Journal of Andrology
HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS

This Article
Right arrow Abstract Freely available
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Schmidt, L. J.
Right arrow Articles by Tindall, D. J.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Schmidt, L. J.
Right arrow Articles by Tindall, D. J.
Journal of Andrology, Vol. 25, No. 6, November/December 2004
Copyright © American Society of Andrology

Gene Expression in Prostate Cancer Cells Treated With the Dual 5 Alpha-Reductase Inhibitor Dutasteride

LUCY J. SCHMIDT*, HORACIO MURILLO*,{dagger} AND DONALD J. TINDALL*,{ddagger}

From the * Departments of Urology Research, {dagger} Molecular Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics, and {ddagger} Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota.

Correspondence to: Dr Donald J Tindall, Department of Urology Research, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN 55905 (e-mail: tindall{at}mayo.edu).
Received for publication March 29, 2004; accepted for publication June 20, 2004.

   Abstract
 Top
 Abstract
 Materials and Methods
 Results
 Discussion
 References
 
We sought preclinical data on the cellular and molecular effects of dutasteride in androgen-responsive, human prostate cancer (PCa) cells to better understand the mechanisms of action of 5 alpha-reductase inhibition in these cells. We used the human prostate cancer cell line LNCaP, which exhibits most features of PCa cells including androgen responsiveness. Our findings show that dutasteride kills PCa cells in vitro; it dramatically reduced viability and proliferation and disrupted genes and cellular pathways involved in metabolic, cell cycle, and apoptotic responses besides those expected in androgen-signaling pathways. Microchip gene array expression analysis revealed activation of genes in the FasL/tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-{alpha}) apoptotic and cell-survival pathways, correlating with the growth and survival effects in the LNCaP cells. Real-time polymerase chain reaction confirmed expression level changes seen by microarray analysis of candidate genes such as PLA2G2A, CDK8, CASP7, MDK, and NKX3.1. Collectively, our findings delineate the cellular and molecular effects of dutasteride in androgen-responsive PCa cells in vitro and may lead to its better therapeutic and chemopreventive use in PCa.

     Key words: LNCaP, gene-expression profiling, REDUCE trial, apoptosis



Present treatment options for clinically localized human prostrate cancer (PCa) range from watchful waiting to radical prostatectomy, while androgen-deprivation therapy remains the main treatment option for advanced PCa. Projections for US males in 2004 suggest 230 110 new cases and 29 900 deaths from PCa (Jemal et al, 2004). Androgen deprivation of advanced PCa results in a median overall survival of only 23–37 months from initiation (Klotz, 2000). Better therapeutic and prevention options are urgently needed.

The prostate gland requires androgens for development and growth (Cunha, 1985). The natural ligands for the androgen receptor (AR) are testosterone and dihydrotestosterone (DHT). The majority of testosterone (95%) is produced by the testes, with the rest (5%) being produced by the adrenal glands (Partin and Rodriguez, 2002). Testosterone diffuses from the capillary bed in the prostatic stroma, across the basement membrane, and into the prostate basal epithelial cells. The basal cells express both 5{alpha}-reductase (5{alpha}-R) isoenzymes, 5{alpha}-R1 and 5{alpha}-R2, that convert testosterone to the more potent DHT steroid. DHT binds the AR with up to 10 times greater affinity than testosterone and activates gene transcription of androgen-regulated genes and cellular proliferation (Grossmann et al, 2001).

5{alpha}-R enzymatic activity converts 90% of testosterone to DHT in the prostate, and inhibition of this activity drastically reduces the amount of the more potent ligand available to the AR. 5{alpha}-R2 is the predominant isoenzyme in the human prostate, being expressed in both epithelial and stromal cells. Lesser amounts of 5{alpha}-R1 are also present in both types of prostate cells (Habib et al, 1998). Mutations in codon 49 of the gene encoding 5{alpha}-R2 (SRD5A2) have been shown to be associated with high-risk populations and are more prevalent in PCa than normal tissue (Ross et al, 1998; Jaffe et al, 2000). Additionally, these mutations are correlated with high enzymatic activity (Makridakis et al, 1997, 2000). Recently, it has been confirmed that a polymorphism in the SRD5A2 gene (specifically the V89L variant) may influence the risk of developing prostate cancer in men diagnosed at a younger age or with more aggressive disease (Cicek et al, 2004).

