KLK4

Gene Summary

Gene:KLK4; kallikrein related peptidase 4
Aliases: ARM1, EMSP, PSTS, AI2A1, EMSP1, KLK-L1, PRSS17, kallikrein
Location:19q13.41
Summary:Kallikreins are a subgroup of serine proteases having diverse physiological functions. Growing evidence suggests that many kallikreins are implicated in carcinogenesis and some have potential as novel cancer and other disease biomarkers. This gene is one of the fifteen kallikrein subfamily members located in a cluster on chromosome 19. In some tissues its expression is hormonally regulated. The expression pattern of a similar mouse protein in murine developing teeth supports a role for the protein in the degradation of enamel proteins. Several transcript variants encoding different proteins have been found for this gene. [provided by RefSeq, Dec 2014]
Databases:OMIM, HGNC, Ensembl, GeneCard, Gene
Protein:kallikrein-4
Source:NCBIAccessed: 30 August, 2019

Ontology:

What does this gene/protein do?
Show (6)

Cancer Overview

Research Indicators

Publications Per Year (1994-2019)
Graph generated 30 August 2019 using data from PubMed using criteria.

Literature Analysis

Mouse over the terms for more detail; many indicate links which you can click for dedicated pages about the topic.

  • Signal Transduction
  • Transcriptome
  • Down-Regulation
  • Ovarian Cancer
  • Serine Endopeptidases
  • Enzymologic Gene Expression Regulation
  • Molecular Sequence Data
  • MicroRNAs
  • Cell Proliferation
  • Genetic Variation
  • Alternative Splicing
  • Exons
  • Apoptosis
  • Kallikreins
  • Messenger RNA
  • Neoplasm Invasiveness
  • Survival Rate
  • Prostate-Specific Antigen
  • Prostate Cancer
  • RTPCR
  • Chromosome 19
  • Up-Regulation
  • Cancer Gene Expression Regulation
  • Neoplasm Grading
  • Amino Acid Sequence
  • ROC Curve
  • Biomarkers, Tumor
  • Gene Expression
  • Androgen Receptors
  • Immunohistochemistry
  • Xenograft Models
  • Base Sequence
  • Cancer RNA
  • Androgens
  • Neoplasm Recurrence, Local
  • Disease Progression
  • DNA Sequence Analysis
  • Staging
  • Ovary
  • Breast Cancer
Tag cloud generated 30 August, 2019 using data from PubMed, MeSH and CancerIndex

Specific Cancers (3)

Data table showing topics related to specific cancers and associated disorders. Scope includes mutations and abnormal protein expression.

Note: list is not exhaustive. Number of papers are based on searches of PubMed (click on topic title for arbitrary criteria used).

Latest Publications: KLK4 (cancer-related)

Haese A, Trooskens G, Steyaert S, et al.
Multicenter Optimization and Validation of a 2-Gene mRNA Urine Test for Detection of Clinically Significant Prostate Cancer before Initial Prostate Biopsy.
J Urol. 2019; 202(2):256-263 [PubMed] Related Publications
PURPOSE: A 2-gene, urine based molecular test that combines mRNA biomarkers with clinical factors can risk stratify patients for clinically significant prostate cancer. To ensure the generalizability of assay results we optimized and validated the clinical model for men with serum prostate specific antigen less than 10 ng/ml who were undergoing initial prostate biopsy.
MATERIALS AND METHODS: Urine samples were collected from 1,955 men from The Netherlands, France and Germany prior to an initial prostate biopsy and study subjects were divided into training and validation cohorts. Urinary HOXC6 and DLX1 mRNA levels were quantified and RNA results were then combined with other risk factors in a clinical model optimized to detect ISUP (International Society of Urological Pathology) Grade Group 2 or greater prostate cancer in men with prostate specific antigen less than 10 ng/ml. Results in the validation cohort were compared with the PCPTRC (Prostate Cancer Prevention Trial Risk Calculator), version 2.0.
RESULTS: The optimal clinical model included urinary HOXC6 and DLX1 mRNA levels, patient age, digital rectal examination and prostate specific antigen density (serum prostate specific antigen/prostate volume). In the 715 validation cohort subjects with prostate specific antigen less than 10 ng/ml the AUC was 0.82 with 89% sensitivity, 53% specificity and 95% negative predictive value. The PCPTRC AUC was 0.70. The full validation cohort of 916 men including all prostate specific antigen levels yielded an AUC of 0.85 with 93% sensitivity, 47% specificity and 95% negative predictive value. The PCPTRC AUC was 0.76.
CONCLUSIONS: The 2-gene based urine assay, which is optimized for biopsy naïve patients with serum prostate specific antigen less than 10 ng/ml, demonstrated high sensitivity and negative predictive value to detect clinically significant prostate cancer. These data support using the test to help guide initial prostate biopsy decisions.

Zhang M, Xia B, Xu Y, et al.
Circular RNA (hsa_circ_0051240) promotes cell proliferation, migration and invasion in ovarian cancer through miR-637/KLK4 axis.
Artif Cells Nanomed Biotechnol. 2019; 47(1):1224-1233 [PubMed] Related Publications
In this study, we identified hsa_circ_0051240 was significantly increased in ovarian cancer (OC) tissues. Our results indicated that silencing of hsa_circ_0051240 inhibited OC cell proliferation, migration and invasion in vitro, and also prevented OC tumour formation in vivo. In addition, the inhibitory effects by blockage of hsa_circ_0051240 could be attenuated by the miR-637 inhibitor. Furthermore, we also identified that hsa_circ_0051240 act as a sponge of miR-637, and miR-637 directly targeted KLK4 mRNA in OC cells. Altogether, hsa_circ_0051240 promotes OC cell proliferation, migration and invasion through inhibiting the miR-637/KLK4 axis. Therefore, these results demonstrated that the hsa_circ_0051240/miR-637/KLK4 axis might serve as a therapeutic target for OC treatment.

