RESUMO
The mediator complex is an evolutionary conserved key regulator of transcription of protein-coding genes and an integrative hub for diverse signaling pathways. In this study, we investigated whether the mediator subunit MED15 is implicated in castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC). MED15 expression and copy number/rearrangement status were assessed by immunohistochemistry (IHC) and fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH), respectively on 718 prostate cancer (PCa) specimens and sequenced by Sanger on a subset. Furthermore, SMAD3 phosphorylation, androgen receptor (AR) and proliferation markers were evaluated by IHC. In PCa cells, siRNA/shRNA knockdown of MED15 was followed by proliferation assays with/without dihydrotestosterone (DHT), and treatments with recombinant TGF-ß3. Our results show that MED15 is overexpressed in 76% of distant metastatic CRPC (CRPC(MET) ) and 70% of local-recurrent CRPC (CRPC(LOC) ), in contrast to low frequencies in androgen-sensitive PCa, and no expression in benign prostatic tissue. Furthermore, MED15 overexpression correlates with worse clinical outcome thus defining a highly lethal phenotype. Moreover, TGF-ß signaling activation associates with MED15 overexpression in PCa tissues, and leads to increased expression of MED15 in PCa cells. MED15 knockdown effects phosphorylation and shuttling of p-SMAD3 to the nucleus as well as TGF-ß-enhanced proliferation. In PCa tissues, MED15 overexpression associates with AR overexpression/amplification and correlates with high proliferative activity. MED15 knockdown decreases both androgen-dependent and -independent proliferation in PCa cells. Taken together, these findings implicate MED15 in CRPC, and as MED15 is evolutionary conserved, it is likely to emerge as a lethal phenotype in other therapeutic-resistant diseases, and not restricted to our disease model.
Assuntos
Androgênios/genética , Glicina/análogos & derivados , Neoplasias de Próstata Resistentes à Castração/genética , Transdução de Sinais/genética , Idoso , Androgênios/metabolismo , Linhagem Celular Tumoral , Proliferação de Células , Regulação Neoplásica da Expressão Gênica , Glicina/biossíntese , Glicina/genética , Humanos , Hibridização in Situ Fluorescente , Masculino , Complexo Mediador/genética , Complexo Mediador/metabolismo , Pessoa de Meia-Idade , Neoplasias de Próstata Resistentes à Castração/patologia , Pirróis , Receptores Androgênicos/genética , Receptores Androgênicos/metabolismoRESUMO
Castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC) is the most aggressive form of prostate cancer (PCa) and remains a significant therapeutic challenge. The key to the development of novel therapeutic targets for CRPC is to decipher the molecular alterations underlying this lethal disease. The aim of our study was to identify therapeutic targets for CRPC by assessing somatic copy number alterations (SCNAs) by whole-exome sequencing on five CRPC/normal paired formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) samples, using the SOLiD4 next-generation sequencing (NGS) platform. Data were validated using fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) on a PCa progression cohort. PTK2 and YWHAZ amplification, mRNA and protein expression were determined in selected PCa cell lines. Effects of PTK2 inhibition using TAE226 inhibitor and YWHAZ knock-down on cell proliferation and migration were tested in PC3 cells in vitro. In a larger validation cohort, the amplification frequency of YWHAZ was 3% in localized PCa and 48% in CRPC, whereas PTK2 was amplified in 1% of localized PCa and 35% in CRPC. YWHAZ knock-down and PTK2 inhibition significantly affected cell proliferation and migration in the PC3 cells. Our findings suggest that inhibition of YWHAZ and PTK2 could delay the progression of the disease in CRPC patients harbouring amplification of the latter genes. Furthermore, our validated whole-exome sequencing data show that FFPE tissue could be a promising alternative for SCNA screening using next-generation sequencing technologies.