The Prostate Cancer Prevention Trial (PCPT), a 7-year chemoprevention trial with 18 882 men taking the drug finasteride, was the first successful demonstration of PCa prevention using finasteride, an inhibitor of 5{alpha}-R2 (18.4% of those receiving finasteride developed PCa compared with 24.8% on placebo; Thompson et al, 2003). A surprising finding from the PCPT involved an association between those taking finasteride and a greater incidence of higher Gleason grade tumors than those on placebo (Reynolds, 2003; Thompson et al, 2003). It remains unclear what led to the finasteride-associated higher grade cancers. One factor to be considered is the increase in bioavailable intraprostatic testosterone that occurs with finasteride treatment (Uygur et al, 1998). This unexpected finding supports the need to better delineate the cellular and molecular basis at work in prostate cancer cells during this type of antiandrogen therapy.

Dutasteride, a dual inhibitor of 5{alpha}-R1 and 5{alpha}-R2, has been approved for use in men with benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). Dutasteride suppresses serum DHT more effectively than finasteride (Bartsch et al, 2002). However, the clinical benefits of inhibiting both isoenzymes remain to be defined. The Reduction by Dutasteride of Prostate Cancer Events trial (REDUCE)1 has been initiated and will involve 8000 men taking dutasteride for 5 years. The purpose of the study is to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of dutasteride in reducing the risk of prostate cancer. It is anticipated that inhibiting both 5{alpha}-R isoenzymes will result in a better clinical outcome. In addition to its use in the prevention of PCa, dutasteride could potentially be used in the early treatment of PCa because of its ability to reduce DHT levels in the prostate. However, results of clinical trials using dutasteride for treatment of BPH indicated that treatment with this drug can also result in increased levels of intraprostatic testosterone (Foley and Kirby, 2003).

The molecular effects of dutasteride on androgen-responsive PCa cells are unknown. Given the importance of mechanistic insights in the rational design and targeting of important biomolecules and their cellular pathways, here we present preclinical studies of dutasteride effects on the growth and proliferation of the androgen-responsive PCa cell line LNCaP. Time and dose-response treatment of LNCaP cells with dutasteride revealed a strong inhibition of cell viability and proliferation at doses comparable to those used in experimental animal models in vivo. Microarray gene-expression analysis under these conditions identified important genes and cellular pathways involved in metabolism, cell cycle, and apoptotic pathways, which are disrupted by dutasteride, in addition to androgen-signaling pathways. Real-time polymerase chain reaction confirmed expression level changes seen by microarray analysis of candidate genes such as PLA2G2A, CDK8, MDK, and NKX3.1. In addition, dutasteride affected several genes involved in the FasL/TNF-{alpha} apoptotic pathway and cell-survival pathways correlating with the viability and proliferation effects seen in LNCaP cells. Collectively, our findings delineate the cellular and molecular effects of dutasteride in androgen-responsive PCa cells in vitro. These findings pave the way for understanding the molecular basis of its effects in vivo and may lead to better use in the chemoprevention trials and possible treatment of PCa.


   Materials and Methods
 Top
 Abstract
 Materials and Methods
 Results
 Discussion
 References
 
Cell Culture

LNCaP cells were obtained from ATCC (Manassas, Va) and used at passages 23–29. Cells were maintained in RPMI 1640 (Gibco/InVitrogen, Grand Island, NY) containing 9% fetal bovine serum (Biosource International, Camarillo, Calif), 100 U/ml penicillin, 100 µg/mL streptomycin, and 0.25 µg/mL fungizone (all Gibco/InVitrogen) in 5% CO2 at 37°C. Concentration of testosterone in the media was determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) to be less than or equal to 1 pmol. Cells were seeded in multiwell plates and left for 48 hours before treatment. Dutasteride was obtained from GlaxoSmithKline (Research Triangle Park, NC) and freshly prepared in dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO) at the time of use for each treatment. Media were changed every 24 hours, and cells were maintained in dark conditions during treatment.

Viability and Proliferation Assays

Cells were seeded in 96-well plates at 3 x 103 cells per well. After 48 hours media was changed to contain DMSO (vehicle) or concentrations ranging from 1 to 100 µM dutasteride for the indicated time periods. Viability was assayed using the CellTiter 96 Aqueous nonradioactive cell proliferation assay (Promega, Madison, Wis). Proliferation was assayed using the Cell Proliferation ELISA (colorimetric), BrdU incorporation assay (Roche, Indianapolis, Ind), both following the manufacturer's instructions.

Caspase Assays

Caspase 7 activity was assessed using a caspase-glo 3/7 kit (Promega). Cells were seeded at 3 x 103 per well in 96-well plates and treated for the indicated times with 0 to 50 µM dutasteride. Assays were performed following the manufacturer's instructions.