Liu B, Huang G, Zhu H, et al.
Analysis of gene co‑expression network reveals prognostic significance of CNFN in patients with head and neck cancer.
Oncol Rep. 2019; 41(4):2168-2180 [PubMed] Free Access to Full Article Related Publications
In patients with head and neck cancer (HNC), lymph node (N) metastases are associated with cancer aggressiveness and poor prognosis. Identifying meaningful gene modules and representative biomarkers relevant to the N stage helps predict prognosis and reveal mechanisms underlying tumor progression. The present study used a step‑wise approach for weighted gene co‑expression network analysis (WGCNA). Dataset GSE65858 was subjected to WGCNA. RNA sequencing data of HNC downloaded from the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and dataset GSE39366 were utilized to validate the results. Following data preprocessing, 4,295 genes were screened, and blue and black modules associated with the N stage of HNC were identified. A total of 16 genes [keratinocyte differentiation associated protein, suprabasin, cornifelin (CNFN), small proline rich protein 1B, desmoglein 1 (DSG1), chromosome 10 open reading frame 99, keratin 16 pseudogene 3, gap junction protein β2, dermokine, LY6/PLAUR domain containing 3, transmembrane protein 79, phospholipase A2 group IVE, transglutaminase 5, potassium two pore domain channel subfamily K member 6, involucrin, kallikrein related peptidase 8] that had a negative association with the N‑stage in the blue module, and two genes (structural maintenance of chromosomes 4 and mutS homolog 6) that had a positive association in the black module, were identified to be candidate hub genes. Following further validation in TCGA and dataset GSE65858, it was identified that CNFN and DSG1 were associated with the clinical stage of HNC. Survival analysis of CNFN and DSG1 was subsequently performed. Patients with increased expression of CNFN displayed better survival probability in dataset GSE65858 and TCGA. Therefore, CNFN was selected as the hub gene for further verification in the Gene Expression Profiling Interactive Analysis database. Finally, functional enrichment and gene set enrichment analyses were performed using datasets GSE65858 and GSE39366. Three gene sets, namely 'P53 pathway', 'estrogen response early' and 'estrogen response late', were enriched in the two datasets. In conclusion, CNFN, identified via the WGCNA algorithm, may contribute to the prediction of lymph node metastases and prognosis, probably by regulating the pathways associated with P53, and the early and late estrogen response.

Li F, Xu Y, Liu RL
SAMD5 mRNA was overexpressed in prostate cancer and can predict biochemical recurrence after radical prostatectomy.
Int Urol Nephrol. 2019; 51(3):443-451 [PubMed] Related Publications
PURPOSE: To identify a novel biomarker that can predict biochemical recurrence (BCR) after radical prostatectomy.
METHODS: The gene expression profile of SAMD5 in prostate cancer was explored based on the oncomine database and The Cancer Genomic Atlas (TCGA). The follow-up information and clinical pathologic variables were extracted from the following cohort study: TCGA_prostate carcinoma. And then, survival analysis was conducted using the Kaplan-Meier plot and Cox's proportional hazard regression model. Furthermore, another independent cohort study: Taylor prostate, was also acquired to validate the predictive effect of SAMD5 on BCR. In addition, the expression profile of SAMD5 in other cancer types was investigated using TCGA dataset.
RESULTS: SAMD5 mRNA was shown to be up-regulated in multiple microarray datasets of prostate cancer with the strict statistic criteria: p < 0.01 and fold change ≥ 2. In TCGA_PCa cohort study, high expression of SAMD5 was a risk factor for patients on post-operative BCR (HR 2.181, 95%CI 1.199-3.966, p = 0.011) and this predictive ability was independent of Gleason score and pathologic T stage (HR 2.018, 95%CI 1.102-3.698, p = 0.023). In another validating cohort study, the statistic trend was similar, and the pooled analysis by combining the two cohort study further confirmed its prognostic effect.
CONCLUSION: SAMD5 mRNA was overexpressed in prostate cancer and had powerful prognostic ability on predicting post-operative BCR, independent of Gleason score and pathologic T stage. Its high expression was associated with poor prognosis after RP.

Panagopoulou M, Karaglani M, Balgkouranidou I, et al.
Circulating cell-free DNA in breast cancer: size profiling, levels, and methylation patterns lead to prognostic and predictive classifiers.
Oncogene. 2019; 38(18):3387-3401 [PubMed] Related Publications
Blood circulating cell-free DNA (ccfDNA) is a suggested biosource of valuable clinical information for cancer, meeting the need for a minimally-invasive advancement in the route of precision medicine. In this paper, we evaluated the prognostic and predictive potential of ccfDNA parameters in early and advanced breast cancer. Groups consisted of 150 and 16 breast cancer patients under adjuvant and neoadjuvant therapy respectively, 34 patients with metastatic disease and 35 healthy volunteers. Direct quantification of ccfDNA in plasma revealed elevated concentrations correlated to the incidence of death, shorter PFS, and non-response to pharmacotherapy in the metastatic but not in the other groups. The methylation status of a panel of cancer-related genes chosen based on previous expression and epigenetic data (KLK10, SOX17, WNT5A, MSH2, GATA3) was assessed by quantitative methylation-specific PCR. All but the GATA3 gene was more frequently methylated in all the patient groups than in healthy individuals (all p < 0.05). The methylation of WNT5A was statistically significantly correlated to greater tumor size and poor prognosis characteristics and in advanced stage disease with shorter OS. In the metastatic group, also SOX17 methylation was significantly correlated to the incidence of death, shorter PFS, and OS. KLK10 methylation was significantly correlated to unfavorable clinicopathological characteristics and relapse, whereas in the adjuvant group to shorter DFI. Methylation of at least 3 or 4 genes was significantly correlated to shorter OS and no pharmacotherapy response, respectively. Classification analysis by a fully automated, machine learning software produced a single-parametric linear model using ccfDNA plasma concentration values, with great discriminating power to predict response to chemotherapy (AUC 0.803, 95% CI [0.606, 1.000]) in the metastatic group. Two more multi-parametric signatures were produced for the metastatic group, predicting survival and disease outcome. Finally, a multiple logistic regression model was constructed, discriminating between patient groups and healthy individuals. Overall, ccfDNA emerged as a highly potent predictive classifier in metastatic breast cancer. Upon prospective clinical evaluation, all the signatures produced could aid accurate prognosis.

