycle block was reversed as Runx2 levels declined after Dox withdrawal. Conclusions: The effects of Runx2 in C4-2B/Rx2dox cells, as well as similar observations made by employing LNCaP, 22RV1 and PC3 cells, highlight multiple mechanisms by which Runx2 promotes the metastatic phenotype of PCa cells, including tissue invasion, homing to bone and induction of high bone turnover. Runx2 is therefore an attractive target for the development of novel diagnostic, prognostic and therapeutic approaches to PCa management. Targeting Runx2 may prove more effective than focusing on its individual downstream genes and pathways. C4-2B/Rx2dox cells were subjected to microarray gene expression analysis after one and two days of treatment with either Dox or vehicle in biological quadruplicates (a total of 16 samples).

Project description:Background: Abiraterone (Abi) is an androgen receptor signaling inhibitor that significantly improves patients' life expectancy in metastatic prostate cancer (PCa). Despite its beneficial effects, many patients have baseline or acquired resistance against Abi. Objective: To identify predictive serum biomarkers for Abi treatment. Design, setting, and participants: We performed a comparative proteome analysis on three Abi sensitive (LNCaPabl, LAPC4, DuCaP) and resistant (LNCaPabl-Abi, LAPC4-Abi, DuCaP-Abi) PCa cell lines using liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) technique. Two bioinformatic selection methods were applied to select the most promising candidate serum markers. Serum levels of selected proteins were assessed in samples of 100 Abi-treated patients with metastatic castration-resistant disease using ELISA. Moreover, FSCN1 serum concentrations were measured in samples of 69 Docetaxel (Doc) treated mCRPC patients. Outcome measurements and statistical analysis: Serum levels were correlated with patients‘ clinicopathological parameters and survival. Results and limitations: Our proteome analysis identified 68 significantly, at least two-fold upregulated proteins in Abi resistant cells. Using two filtering methods four proteins (AMACR, KLK2, FSCN1 and CTAG1A) were selected for ELISA analyses. We found high baseline FSCN1 serum levels to be significantly associated with poor survival in Abi-treated mCRPC patients. Moreover, the multivariable analysis revealed that higher ECOG status (>1) and high baseline FSCN1 serum levels (>10.22 ng/ml by ROC cut-off) were independently associated with worse survival in Abi-treated patients (p<0.001 and p=0.021, respectively). In contrast, no association was found between serum FSCN1 concentrations and overall survival in Doc-treated patients. Conclusions: Our analysis identified baseline FSCN1 serum levels to be independently associated with poor survival of Abi-treated, but not Doc-treated mCRPC patients, suggesting a therapy specific prognostic value for FSCN1. Patient summary: In this study, we identified serum FSCN1 as a marker that may help to predict PCa patients who derive less benefit from Abi but not Doc treatment.

Project description:Background: Prostate cancer (PCa) cells preferentially metastasize to bone at least in part by acquiring osteomimetic properties. Runx2, an osteoblast master transcription factor, is aberrantly expressed in PCa cells, and promotes their metastatic phenotype. The transcriptional programs regulated by Runx2 have been extensively studied during osteoblastogenesis, where it activates or represses target genes in a context-dependent manner. However, little is known about the gene regulatory networks influenced by Runx2 in PCa cells. We therefore investigated genome-wide mRNA expression changes in PCa cells in response to Runx2. Results: We engineered a C4-2B PCa sub-line called C4-2B/Rx2dox, in which doxycycline (Dox) treatment stimulates Runx2 expression from very low levels to levels observed in other PCa cells. Transcriptome profiling using whole genome expression array followed by in silico analysis indicated that Runx2 upregulated a multitude of genes with prominent cancer-associated functions. They included secreted factors (CSF2, SDF-1), proteolytic enzymes (MMP9, CST7), cytoskeleton modulators (SDC2, Twinfilin, SH3PXD2A), intracellular signaling molecules (DUSP1, SPHK1, RASD1) and transcription factors (Sox9, SNAI2, SMAD3) functioning in epithelium to mesenchyme transition (EMT), tissue invasion, as well as homing and attachment to bone. Consistent with the gene expression data, induction of Runx2 in C4-2B cells enhanced their invasiveness. It also promoted cellular quiescence by blocking the G1/S phase transition during cell cycle progression. Furthermore, the cell cycle block was reversed as Runx2 levels declined after Dox withdrawal. Conclusions: The effects of Runx2 in C4-2B/Rx2dox cells, as well as similar observations made by employing LNCaP, 22RV1 and PC3 cells, highlight multiple mechanisms by which Runx2 promotes the metastatic phenotype of PCa cells, including tissue invasion, homing to bone and induction of high bone turnover. Runx2 is therefore an attractive target for the development of novel diagnostic, prognostic and therapeutic approaches to PCa management. Targeting Runx2 may prove more effective than focusing on its individual downstream genes and pathways.

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Emerin Dysregulation Drives the Very-Small-Nuclear Phenotype and Lineage Plasticity that Associates with a Clinically Aggressive Subtype of Prostate Cancer

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