Microarray Gene-Expression Analysis

Total RNA was isolated from LNCaP cells after treatment with either vehicle alone (DMSO) or 10 µM dutasteride in DMSO for 48 hours using Trizol (InVitrogen, Carlsbad, Calif) followed by further cleaning with Rneasy kit (Qiagen, Valencia, Calif). Triplicate samples of each were quality checked using Agilent, labeled, and hybridized to U95Av2 microchip arrays following the manufacturer's instructions (Affymetrix, Santa Clara, Calif). The microarray data were normalized using cyclic loess normalization (Dudoit et al, 2002). Genes were identified as being differentially expressed between the untreated group and the dutasteride-treated group with a linear mixed model, similar to that proposed by Chu et al (Chu et al, 2002). The genes were ranked according to their P value (smallest to largest). An arbitrary decision was made to focus attention on the top 200 differentially expressed genes as measured by their P value.

Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction

Two-step real-time polymerase chain reaction was performed using cDNA prepared from RNA isolated as described above using first strand cDNA synthesis kit (Roche, Indianapolis, Ind) and SYBR Green polymerase chain reaction (PCR) Master Mix (Applied Biosystems, Foster City, Calif) on an ABI PRISM 7700 SDS following the manufacturer's instructions. The primers for SYBR green amplification were designed using Primer3 software (Rozen and Skaletsky, 2000), and both forward and reverse primers were used at a final concentration of 900 nM. PCR products (120–150 bp) were run on 1.2% agarose gels to check for nonspecific amplification. Relative quantitation was used to determine fold change in expression levels by the comparative CT method using the formula 2-{Delta}{Delta}CT, where CT is the threshold cycle of amplification.


   Results
 Top
 Abstract
 Materials and Methods
 Results
 Discussion
 References
 
Dutasteride Effects on Viability and Proliferation of LNCaP Cells

In LNCaP cells, 0.5–10 µM dutasteride inhibits conversion of 3H-testosterone to 3H-DHT by more than 99% (Lazier et al, 2004). To confirm the effects of dutasteride on LNCaP cells, a time and dose-response experiment was performed. LNCaP cells growing in optimal conditions (RPMI with 9% fetal bovine serum) were treated with varying concentrations of dutasteride (1–100 µM) for 24–96 hours, at which time both viability and proliferation were assayed. Viability and cell number were reduced even at 1 µM dutasteride after just 48 hours of treatment, and both endpoints continued decreasing in a dose-dependent manner (Figure 1A and B). Likewise, morphology was noticeably altered after 48 hours of treatment with 1 µM dutasteride and began to resemble cells undergoing androgen deprivation as described in detail (Murillo et al, 2001). Cell proliferation as determined by BrdU incorporation was reduced by approximately 50% after 48 hours of treatment with 10 µM dutasteride, confirming the inhibitory effects of dutasteride on the growth of LNCaP cells (Figure 1C). These experiments were routinely performed in media containing whole serum; results of experiments done in media containing charcoal-stripped serum paralleled those in whole serum, but with changes in morphology and viability occurring earlier (data not shown). Cell death was mainly apoptotic as judged by increased Annexin V staining, with some necrotic cells observed at 50–100 µM. Thus, growth, proliferation, and viability of LNCaP cells were strongly reduced by dutasteride treatment. These androgen-responsive PCa cells showed typical androgen-deprivation effects, similar to those observed by culturing LNCaP cells in androgen-depleted media, starting at 1 µM concentrations of dutasteride in whole serum for 48 hours. However, the effects of dutasteride treatment appear to be more detrimental to LNCaP cells in vitro than androgen deprivation alone.



View larger version (42K):
[in this window]
[in a new window]
 
Figure 1. Effects of dutasteride treatment on LNCaP cells' morphology, viability, and proliferation. (A) Cells were treated for 48 hours with increasing concentrations of dutasteride and light microscopy photographs obtained at a 20x magnification. Cell viability was determined by MTS assay (B) and proliferation by BrdU incorporation (C) after treatment at the indicated times and dutasteride concentrations. Results represent experiments performed in triplicate.