Reyes I, Reyes N, Suriano R, et al.
Gene expression profiling identifies potential molecular markers of papillary thyroid carcinoma.
Cancer Biomark. 2019; 24(1):71-83 [PubMed] Related Publications
BACKGROUND: Thyroid cancer is the most common endocrine malignancy worldwide, with the predominant form papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) representing approximately 80% of cases.
OBJECTIVE: This study was addressed to identify potential genes and pathways involved in the pathogenesis of PTC and potential novel biomarkers for this disease.
METHODS: Gene expression profiling was carried out by DNA microarray technology. Validation of microarray data by qRT-PCR, western blot, and enzyme linked immunosorbent assay was also performed in a selected set of genes and gene products, with the potential to be used as diagnostic or prognostic biomarkers, such as those associated with cell adhesion, extracellular matrix (ECM) remodeling and immune/inflammatory response.
RESULTS: In this study we found that upregulation of extracellular activities, such as proteoglycans, ECM-receptor interaction, and cell adhesion molecules, were the most prominent feature of PTC. Significantly over-expressed genes included SDC1 (syndecan 1), SDC4 (syndecan 4), KLK7 (kallikrein-related peptidase 7), KLK10 (kallikrein-related peptidase 10), SLPI (secretory leukocyte peptidase inhibitor), GDF15 (growth/differentiation factor-15), ALOX5 (arachidonate 5-lipoxygenase), SFRP2 (secreted Frizzled-related protein 2), among others. Further, elevated KLK10 levels were detected in patients with PTC. Many of these genes belong to KEGG pathway "Proteoglycans in cancer".
CONCLUSIONS: Using DNA microarray analysis allowed the identification of genes and pathways with known important roles in malignant transformation, and also the discovery of novel genes that may be potential biomarkers for PTC.

Mizoguchi A, Takayama A, Arai T, et al.
MicroRNA-8073: Tumor suppressor and potential therapeutic treatment.
PLoS One. 2018; 13(12):e0209750 [PubMed] Free Access to Full Article Related Publications
The comprehensive screening of intracellular and extracellular microRNAs was performed to identify novel tumor suppressors. We found that miR-8073 was present in exosome and predominantly exported from colorectal cancer cells. Treatment with a synthetic miR-8073 mimic resulted in a dramatic decrease in the proliferation of various types of cancer cells, which was not observed in similarly treated normal cells. As little is known about the biological functions of miR-8073, its target mRNAs were analyzed by both mRNA expression and in silico sequence analyses, leading to five probable target candidates (FOXM1, MBD3, CCND1, KLK10, and CASP2) that enhance survival during the regulation of the cell cycle, cell proliferation, and apoptosis. We experimentally confirmed that miR-8073 binds the 3'-UTR of each of these mRNA target candidates and that the introduction of a synthetic miR-8073 mimic into cancer cells reduced levels of protein expression. Finally, the antiproliferative effects of miR-8073 were validated in vivo: the subcutaneous injection of a synthetic miR-8073 mimic suppressed colorectal tumor volume to 43% in tumor-bearing xenografted mice. These results suggest that because miR-8073 binds, and thus reduces the levels of, these oncogenic targets, cancer cells must actively downregulate miR-8073 as a survival mechanism. The introduction of miR-8073 into tumors could thus inhibit tumor growth, indicating its great potential for cancer therapeutics.

Takuwa H, Tsuji W, Shintaku M, Yotsumoto F
Hormone signaling via androgen receptor affects breast cancer and prostate cancer in a male patient: A case report.
BMC Cancer. 2018; 18(1):1282 [PubMed] Free Access to Full Article Related Publications
BACKGROUND: Male breast cancer (MBC) is rare, accounting for only around 1% of all breast cancers. Most MBCs are hormone-driven. Not only the estrogen receptor (ER), but also other steroid hormone receptors, including the androgen receptor (AR) and progesterone receptor (PgR) are expressed in MBC. AR activation in breast cancer cells facilitates downstream gene expression that drives tumorigenesis in a similar manner to ER. AR-mediated signalling works paradoxically in breast cancer and prostate cancer, and cancer cells expressing the AR are endocrine-sensitive.
CASE PRESENTATION: We describe a case of double cancer of MBC and prostate cancer. A 69-year-old man was referred to our hospital with a lump in his left breast in the 1990s. The patient had cT3N3M0, stage IIIC breast cancer, and underwent a mastectomy and axillary lymph node dissection. Though adjuvant chemotherapy was administered, he experienced pleural metastasis 2 months after the surgery. Two years after the recurrence during endocrine therapy with oral 5-fluorouracil, he complained of frequent urination. Radiological and histological examinations revealed that the patient had cT3N0M0, stage III primary prostate cancer with a prostate-specific antigen (PSA) level of 40.5 ng/mL. Germline mutations in the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes were not tested. He received multidisciplinary, continuous therapy for both breast and prostate cancer; however, 5 and 3 years after each diagnosis, respectively, he experienced a deep vein thrombosis in his right leg related to the endocrine therapy. Liver metastasis progressed after he stopped breast cancer therapy. However, long-term disease control had been achieved with anti-estrogen therapy for breast cancer and estrogen replacement therapy for prostate cancer.
CONCLUSIONS: Several studies have shown that estrogen exposure after estrogen depletion likely causes apoptosis of ER-positive breast cancer cells. Our findings indicate that this also applies to the environment in male body. AR dominant signaling prevents breast cancer recurrence and metastasis, especially in MBC patients.

Beksac AT, Cumarasamy S, Falagario U, et al.
Multiparametric Magnetic Resonance Imaging Features Identify Aggressive Prostate Cancer at the Phenotypic and Transcriptomic Level.
J Urol. 2018; 200(6):1241-1249 [PubMed] Related Publications
PURPOSE: Multiparametric magnetic resonance imaging is a diagnostic tool for prostate cancer with limited data on prognostic use. We sought to determine whether multiparametric magnetic resonance could predict aggressive prostate cancer features.
MATERIALS AND METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed the records of 206 patients who underwent radical prostatectomy between 2013 and 2017. All patients had available RNA expression data on the final pathology specimen obtained from a location corresponding to a lesion location on multiparametric magnetic resonance imaging. The association between the PIRADS™ (Prostate Imaging Reporting and Data System) score and adverse pathology features were analyzed. We also performed differential transcriptomic analysis between the PIRADS groups. Factors associated with adverse pathology were analyzed using a multivariable logistic regression model.
RESULTS: Lesion size (p = 0.03), PIRADS score (p = 0.02) and extraprostatic extension (p = 0.01) associated significantly with the Decipher® score. Multivariable analysis showed that the PIRADS score (referent PIRADS 3, OR 8.1, 95% CI 1.2-57.5, p = 0.04), the Gleason Grade Group (referent 3, OR 5.6, 95% CI 1.5-21.1, p = 0.01) and prostate specific antigen (OR 1.103, 95% CI 1.011-1.203) were risk factors for adverse pathology findings. The difference between PIRADS 4 and 5 did not reach significance (OR 1.9, 95% CI 0.8-4.5, p = 0.12). However, the PI3K-AKT-mTOR, WNT-β and E2F signaling pathways were more active in PIRADS 5 than in PIRADS 4 cases.
CONCLUSIONS: The PIRADS score is associated with adverse pathology results, increased metastatic risk and differential genomic pathway activation.

