Project description:Mitogen/extracellular signal-regulated kinase kinase-5 (MEK5) belongs to the family of MAP kinases. It is activated by the upstream kinases MEKK2 and MEKK3. MEK5, in turn, phosphorylates and activates extracellular signal-regulated kinase 5 (ERK5) at Thr218/Tyr220. MEK5/ERK5 pathway plays a pivotal role in tumor initiation and progression, including prostate cancer. MEK5 protein is overexpressed in prostate cancer cells compared with normal cells and MEK5 levels are correlated with prostate cancer metastasis. Global gene expression was determined in DU145 cells stably expressing a scrambled (control) shRNA or MEK5 shRNA using the Agilent Mouse Whole Genome microarrays. Gene ontology and pathway analysis of differentially expressed genes using Ingenuity Pathway Analysis and gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) revealed MEK5 knockdown attenuates a number or critical signaling pathways required for prostate tumor growth and progression.
Project description:Mitogen/extracellular signal-regulated kinase kinase-5 (MEK5) belongs to the family of MAP kinases. It is activated by the upstream kinases MEKK2 and MEKK3. MEK5, in turn, phosphorylates and activates extracellular signal-regulated kinase 5 (ERK5) at Thr218/Tyr220. MEK5/ERK5 pathway plays a pivotal role in tumor initiation and progression, including prostate cancer. MEK5 protein is overexpressed in prostate cancer cells compared with normal cells and MEK5 levels are correlated with prostate cancer metastasis. Global gene expression was determined in PC3 cells stably expressing a scrambled (control) shRNA or MEK5 shRNA using the Agilent Mouse Whole Genome microarrays. Gene ontology and pathway analysis of differentially expressed genes using Ingenuity Pathway Analysis and gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) revealed MEK5 knockdown attenuates a number or critical signaling pathways required for prostate tumor growth and progression.
Project description:Tumor microenvironment or stroma has the potency to regulate the behavior of malignant cells. Fibroblast-like cells are abundant in tumor stroma and they are also responsible for the synthesis of many extracellular matrix components. Fibroblast–cancer cell interplay can modify the functions of both cell types. We applied mass spectrometry and proteomics to unveil the matrisome in 3D spheroids formed by DU145 prostate cancer cells, PC3 prostate cancer cells or prostate derived fibroblasts. Similarly DU145/fibroblast and PC3/fibroblast co-culture spheroids were also analyzed. Western Blotting and immunofluorescence were used to confirm the presence of specific proteins in spheroids. Cancer dissemination was studied by utilizing "out of spheroids" migration and invasion assays. In the spheroid model cancer cell–fibroblast interplay caused remarkable changes in extracellular matrix and accelerated the invasion of DU145 cells. Fibroblasts produced structural matrix proteins, growth factors and matrix metalloproteinases. In cancer cell/fibroblast co-cultures basement membrane components, including laminins (3, 5, 2, 3), heparan sulphate proteoglycan (HSPG2 gene product), and collagen XVIII accumulated in a prominent manner when compared to spheroids that contained fibroblasts or cancer cells only. Furthermore, collagen XVIII was intensively processed to different endostatin isoforms by cancer cell derived cathepsin L. To sum up, fibroblasts can promote carcinoma cell dissemination by several different mechanisms. Extracellular matrix and basement membrane proteins provide attachment sites for cell locomotion promoting adhesion receptors. Growth factors and metalloproteinases are known to accelerate cell invasion. Additionally, cancer cell–fibroblast interplay generates biologically active fragments of basement membrane proteins, such as endostatin.
Project description:The role of a number of miRNAs found to be differentially expressed in prostate cancer was functionally investigated by overexpressing them in DU145 prostate cancer cells and by analyzing gene expression profiles.
Project description:Prostate cancer stem-like cells were derived from DU145 cells as suspension spheres. DU145 cells were transduced with a CNTN1 over expressing retroviral vector and a control empty vector. DU145 spheres were transduced using a retroviral-based shRNA vector against CNTN1 and a scrambled control shRNA viral vector. Both cell lines were cultured over a couple of passages before RNA was collected.
Project description:The study was aimed at identifying genes directly or indirectly regulated by miR-205 in the prostate. To this purpose, DU145 prostate cancer cells, which express miR-205 at very low levels, were transfected with miR-205 synthetic precursor and consequent alterations of gene expression analyzed using a microarray approach. Keywords: comparison betweed cells exposed to different miRNA precursors
Project description:DU145 human prostate cancer cells were injected into the prostate of nude mice and cells metastasizing to lymph node (LN1) grown and experiment repeated to make LN2-4. DU145 human prostate cancer cells were injected into the tail vein of nude mice and cells metastasizing to lung (ivLU1) grown and experiment repeated to make ivLU2-4.
Project description:Cell adhesion to the extracellular matrix (ECM) is a critical component of malignant transformation, cancer progression, and the development of radioresistance. This mechanism of cancer cell resistance to therapy is defined as the cell adhesion mediated radioresistance (CAM-RR). There are two groups of proteins whose alteration can lead to the emergence of CAM-RR: (i) adhesion molecules (collectively called adhesome) and (ii) ECM molecules (collectively called matrisome). In order to identify proteins that mediate radioresistance, in this study we analyzed the adhesomes and matrisomes of DU145 parental and radioresistant prostate cancer cells.