 

Cellular and Genetic Pathways Affected by Dutasteride in LNCaP Cells

RNA was isolated from vehicle-treated and 10 µM dutasteride-treated cells at 48 hours and used to prepare probes for hybridizing Affymetrix U95Av2 microchip gene arrays. RNA from this time point was chosen based on the fact that after 48 hours of treatment with 10 µM dutasteride, cell proliferation was reduced by approximately 50%; therefore, pathways being affected by the drug were likely to be fully engaged. For the purpose of this communication, we focused our analysis on the top 200 differentially regulated gene transcripts (P ≤ .001) and used the DAVID gene ontology annotation tool to group genes by function (Figure 2A through C) (Chu et al, 2002; Dudoit et al, 2002; Dennis et al, 2003). Subsequent ontological analysis revealed metabolism and catalytic activity gene pathways as the predominant divergences between treated and nontreated cells (Figure 2C). These were followed by cell growth/maintenance and protein metabolism, which together with the first 2 groups are consistent with the major anabolic effects of androgens in responsive cells. Only genes involved in signal transduction functions were more numerous than other cell and nucleic acid metabolism. Apparently less numerous, but critically important, were gene groups involving stress, phosphorylation, and cell death, which we further analyzed given the cell stress and death effects of dutasteride on LNCaP cells.



View larger version (36K):
[in this window]
[in a new window]
 
Figure 2. Microarray gene-expression analysis. (A) Volcano plot of gene expression in treated and untreated LNCaP cells. The X-axis position represents the "fold-change" plotted on a log base 2 scale. The Y-axis position shows the P value of the significance of expression difference plotted on a negative log base 10 scale. The filled circles represent the top 200 genes that were selected for further analysis. The top 5 of these are identified 1–5. All cells were vehicle treated or dutasteride treated (10 µM) for 48 hours. Results represent experiments performed in triplicate. (B) List of top 25 transcripts affected by dutasteride treatment of LNCaP cells. (C) Ontological sorting of top 200 transcripts (P < .001) affected by dutasteride treatment (10 µM at 48 hours).

 

We chose genes from 3 of these ontological groups plus several genes known to be involved in androgen signaling and confirmed the array results using real-time PCR (RTPCR; Figure 3A through C). Of the 17 genes chosen, 11 generated RTPCR profiles consistent with the array data (Figure 3C). Four genes showed no differences in expression levels between untreated and treated samples, and 2 were expressed at extremely low or undetectable levels (data not shown).



View larger version (36K):
[in this window]
[in a new window]
 
Figure 3. Real-time polymerase chain reaction (RTPCR) analysis of selected, differentially expressed genes in dutasteride-treated and control LNCaP cells. (A) Of the 17 selected genes from the microarray findings, the 11 differentially expressed as confirmed by RTPCR are shown under their ontological group. (B) Dot plots of 4 of these genes illustrating microchip array expression values in vehicle-treated (-) and dutasteride-treated (+) cells. Arrays were probed in 3 separate experiments with each dot representing 1 experiment. (C) Genes, accession numbers, and their respective expression levels displayed as fold change of treated compared with untreated cells as determined by RTPCR.

 

We next sought to identify the apoptotic and survival pathways that were affected in dutasteride-treated cells and the cell death genes activated. Two components of the FasL/TNF-{alpha} apoptotic signaling pathway, caspase 7 and caspase 8, were found to be up-regulated in cells treated with dutasteride. To further determine the functional significance of the gene-expression changes of caspase 7 and correlations with cell death seen, we used a DEVD cleavage assay to detect enzymatic activity of caspase 7. The enzymatic activity of caspase 7 increased in a dose-dependent manner at 48 hours for the treated cells (Figure 4C), providing functional significance and further confirming that this pathway is being activated by dutasteride treatment in LNCaP cells.



View larger version (27K):
[in this window]
[in a new window]
 
Figure 4. Schematic diagram of the FasL/TNF-{alpha} cell death and survival signaling pathway components. (A) Star marks genes affected by dutasteride treatment of LNCaP cells as determined by gene-expression changes seen in microchip array hybridizations and confirmed by RTPCR. (B) Expression values of caspase 7 mRNA in control-treated (-) or dutasteride-treated (+) cells. Results are from an experiment performed in triplicate. (C) Caspase 7 activity as determined by DEVD-cleavage activity in LNCaP cells untreated (vehicle) and the indicated dutasteride treatment doses for 48 hours. Results are from experiments performed in triplicate.

 


   Discussion
 Top
 Abstract
 Materials and Methods
 Results
 Discussion
 References
 
In the prostate, dutasteride effectively blocks both 5{alpha}-R1 and -R2 isoenzymes, thus greatly reducing the amount of DHT available to bind the AR and direct proliferation (Bartsch et al, 2002). It may be potentially advantageous to effect this dual inhibition for preventing or treating PCa. However, as the PCPT findings suggested, as yet unknown mechanisms may come into play during steroid 5{alpha}-R inhibition (Reynolds, 2003; Thompson et al, 2003). The REDUCE trial has been initiated, further supporting the logic of better delineating the cellular and molecular effects of such dual inhibition on androgen-responsive PCa cells. Understanding such mechanisms may aid in better use of dutasteride as a chemopreventive and treatment drug for PCa.