Kim YH, Byun YJ, Kim WT, et al.
J Korean Med Sci. 2018; 33(47):e303 [PubMed] Free Access to Full Article Related Publications
Background: Cell division cycle 6 (CDC6) is an essential regulator of DNA replication and plays important roles in the activation and maintenance of the checkpoint mechanisms in the cell cycle. CDC6 has been associated with oncogenic activities in human cancers; however, the clinical significance of CDC6 in prostate cancer (PCa) remains unclear. Therefore, we investigated whether the
Methods: The study subjects included 121 PCa patients and 66 age-matched benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) patients.

Ding WH, Ren KW, Yue C, et al.
Association between three genetic variants in kallikrein 3 and prostate cancer risk.
Biosci Rep. 2018; 38(6) [PubMed] Free Access to Full Article Related Publications
BACKGROUND: Epidemiological studies have assessed the association between kallikrein 3 (KLK3) polymorphisms and prostate cancer (PCa) susceptibility. However, published data on this association are somewhat inconclusive.
METHODS: Articles investigating the association between three KLK3 (rs1058205, rs2735839, and rs266882) variants and PCa susceptibility were searched from online databases, which included 35,838 patients and 36,369 control participants. Odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were used to demonstrate the strength of the association. We also utilized ELISA to detect serum expression of KLK3. In addition,
RESULTS: The overall results indicated that polymorphism T>C of rs1058205 was associated with decreased risk of PCa (allele contrast: OR = 0.75, 95% CI = 0.64-0.88,

Hua Y, Azeem W, Shen Y, et al.
Dual androgen receptor (AR) and STAT3 inhibition by a compound targeting the AR amino-terminal domain.
Pharmacol Res Perspect. 2018; 6(6):e00437 [PubMed] Free Access to Full Article Related Publications
Prostate cancer (PCa) often recurs as incurable castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC) after the failure of androgen deprivation therapy. CRPC development relies on androgen receptor (AR) signaling. The IL6/STAT3 pathway is also a key driver of CRPC. The crosstalk between IL6/STAT3 and the AR pathways provides opportunities to explore next-generation agents to treat PCa. Through screening of around 600 natural compounds in our newly established prostate tumorigenesis model, potential STAT3 signaling inhibitors were found and additionally examined for effects on AR signaling. The small molecular compound 154 exhibited dual effects on IL6/STAT3 and AR pathways. We show here that compound 154 inhibits AR and STAT3 transcriptional activity, reduces the expression of phosphorylation of STAT3 (Y705) and downregulates the mRNA levels of AR target genes. Compound 154 also inhibits protein expression of AR and AR splice variants (ARv567es and AR-V7) without altering AR mRNA levels. Compound 154 binds to AR directly, but not to STAT3 and is identified as an antagonist of the AR amino-terminal domain (NTD) by disrupting protein-protein interactions between STAT3 and the AR NTD. Moreover, compound 154 does not reduce AR nuclear translocation. Compound 154 possesses the potential to become a leading compound in novel therapies against CRPC.

Xia Q, Ding T, Zhang G, et al.
Circular RNA Expression Profiling Identifies Prostate Cancer- Specific circRNAs in Prostate Cancer.
Cell Physiol Biochem. 2018; 50(5):1903-1915 [PubMed] Related Publications
BACKGROUND/AIMS: Prostate cancer (PCa) is one of the main cancers that damage males' health severely with high morbidity and mortality, but there is still no ideal molecular marker for the diagnosis and prognosis of prostate cancer.
METHODS: To determine whether the differentially expressed circRNAs in prostate cancer can serve as novel biomarkers for prostate cancer diagnosis, we screened differentially expressed circRNAs using SBC-ceRNA array in 4 pairs of prostate tumor and paracancerous tissues. A circRNA-miRNA-mRNA regulatory network for the differential circRNAs and their host genes was constructed by Cytoscape3.5.1 software. Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction analysis (qRT-PCR) was performed to confirm the microarray data.
RESULTS: We found 1021 differentially expressed circRNAs in PCa tumor using SBC-ceRNA array and confirmed the expression of circ_0057558, circ_0062019 and SLC19A1 in PCa cell lines and tumor tissues through qRT-PCR analysis. We demonstrated that combination of PSA level and two differentially expressed circRNAs showed significantly increased AUC, sensitivity and specificity (0.938, 84.5% and 90.9%, respectively) than PSA alone (AUC of serum PSA was 0.854). Moreover, circ_0057558 was correlated positively with total cholesterol. The functional network of circRNA-miRNA-mRNA analysis showed that circ_0057558 and circ_0034467 regulated miR-6884, and circ_0062019 and circ_0060325 regulated miR-5008.
CONCLUSION: Our results demonstrated that differentially expressed circRNAs (circ_0062019 and circ_0057558) and host gene SLC19A1 of circ_0062019 could be used as potential novel biomarkers for prostate cancer.

Tang Y, Fan M, Choi YJ, et al.
Sika deer (Cervus nippon) velvet antler extract attenuates prostate cancer in xenograft model.
Biosci Biotechnol Biochem. 2019; 83(2):348-356 [PubMed] Related Publications
The present study determines whether antler extract (AE) possesses inhibitory effects in a prostate cancer (PC) xenograft model and explores the underlying mechanism. After therapeutic intervention for two weeks, AE significantly inhibited prostate cancer xenograft tumor growth by 65.08%, and prostate-specific antigen (PSA) and serum dihydrotestosterone (DHT) levels. However, AE increased the serum testosterone level compared to the vehicle control group. Furthermore, our investigation of the inhibitory effects on angiogenesis and epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT)-related genes revealed that AE downregulated matrix metalloproteinase 2 (MMP)-2, (MMP)-9, vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), zinc finger protein (SNAIL1), twist-related protein 1 (TWIST1), and zinc-finger E-box-binding homeobox 1 (ZEB1) in vivo. In contrast, AE increased tissue inhibitor of MMP (TIMP)-1, (TIMP)-2, and E-cadherin. The results suggest that AE possesses potent anti-PC activity, and this is the first report on the anti-PC effect of AE in vivo.

