Expression of the Bcl-2 protein BAD promotes prostate cancer growth.

BAD, a pro-apoptotic protein of the Bcl-2 family, has recently been identified as an integrator of several anti-apoptotic signaling pathways in prostate cancer cells. Thus, activation of EGFR, GPCRs or PI3K pathway leads to BAD phosphorylation and inhibition of apoptosis. Increased levels of BAD in prostate carcinomas have also been reported. It appears contradictory that instead of limiting expression of pro-apoptotic protein, prostate cancer cells choose to increase BAD levels while keeping it under tight phosphorylation control. Analysis of the effect of BAD on prostate cancer xenografts has shown that increased BAD expression enhances tumor growth, while knockdown of BAD expression by shRNA inhibits tumor growth. Tissue culture experiments demonstrated that increased BAD expression stimulates proliferation of prostate cancer cells. These results suggest that increased expression of BAD provides a proliferative advantage to prostate tumors, while BAD dephosphorylation increases sensitivity of prostate cancer cells to apoptosis. Combination of proliferative and apoptotic properties prompts prostate cancer cells to be "addicted" to increased levels of phosphorylated BAD. Thus, kinases that phosphorylate BAD are plausible therapeutic targets; while monitoring BAD phosphorylation could be used to predict tumor response to treatments.

Epinephrine protects cancer cells from apoptosis via activation of cAMP-dependent protein kinase and BAD phosphorylation.

The stress hormone epinephrine is known to elicit multiple systemic effects that include changes in cardiovascular parameters and immune responses. However, information about its direct action on cancer cells is limited. Here we provide evidence that epinephrine reduces sensitivity of cancer cells to apoptosis through interaction with beta(2)-adrenergic receptors. The antiapoptotic mechanism of epinephrine primarily involves phosphorylation and inactivation of the proapoptotic protein BAD by cAMP-dependent protein kinase. Moreover, BAD phosphorylation was observed at epinephrine concentrations found after acute and chronic psychosocial stress. Antiapoptotic signaling by epinephrine could be one of the mechanisms by which stress promotes tumorigenesis and decreases the efficacy of anti-cancer therapies.