As in the PCPT, the present findings revealed a more complex picture than expected. However, overall, dutasteride treatment of LNCaP PCa cells results in cells that phenotypically resemble LNCaP cells undergoing androgen deprivation in vitro (Murillo et al, 2001). In those studies, LNCaP cells underwent apoptosis and neuroendocrine differentiation. If the androgen-deprivation conditions are maintained chronically, there is an eventual rise of androgen-independent LNCaP cell sublines (Murillo et al, 2001). In the present studies, dutasteride induces these changes, including induction of neurogenesis genes such as MDK.

Dutasteride effectively inhibits both viability and proliferation of LNCaP prostate cancer cells within 48 hours of treatment with 1–10 µM, consistent with DHT's importance in these cells' growth and survival. However, these cells are in whole media containing less than or equal to 1 pmol testosterone, so observed effects cannot totally be explained by inhibition of conversion of testosterone to DHT. Our array data have revealed up-regulation of 2 genes, UGT2B15 and UGT2B17, in LNCaP cells treated with dutasteride (Figures 2B and 3A and C). These UDP-glucuronosyltransferases specifically recognize DHT and its metabolites, androstane-3{alpha}, 17ß-dial, and androsterone, leading to inactivation and subsequent secretion by the cells of the respective inactive derivatives (Turgeon et al, 2001). It has been suggested that these enzymes have an important role in inactivating androgens in steroid target tissues (Turgeon et al, 2003). Increased expression of these genes with dutasteride treatment is potentially another mode of action for this drug in prostate cells. In addition to blocking conversion of testosterone to DHT, dutasteride can further reduce the amount of androgen available to prostate cells by up-regulating enzymes that degrade DHT or any of its metabolites that may be present in the cells. A recent report examining the effects of dutasteride on the growth and proliferation of LNCaP cells has noted that after treatment with exogenous DHT in combination with dutasteride, cell proliferation is still dramatically decreased (Lazier et al, 2004). This is consistent with our findings that the effects dutasteride is having on LNCaP cells are not solely related to inhibition of testosterone to DHT conversion.

We first focused on genes involved in the androgen-signaling pathway since it has been shown that inhibition of 5{alpha}-R in LNCaP cells affects androgen-regulated genes (Zhu et al, 2003). RTPCR findings confirmed the microchip gene-expression data, showing up-regulation of AR mRNA and down-regulation of NKX3.1 and PSA (KLK3) after 48 hours of dutasteride treatment. Previous studies have demonstrated that PSA gene expression in LNCaP cells is mediated via conversion of testosterone to DHT (Zhu et al, 2003); thus, blocking this conversion with dutasteride is affecting this and possibly other AR-regulated genes. These findings suggest that dutasteride stimulates LNCaP cells to rapidly respond to the decreased DHT levels and AR action by up-regulating AR transcription. Under androgen-deprived conditions the AR can bind other ligands or function in a ligand-independent manner to promote growth and proliferation; therefore, expression levels of the AR can be critical to cell survival under such conditions (Culig et al, 2003). Additionally, LNCaP cells contain a mutation in the ligand-binding domain of the AR, leading to speculation that 5{alpha}-R inhibitors may be working through this mutation in these cells. However, Long et al tested several novel androgen-synthesis and/or 5{alpha}-R and inhibitors, along with finasteride, for their effects on cell growth and their ability to bind AR, specifically LNCaP mutant AR vs wild type AR in transfected PC-3 cells. They reported that while finasteride's growth inhibitory properties are specific for the LNCaP AR, the other dual inhibitors they tested interacted equally with both receptors. In binding assays, finasteride competed to a small degree with synthetic androgen R1881 equally well for both mutated and wild type AR (Long et al, 2000).

There is evidence that in LNCaP cells treated with finasteride, down-regulation of PSA is a result of the inhibition of the complex formation between nuclear proteins and the steroid receptor-binding consensus (SRBC) site in the PSA promoter (Wang et al, 1997), although in those experiments finasteride was used at higher concentrations, 25–100 µM, than the dutasteride concentration we have used (1–10 µM). In our studies, in agreement with those of Zhu et al (Zhu et al, 2003), both 5{alpha}-R1 and 5{alpha}-R2 can be RTPCR amplified in LNCaP cells (data not shown). It is unclear whether it matters which isoenzyme is inhibited in LNCaP cells; however, dutasteride inhibits both and thus diminishes the potential of any testosterone conversion to DHT. Nevertheless, it would be important to further define additional dutasteride interactions, if any, with other cellular proteins.