Mao Z, Ji A, Yang K, et al.
Diagnostic performance of PCA3 and hK2 in combination with serum PSA for prostate cancer.
Medicine (Baltimore). 2018; 97(42):e12806 [PubMed] Free Access to Full Article Related Publications
OBJECTIVES: The prostate cancer gene 3 (PCA3), human kallikrein 2, and miRNA-141 are promising prostate cancer (Pca) specific biomarkers. Our aim was to evaluate the detection of PCA3, human glandular kallikrein 2 (hk2), and miRNA-141 mRNA in peripheral blood of patients received prostate biopsy. What's more, we want to detect the value of combination of PSA (prostate specific antigen) in the early diagnosis of PCa.
MATERIALS AND METHODS: Hundred patients were divided into 2 groups according to the results of pathologic diagnosis. Quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) was used to evaluate the mRNA of PCA3, hk2, and miRNA-141 in peripheral blood. At the same time, analyze those clinical outcomes used in the patients. We compared these different outcomes to evaluate the value of new molecular markers.
RESULTS: The level of mRNA of PCA3, hK2, and miR-141 in Pca group were significantly higher than that in BPH. PSA had the highest sensitivity in predicting Pca diagnosis (76.7%); PCA3 had the highest specificity (82.5%). And the combination of PCA3, PSA, and hK2 improved area under the curve (AUC)-receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve largely, especially those with PSA 4-10ng/mL.
CONCLUSIONS: PCA3, hK2, and miRNA-141 were biomarkers of Pca with potential clinical application value, especially in patients with PSA gray area. Combining PCA3, PSA, and hK2 performed better than individual biomarkers alone in predicting Pca.

Ma Y, He L, Huang Q, et al.
Response to olaparib in metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer with germline BRCA2 mutation: a case report.
BMC Med Genet. 2018; 19(1):185 [PubMed] Free Access to Full Article Related Publications
BACKGROUND: Prostate cancer is a heterogeneous disease, meaning patients would benefit from different treatment strategies based on their molecular stratification. In recent years, several genomic studies have identified prostate cancers with defects in DNA repair genes. It is known that the PARP inhibitor, olaparib, has a significant synthetic lethal effect on tumors with BRCA 1/2 mutations, particularly in ovarian and breast cancer.
CASE PRESENTATION: In this study, we describe a patient with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) containing a BRCA2 germline mutation who underwent olaparib treatment. The efficacy of the treatment was monitored by serum TPSA level as well as mutation levels of circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) using next-generation sequencing (NGS). The patient responded to the olaparib treatment as indicated by the minimal residual levels of TPSA and tumor-specific mutations of ctDNA in plasma after four months of treatment, although the patient eventually progressed at six-month post-treatment with significantly elevated and newly acquired somatic mutations in ctDNA.
CONCLUSIONS: Our study provides evidence that mCRPC with BRCA2 germline mutations could response to PARP inhibitor, which improves patient's outcome. We further demonstrated that NGS-based genetic testing on liquid biopsy can be used to dynamically monitor the efficacy of treatment.

Huang SY, Huang GJ, Wu HC, et al.
Molecules. 2018; 23(10) [PubMed] Free Access to Full Article Related Publications
Recent research suggests that the activation of lipid biosynthesis (lipogenesis) is linked with prostate cancer (PCa) malignancy. Sterol regulatory element-binding protein-1 (SREBP-1) is a key transcriptional regulator controlling lipogenesis. Moreover, androgen receptor (AR) has been well defined to play an important role in lethal PCa aggressiveness from androgen-responsive to castration-resistant status. In this study, we showed that the quality-assured

Hernandez J, Gelfond J, Goros M, et al.
The effect of 3-month finasteride challenge on biomarkers for predicting cancer outcome on biopsy: Results of a randomized trial.
PLoS One. 2018; 13(10):e0204823 [PubMed] Free Access to Full Article Related Publications
BACKGROUND: Finasteride, a 5-alpha reductase inhibitor may have effects on biomarkers such as prostate-specific antigen (PSA) that could be leveraged to improve screening.
OBJECTIVE: To determine the predictive characteristics of biomarkers for prostate cancer for cancer on biopsy following 3 months of finasteride use compared with placebo.
DESIGN, SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS: 383 men from multiple clinical sites with intermediate prostate cancer risk, without history of prostate cancer, were randomly allocated in a double-blinded manner, 4:1, to receive either finasteride or placebo for 90 days at which time a prostate biopsy was performed.
OUTCOME MEASUREMENTS AND STATISTICAL ANALYSIS: The primary outcomes were associations of biomarkers with prostate cancer that were tested using multiple logistic regression and area under the receiver operating curves (AUC). Biomarkers for PCA risk (PCA3, TMPRSS2:ERG (T2:ERG) gene product, and PSA) were measured at baseline and at biopsy in a blinded fashion to assess the predictive performance of baseline levels, 90-day levels, and measures of change relative to standard predictors.
RESULTS AND LIMITATIONS: A total of 292 (233 finasteride; 59 placebo) randomized patients underwent biopsy and were analyzed. On finasteride, baseline and 90-day measures of PCA3 and T2:ERG had similar moderate discrimination capacity with AUCs 62 to 65% (p-values < 0.001 and 0.001, respectively), but their rates of change had no discrimination ability (AUC 51%, (95% CI 43 to 60% p = 0.72) and 48% (95% CI 44 to 60%, p = 0.62), respectively).) Relative to baseline, the 90-day PCA3 and PSA decreased in the finasteride group by 25% and 50%, respectively (both p<0.001). T2:ERG had a smaller, non-significant change post finasteride treatment (p = 0.08).
CONCLUSIONS: Short-term finasteride therapy did not improve performance of the most commonly-employed prostate cancer biomarkers. Threshold values for new biomarkers of prostate cancer should be interpreted with caution in patients receiving finasteride until formal validation of test performance in these patients is conducted.
PATIENT SUMMARY: Three months of finasteride treatment did not increase the accuracy for predicting the outcome on prostate biopsy but did have a significant effect on biomarker values. Adjustments to thresholds for biopsy for men on finasteride are proposed.
TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT01296672.

Li W, Middha M, Bicak M, et al.
Genome-wide Scan Identifies Role for AOX1 in Prostate Cancer Survival.
Eur Urol. 2018; 74(6):710-719 [PubMed] Article available free on PMC after 01/12/2019 Related Publications
BACKGROUND: Most men diagnosed with prostate cancer have low-risk cancers. How to predict prostate cancer progression at the time of diagnosis remains challenging.
OBJECTIVE: To identify single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) associated with death from prostate cancer.
DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: Blood samples from 11 506 men in Sweden were collected during 1991-1996. Of these, 1053 men were diagnosed with prostate cancer and 245 died from the disease. Stage and grade at diagnosis and outcome information were obtained, and DNA from all cases was genotyped.
OUTCOME MEASUREMENTS AND STATISTICAL ANALYSIS: A total of 6 126 633 SNPs were tested for association with prostate-cancer-specific survival time using a Cox proportional hazard model, adjusted for age, stage, and grade at diagnosis. A value of 1×10
RESULTS AND LIMITATIONS: We found 12 SNPs at seven independent loci associated with prostate-cancer-specific survival time. One of 6 126 633 SNPs tested reached genome-wide significance (p<5×10
CONCLUSIONS: The SNP rs73055188 at the AOX1 locus is associated with prostate-cancer-specific survival time, and AOX1 gene expression level is correlated with biochemical recurrence of prostate cancer.
PATIENT SUMMARY: We identify two genetic markers that are associated with prostate-cancer-specific survival time.

Wang P, Magdolen V, Seidl C, et al.
Kallikrein-related peptidases 4, 5, 6 and 7 regulate tumour-associated factors in serous ovarian cancer.
Br J Cancer. 2018; 119(7):1-9 [PubMed] Article available free on PMC after 02/10/2019 Related Publications
BACKGROUND: Tissue kallikrein-related peptidases 4, 5, 6 and 7 (KLK4-7) strongly increase the malignancy of ovarian cancer cells. Deciphering their downstream effectors, we aimed at finding new potential prognostic biomarkers and treatment targets for ovarian cancer patients. KLK4-7-transfected (OV-KLK4-7) and vector-control OV-MZ-6 (OV-VC) ovarian cancer cells were established to select differentially regulated factors.
METHODS: With three independent approaches, PCR arrays, genome-wide microarray and proteome analyses, we identified 10 candidates (MSN, KRT19, COL5A2, COL1A2, BMP5, F10, KRT7, JUNB, BMP4, MMP1). To determine differential protein expression, we performed western blot analyses, immunofluorescence and immunohistochemistry for four candidates (MSN, KRT19, KRT7, JUNB) in cells, tumour xenograft and patient-derived tissues.
RESULTS: We demonstrated that KLK4-7 clearly regulates expression of MSN, KRT19, KRT7 and JUNB at the mRNA and protein levels in ovarian cancer cells and tissues. Protein expression of the top-upregulated effectors, MSN and KRT19, was investigated by immunohistochemistry in patients afflicted with serous ovarian cancer and related to KLK4-7 immunoexpression. Significant positive associations were found for KRT19/KLK4, KRT19/KLK5 and MSN/KLK7.
CONCLUSION: These findings imply that KLK4-7 exert key modulatory effects on other cancer-related genes and proteins in ovarian cancer. These downstream effectors of KLK4-7, MSN and KRT19 may represent important therapeutic targets in serous ovarian cancer.

Said R, Garcia-Mayea Y, Trabelsi N, et al.
Expression patterns and bioinformatic analysis of miR-1260a and miR-1274a in Prostate Cancer Tunisian patients.
Mol Biol Rep. 2018; 45(6):2345-2358 [PubMed] Related Publications
Currently, microRNAs (miRs) represent great biomarkers in cancer due to their stability and their potential role in diagnosis, prognosis and therapy. This study aims to evaluate the expression levels of miRs-1260 and -1274a in prostate cancer (PC) samples and to identify their eventual targets by using bioinformatic analysis. In this project, we evaluated the expression status of miRs-1260 and -1274a in 86 PC patients and 19 controls by using real-time quantitative PCR and 2

McKiernan J, Donovan MJ, Margolis E, et al.
A Prospective Adaptive Utility Trial to Validate Performance of a Novel Urine Exosome Gene Expression Assay to Predict High-grade Prostate Cancer in Patients with Prostate-specific Antigen 2-10ng/ml at Initial Biopsy.
Eur Urol. 2018; 74(6):731-738 [PubMed] Related Publications
BACKGROUND: Discriminating indolent from clinically significant prostate cancer (PCa) in the initial biopsy setting remains an important issue. Prospectively evaluated diagnostic assays are necessary to ensure efficacy and clinical adoption.
OBJECTIVE: Performance and utility assessment of ExoDx Prostate (IntelliScore) (EPI) urine exosome gene expression assay versus standard clinical parameters for discriminating Grade Group (GG) ≥2 PCa from GG1 PCa and benign disease on initial biopsy.
DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: A two-phase adaptive clinical utility study (NCT03031418) comparing EPI results with biopsy outcomes in men, with age ≥50 yr and prostate-specific antigen (PSA) 2-10ng/ml, scheduled for initial prostate biopsy. After EPI performance assessment during phase I, a clinical implementation document (ie, CarePath) was developed for utilizing the EPI test in phase II, where the biopsy decision is uncertain.
OUTCOME MEASUREMENTS AND STATISTICAL ANALYSIS: Performance evaluation of the EPI test in patients enrolled in phase I and publication of a consensus CarePath for phase II.
RESULTS AND LIMITATIONS: In a total of 503 patients, with median age of 64 yr, median PSA 5.4ng/ml, 14% African American, 70% Caucasian, 53% positive biopsy rate (22% GG1, 17% GG2, and 15% ≥ GG3), EPI was superior to an optimized model of standard clinical parameters with an area under the curve (AUC) 0.70 versus 0.62, respectively, comparable with previously published results (n=519 patients, EPI AUC 0.71). Validated cut-point 15.6 would avoid 26% of unnecessary prostate biopsies and 20% of total biopsies, with negative predictive value (NPV) 89% and missing 7% of ≥GG2 PCa. Alternative cut-point 20 would avoid 40% of unnecessary biopsies and 31% of total biopsies, with NPV 89% and missing 11% of ≥GG2 PCa. The clinical investigators reached consensus recommending use of the 15.6 cut-point for phase II. Outcome of the decision impact cohort in phase II will be reported separately.
CONCLUSIONS: EPI is a noninvasive, easy-to-use, gene expression urine assay, which has now been successfully validated in over 1000 patients across two prospective validation trials to stratify risk of ≥GG2 from GG1 cancer and benign disease. The test improves identification of patients with higher grade disease and would reduce the total number of unnecessary biopsies.
PATIENT SUMMARY: It is challenging to predict which men are likely to have high-grade prostate cancer (PCa) at initial biopsy with prostate-specific antigen 2-10ng/ml. This study further demonstrates that the ExoDx Prostate (IntelliScore) test can predict ≥GG2 PCa at initial biopsy and defer unnecessary biopsies better than existing risk calculator's and standard clinical data.