More importantly, the DNA microarray gene-expression analysis of LNCaP cells under these conditions revealed genes involved in apoptotic, metabolic, and cell cycle pathways, which are in addition to the expected androgen-signaling pathway. Specifically, several genes in the FasL/TNF-{alpha} apoptotic pathway were found to be up-regulated with dutasteride treatment (Figure 4A), pointing to a possible engagement of this cell death pathway by dutasteride in PCa cells. Moreover, several genes involved in cell survival or resistance to apoptosis, such as BIRC1 (baculoviral IAP repeat-containing 1), showed increased levels of expression.

Studies have shown that caspase 8 activation is necessary for TNF-{alpha}–related apoptosis inducing ligand (TRAIL)-mediated apoptosis in LNCaP cells (Rokhlin et al, 2002). Although we did not formally test this possibility, it is likely that this is one of the pathways by which apoptosis is occurring in LNCaP cells treated with dutasteride. In support of this possibility were our findings showing several key players of this pathway being affected by dutasteride. For example, mRNA levels of TRADD, caspase 7, caspase 8, and BIRC1 were increased, as was caspase-dependent, DEVD-cleavage activity. Strictly speaking, the latter activity can represent caspase 3 and 7 enzymatic activity; however, caspase 3 is considered to act upstream of caspase 7 and enzymatic separation of the two is not possible (Thornberry et al, 1997). Regardless of caspase 3 contributions to our assayed DEVD-activity, both caspases are downstream effectors of cell death (Nunez et al, 1998). Of note, prior studies of LNCaP cells undergoing apoptosis have also shown induction and activation of caspase 7 (Marcelli et al, 1998; Marcelli et al, 1999). Little change in message levels was seen for FasL or TNF-{alpha}; however, their exquisite regulation is primarily posttranscriptional and their engagement does not necessitate new mRNA (Beyaert et al, 2002; Schultz and Harrington, 2003).

The phospholipase A2 gene (PLA2G2A) was found to be one of the most highly up-regulated genes in dutasteride-treated cells. Activation of phospholipases such as PLA2 results in accumulation of arachidonic acid (AA) (Seilhamer et al, 1989). Accumulation of AA and inhibition of AA metabolism, leading to increased apoptosis, has been implicated as a chemopreventive mechanism for anti-inflammatory drugs (Kelloff, 2000). Activation of PLA2, resulting in increased apoptosis, is possibly another mode of action for dutasteride-induced cell death and potential chemopreventive action in prostate cells. However, more studies are needed to explore this hypothesis in PCa cells.

Another gene found to be up-regulated in dutasteride-treated cells was CDK8, a gene involved in the regulation of transcription. CDK8 has been shown to regulate transcription by targeting the CDK7/cyclinH subunits of TFllH and providing a link between mediator complexes and basal transcription (Di Pietro et al, 1999; Akoulitchev et al, 2000). It is possible that under the dutasteride-treatment conditions, the dramatic switch in the LNCaP cell's transcription program may be aided by induction of such genes as CDK8.

The genes we have described illustrate the variety of cellular responses taking place in LNCaP cells treated with dutasteride. Our studies were performed in a human PCa cell line in vitro; however, LNCaP cells have been shown to exhibit most of the characteristics of human, androgen-responsive, PCa. Although the doses we have used in our in vitro studies correspond to those that have been used in vivo in animal studies (both rat and dog), they are significantly higher than levels achieved in human clinical trials; the highest concentration reported for dutasteride in prostate tissue was 457 ng/ml (approximately 1 µM) after treatment with 5 mg per day (Roger Rittmaster, personal communication). We are currently examining the effects of dutasteride on LNCaP cells at the levels being used in the REDUCE trial (0.5 mg dose per day) and have observed some of the same genes being regulated at the RNA level as early as 24 hours after treatment (preliminary data not shown); hence, we believe that these in vitro data represent a valid starting point for assessing dutasteride's effects on PCa cells. The in vivo findings of the REDUCE trial could further aid our understanding of dutasteride effects in prostate cells. Collectively, our findings delineate the cellular and molecular effects of dutasteride in androgen-responsive PCa cells in vitro. Further analysis of those changes that are important with regard to cell death vs cell survival will result in a better understanding and potential use of dutasteride in the prevention or treatment of prostate cancer.Go


View this table:
[in this window]
[in a new window]
 
Appendix 1.
 


   Acknowledgments
 
We would like to thank Dr Karla Ballman and Bruce Morlan in the Mayo Clinic Cancer Center Biostatistics Department for assistance with gene-expression data analysis.