Filella X, Foj L
Novel Biomarkers for Prostate Cancer Detection and Prognosis.
Adv Exp Med Biol. 2018; 1095:15-39 [PubMed] Related Publications
Prostate cancer (PCa) remains as one of the most controversial issues in health care because of the dilemmas related to screening using Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA). A high number of false positive biopsies and an elevated rate of overdiagnosis are the main problems associated with PSA. New PCa biomarkers have been recently proposed to increase the predictive value of PSA. The published results showed that PCA3 score, Prostate Health Index and 4Kscore can reduce the number of unnecessary biopsies, outperforming better than PSA and the percentage of free PSA. Furthermore, 4Kscore provides with high accuracy an individual risk for high-grade PCa. High values of PHI are also associated with tumor aggressiveness. In contrast, the relationship of PCA3 score with aggressiveness remains controversial, with studies showing opposite conclusions. Finally, the development of molecular biology has opened the study of genes, among them TMPRSS2:ERG fusion gene and miRNAs, in PCa detection and prognosis.

Srihari S, Kwong R, Tran K, et al.
Metabolic deregulation in prostate cancer.
Mol Omics. 2018; 14(5):320-329 [PubMed] Related Publications
INTRODUCTION: The prostate exhibits a unique metabolism that changes during initial neoplasia to aggressive prostate cancer (PCa) and metastasis. The study of PCa metabolism thus represents a new avenue for diagnostics, particularly early diagnosis of aggressive PCa cases.
RESULTS: Here, by clustering tissue transcriptomics data from The Cancer Genome Atlas (498 PCa patients), we identified six metabolic subgroups (C1-C6) of PCa that show distinct disease-free survival (DFS) outcomes (p < 0.0001). In particular, we identified at least two subgroups (C5 & C3) that exhibit significant poor prognosis (∼70% and 30-40% relapse within the first 72 months; hazards ratios of 9.4 and 4.4, respectively, relative to the best prognosis cluster C4 that showed <20% relapse even by 120 months). We were able to reproduce the subgroups in several independent datasets including B. S. Taylor et al. (2010) data; 215 patients; DFS p = 0.00088) using a multinomial regression classifier. The subgroups displayed distinct metabolic profiles vis-à-vis normal tissues, measured as 'deregulation' observed for 20 metabolic pathways (using Pathifier; Y. Drier and E. Domany, 2013). In particular, C5 and C3 showed considerable deregulation for pathways involved in synthesis and catabolism of complex forms of lipids and carbohydrates, and these were exhibited in parallel or in the face of glycolysis, a common form of energy production in cancer cells. The subgroups were significantly over-enriched for different sets of genetic alterations [BRCA1, MSH2, FOXA1, TP53 (C5), RB1 and STK11(C3); and AR (C1); p ≤ 8.6 × 10-4], suggesting that distinct sets of alterations underpinning the PCa subgroups that 'push' the subgroups towards their unique metabolic profiles. Finally, applying the classifier to blood protein expression profiles from 42 active surveillance (AS) and 65 advanced castrate resistant PCa (ACRPC) patients (D. Olmos et al., 2012) assigned 70.77% ACPRC and interestingly reassigned 59.52% AS patients to at least one of the poor prognosis subgroups with 35.71% to the metabolically active poor-prognosis subgroup C3.
CONCLUSION: The identification of PCa subgroups displaying distinct clinical outcomes solely from metabolic expression profiles of PCa tumours reiterates the significant link between deregulated metabolism and PCa outcomes (E. Eidelman et al., 2017). On the other hand, the time to biochemical relapse (rise in PSA levels) was not indicative of early relapse seen for subgroups C3 and C5 (these show considerably late BCR compared to C4). Our study thus highlights specific processes (elevated lipid and carbohydrate metabolism pathways) that could be better indicators than PSA for early diagnosis of aggressive PCa.
AVAILABILITY: https://maxwellplus.com/research/metabolic-deregulation-in-prostate-cancer/.

Kornberg Z, Cowan JE, Westphalen AC, et al.
Genomic Prostate Score, PI-RADS™ version 2 and Progression in Men with Prostate Cancer on Active Surveillance.
J Urol. 2019; 201(2):300-307 [PubMed] Related Publications
PURPOSE: The OncotypeDx® GPS (Genomic Prostate Score®) is a 17-gene RNA expression assay intended to help guide treatment decisions in men diagnosed with prostate cancer. The PI-RADS™ (Prostate Imaging Reporting and Data System) version 2 was developed to standardize the risk stratification of lesions identified on multiparametric prostate magnetic resonance imaging. We sought to determine whether these tests are associated with an increased risk of biopsy upgrading in men on active surveillance.
MATERIALS AND METHODS: We identified all patients on active surveillance at the University of California-San Francisco who had low/intermediate risk prostate cancer (prostate specific antigen 20 ng/ml or less and clinical stage T1/T2) and Gleason score 6 disease who underwent multiple biopsies and had a GPS available and/or had undergone multiparametric prostate magnetic resonance imaging with an available PI-RADS version 2 score. The primary study outcome was biopsy upgrading, defined as an increase in the Gleason score from 3 + 3 to 3 + 4 or greater, which was analyzed by Cox proportional hazards regression.
RESULTS: Of the men 140 had only GPS test findings, 169 had only a PI-RADS version 2 score and 131 had both data. Each 5-unit increase in the GPS was associated with an increased risk of biopsy upgrading (HR 1.28, 95% CI 1.19-1.39, p <0.01). PI-RADS scores of 5 vs 1-2 (HR 4.38, 95% CI 2.36-8.16, p <0.01) and 4 vs 1-2 (HR 2.62, 95% CI 1.45-4.76, p <0.01) were also associated with an increased risk of a biopsy upgrade. On subanalysis of patients with GPS and PI-RADS version 2 scores the GPS was associated with biopsy upgrading, adding value to the clinical covariates (partial likelihood ratio p = 0.01).
CONCLUSIONS: A higher GPS or a PI-RADS version 2 score of 4 or 5 was associated with an increased risk of biopsy upgrading.

Magi-Galluzzi C, Isharwal S, Falzarano SM, et al.
The 17-Gene Genomic Prostate Score Assay Predicts Outcome After Radical Prostatectomy Independent of PTEN Status.
Urology. 2018; 121:132-138 [PubMed] Related Publications
OBJECTIVE: To compare the ability of loss of phosphatase and tensin homolog (PTEN) and Genomic prostate score assay (GPS) in predicting the biochemical-recurrence (BCR) and clinical-recurrence (CR) after radical prostatectomy (RP) for clinically localized prostate cancer (PCa).
METHODS: Three hundred seventy seven patients with and without CR were retrospectively selected by stratified cohort sampling design from RP database. PTEN status (by immunohistochemistry [IHC] and fluorescence in situ hybridization [FISH]) and GPS results were determined for RP specimens. BCR was defined as Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA) ≥ 0.2 ng/mL or initiation of salvage therapy for a rising PSA. CR was defined as local recurrence and/or distant metastases.
RESULTS: Baseline mean age, PSA, and GPS score for the cohort were 61.1 years, 8 ng/dL, and 32.8. PTEN loss was noted in 38% patients by FISH and 25% by IHC. The concordance between FISH and IHC for PTEN loss was 66% (Kappa coefficient 0.278; P < .001). On univariable analysis, loss of PTEN by FISH or IHC was associated with BCR and CR (P < .05). However, after adjusting for GPS results, PTEN loss was not a significant predictor for CR or BCR (P > .1). The GPS result remained strongly associated with CR and BCR after adjusting for PTEN status (P < .001). PTEN status and GPS results only weakly correlated. GPS was widely distributed regardless of PTEN status indicating the biological heterogeneity of PCa even in PTEN-deficient cases.
CONCLUSION: GPS is a significant predictor of aggressive PCa, independent of PTEN status. After adjustment for GPS results, PTEN was not independently associated with recurrence for PCa.

Tamura RE, de Luna IV, Lana MG, Strauss BE
Improving adenoviral vectors and strategies for prostate cancer gene therapy.
Clinics (Sao Paulo). 2018; 73(suppl 1):e476s [PubMed] Article available free on PMC after 02/10/2019 Related Publications
Gene therapy has been evaluated for the treatment of prostate cancer and includes the application of adenoviral vectors encoding a suicide gene or oncolytic adenoviruses that may be armed with a functional transgene. In parallel, versions of adenoviral vector expressing the p53 gene (Ad-p53) have been tested as treatments for head and neck squamous cell carcinoma and non-small cell lung cancer. Although Ad-p53 gene therapy has yielded some interesting results when applied to prostate cancer, it has not been widely explored, perhaps due to current limitations of the approach. To achieve better functionality, improvements in the gene transfer system and the therapeutic regimen may be required. We have developed adenoviral vectors whose transgene expression is controlled by a p53-responsive promoter, which creates a positive feedback mechanism when used to drive the expression of p53. Together with improvements that permit efficient transduction, this new approach was more effective than the use of traditional versions of Ad-p53 in killing prostate cancer cell lines and inhibiting tumor progression. Even so, gene therapy is not expected to replace traditional chemotherapy but should complement the standard of care. In fact, chemotherapy has been shown to assist in viral transduction and transgene expression. The cooperation between gene therapy and chemotherapy is expected to effectively kill tumor cells while permitting the use of reduced chemotherapy drug concentrations and, thus, lowering side effects. Therefore, the combination of gene therapy and chemotherapy may prove essential for the success of both approaches.


Small-Cell Prostate Cancer Variety Surprisingly Common.
Cancer Discov. 2018; 8(9):OF4 [PubMed] Related Publications
A recent study finds that treatment-emergent small-cell neuroendocrine prostate cancer occurs in 17% of patients with the metastatic, castration-resistant form of the disease. This small-cell variety of prostate cancer shows a distinct gene expression signature and reduces patients' survival by nearly 20%.

Wang C, Moya L, Clements JA, et al.
Mining human cancer datasets for kallikrein expression in cancer: the 'KLK-CANMAP' Shiny web tool.
Biol Chem. 2018; 399(9):983-995 [PubMed] Related Publications
The dysregulation of the serine-protease family kallikreins (KLKs), comprising 15 genes, has been reportedly associated with cancer. Their expression in several tissues and physiological fluids makes them potential candidates as biomarkers and therapeutic targets. There are several databases available to mine gene expression in cancer, which often include clinical and pathological data. However, these platforms present some limitations when comparing a specific set of genes and can generate considerable unwanted data. Here, several datasets that showed significant differential expression (p<0.01) in cancer vs. normal (n=118), metastasis vs. primary (n=15) and association with cancer survival (n=21) have been compiled in a user-friendly format from two open and/or publicly available databases Oncomine and OncoLnc for the 15 KLKs. The data have been included in a free web application tool: the KLK-CANMAP https://cancerbioinformatics.shinyapps.io/klk-canmap/. This tool integrates, analyses and visualises data and it was developed with the R Shiny framework. Using KLK-CANMAP box-plots, heatmaps and Kaplan-Meier graphs can be generated for the KLKs of interest. We believe this new cancer KLK focused web tool will benefit the KLK community by narrowing the data visualisation to only the genes of interest.

Shiota M, Dejima T, Yamamoto Y, et al.
Collateral resistance to taxanes in enzalutamide-resistant prostate cancer through aberrant androgen receptor and its variants.
Cancer Sci. 2018; 109(10):3224-3234 [PubMed] Article available free on PMC after 02/10/2019 Related Publications
Currently, the optimal sequential use of androgen receptor (AR) axis-targeted agents and taxane chemotherapies remains undetermined. We aimed to elucidate the resistance status between taxanes and enzalutamide, and the functional role of the AR axis. Enzalutamide-resistant 22Rv1 cells showed collateral resistance to taxanes, including docetaxel and cabazitaxel. However, taxane-resistant cells showed no collateral resistance to enzalutamide; taxane-resistant cells expressed comparable protein levels of full-length AR and AR variants. Knockdown of both full-length AR and AR variants rendered cells sensitive to taxanes, whereas knockdown of AR variants sensitized cells to enzalutamide, but not to taxanes. In contrast, overexpression of full-length AR rendered cells resistant to taxanes. Consistently, the prostate-specific antigen response and progression-free survival in docetaxel chemotherapy were worse in cases with prior use of ARAT agents compared with cases without. Collateral resistance to taxanes was evident after obtaining enzalutamide resistance, and aberrant AR signaling might be involved in taxane resistance.

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