   Footnotes
 
? Supported by GlaxoSmithKline; NIH grants CA91956, DK65236, and DK60920; and the T. J. Martell Foundation. Back

1 Information on the REDUCE trial can be found at www.reducestudy.com/agi. Back


   References
 Top
 Abstract
 Materials and Methods
 Results
 Discussion
 References
 
Akoulitchev S, Chuikov S, Reinberg D. TFIIH is negatively regulated by cdk8-containing mediator complexes. Nature. 2000; 407: 102 -106.[Medline]

Bartsch G, Rittmaster RS, Klocker H. Dihydrotestosterone and the concept of 5 alpha-reductase inhibition in human benign prostatic hyperplasia. World J Urol. 2002; 19: 413 -425.[Medline]

Beyaert R, Van Loo G, Heyninck K, Vandenabeele P. Signaling to gene activation and cell death by tumor necrosis factor receptors and Fas. Int Rev Cytol. 2002; 214: 225 -272.[Medline]

Chu T-M, Weir B, Wolfinger R. A systematic statistical linear modeling approach to oligonucleotide array experiments. Mathematical Biosci. 2002; 176: 35 -51.

Cicek MS, Conti DV, Curran A, Neville PJ, Paris PL, Casey G, Witte JS. Association of prostate cancer risk and aggressiveness to androgen pathway genes: SRD5A2, CYP17, AND the AR. Prostate. 2004; 59: 69-76, 2004.[Medline]

Culig Z, Klocker H, Bartsch G, Steiner H, Hobisch A. Androgen receptors in prostate cancer. J Urol. 2003; 170: 1363 -1369.[Medline]

Cunha GR. Mesenchymal-epithelial interactions during androgen-induced development of the prostate. Prog Clin Biol Res. 1985;171: 15 -24.[Medline]

Dennis G Jr, Sherman BT, Hosack DA, Yang J, Gao W, Lane HC, Lempicki RA. DAVID: Database for Annotation, Visualization, and Integrated Discovery. Genome Biol. 2003; 4: P3 .[Medline]

Di Pietro C, Rapisarda A, Bonaiuto C, Lizzio MN, Engel H, Amico V, Scalia M, Amato A, Grzeschik KH, Sichel G, Purrello M. Genomics of the human genes encoding four TAFII subunits of TFIID, the three subunits of TFIIA, as well as CDK8 and SURB7. Somat Cell Mol Genet. 1999; 25: 185 -189.[Medline]

Dudoit S, Yang YH, Callow MJ, Speed TP. Statistical method for identifying genes with differential expression in replicated cDNA microarray experiments. Stat Sin. 2002; 12: 111 -139.

Foley CL, Kirby RS. 5 alpha-reductase inhibitors: what's new? Cur Opin Urol. 2003; 13: 31 -37.

Grossmann ME, Huang H, Tindall DJ. Androgen receptor signaling in androgen-refractory prostate cancer. J Natl Cancer Inst. 2001;93: 1687 -1697.[Abstract/Free Full Text]

Habib FK, Ross M, Bayne CW, Grigor K, Buck AC, Bollina P, Chapman K. The localisation and expression of 5 alpha-reductase types I and II mRNAs in human hyperplastic prostate and in prostate primary cultures. J Endocrinol. 1998;156: 509 -517.[Abstract]

Jaffe JM, Malkowicz SB, Walker AH, MacBride S, Peschel R, Tomaszewski J, Van Arsdalen K, Wein AJ, Rebbeck TR. Association of SRD5A2 genotype and pathological characteristics of prostate tumors. Cancer Res. 2000; 60: 1626 -1630.[Abstract/Free Full Text]

Jemal A, Tiwari RC, Murray T, Ghafoor A, Samuels A, Ward E, Feuer EJ, Thun MJ. Cancer statistics, 2004. CA Cancer J Clin. 2004;54: 8 -29.[Abstract/Free Full Text]

Kelloff, GJ. Perspectives on cancer chemoprevention research and drug development. Adv Cancer Res. 2000; 78: 199 -334.[Medline]

Klotz L. Hormone therapy for patients with prostate carcinoma. Cancer. 2000;88: 3009 -3014.[Medline]

Lazier CB, Thomas LN, Douglas RC, Vessey JP, Rittmaster RS. Dutasteride, the dual 5 alpha-reductase inhibitor, inhibits androgen action and promotes cell death in the LNCaP prostate cancer cell line. Prostate. 2004;58: 130 -144.[Medline]

Long BJ, Grigoryev DN, Nnane IP, Liu Y, Ling Y-Z, Brodie AM. Anti-androgenic effects of novel androgen synthesis inhibitors on hormone-dependent prostate cancer. Cancer Res. 2000; 60: 6630 -6640.[Abstract/Free Full Text]

Makridakis N, Ross RK, Pike MC, Chang L, Stanczyk FZ, Kolonel LN, Shi CY, Yu MC, Henderson BE, Reichardt JK. A prevalent missense substitution that modulates activity of prostatic steroid 5 alpha-reductase. Cancer Res. 1997; 57: 1020 -1022.[Abstract/Free Full Text]

Makridakis NM, di Salle E, Reichardt JK. Biochemical and pharmacogenetic dissection of human steroid 5 alpha-reductase type II. Pharmacogenetics. 2000; 10: 407 -413.[Medline]

Marcelli M, Cunningham GR, Haidacher SJ, Padayatty SJ, Sturgis L, Kagan C, Denner L. Caspase-7 is activated during lovastatin-induced apoptosis of the prostate cancer cell line LNCaP. Cancer Res. 1998; 58: 76 -83.[Abstract/Free Full Text]

Marcelli M, Cunningham GR, Walkup M, He Z, Sturgis L, Kagan C, Mannucci R, Nicoletti I, Teng B, Denner L. Signaling pathway activated during apoptosis of the prostate cancer cell line LNCaP: over-expression of caspase-7 as a new gene therapy strategy for prostate cancer. Cancer Res. 1999;59: 382 -390.[Abstract/Free Full Text]

Murillo H, Huang H, Schmidt LJ, Smith DI, Tindall DJ. Role of PI3K signaling in survival and progression of LNCaP prostate cancer cells to the androgen refractory state. Endocrinology. 2001; 142: 4795 -4805.[Abstract/Free Full Text]

Nunez G, Benedict MA, Hu Y, Inohara N. Caspases: the proteases of the apoptotic pathway. Oncogene. 1998; 17: 3237 -3245.[Medline]

Partin A, Rodriguez R. The molecular biology, endocrinology, and physiology of the prostate and seminal vesicles. In: Walsh PC, ed. Campbell's Urology. 8th ed. Philadelphia, Pa: Saunders; 2002: 1237-1296.

Reynolds T. Prostate cancer prevention trial yields positive results, but with a few cautions. J Natl Cancer Inst. 2003; 95: 1030 -1031.[Free Full Text]

Rokhlin OW, Guseva NV, Tagiyev AF, Glover RA, Cohen MB. Caspase-8 activation is necessary but not sufficient for tumor necrosis factor-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL)-mediated apoptosis in the prostatic carcinoma cell line LNCaP. Prostate. 2002; 52: 1 -11.[Medline]

Ross RK, Pike MC, Coetzee GA, Reichardt JK, Yu MC, Feigelson H, Stanczyk FZ, Kolonel LN, Henderson BE. Androgen metabolism and prostate cancer: establishing a model of genetic susceptibility. Cancer Res. 1998;58: 4497 -4504.[Abstract/Free Full Text]

Rozen S, Skaletsky H. Primer3 on the WWW for general users and for biologist programmers. Methods Mol Biol. 2000; 132: 365 -386.[Medline]

Schultz DR, Harrington WJ Jr. Apoptosis: programmed cell death at a molecular level. Semin Arthritis Rheum. 2003; 32: 345 -369.[Medline]

Seilhamer JJ. Pruzanski W, Vadas P, Plant S, Miller JA, Kloss J, Johnson LK. Cloning and recombinant expression of phospholipase A2 present in rheumatoid arthritic synovial fluid. J Biol Chem. 1989; 264: 5335 -5338.[Abstract/Free Full Text]

Thompson IM, Goodman PJ, Tangen CM, Lucia MS, Miller GJ, Ford LG, Lieber MM, Cespedes RD, Atkins JN, Lippman SM, Carlin SM, Ryan A, Szczepanek CM, Crowley JJ, Coltman CA Jr. The influence of finasteride on the development of prostate cancer. N Engl J Med. 2003; 349: 215 -224.[Abstract/Free Full Text]

Thornberry NA, Rano TA, Peterson EP, Rasper DM, Timkey T, Garcia-Calvo M, Houtzager VM, Nordstrom PA, Roy S, Vaillancourt JP, Chapman KT, Nicholson DW. A combinatorial approach defines specificities of members of the caspase family and granzyme B. Functional relationships established for key mediators of apoptosis. J Biol Chem. 1997; 272: 17907 -17911.[Abstract/Free Full Text]

Turgeon D, Carrier JS, Chouinard S, Belanger A. Glucuronidation activity of the UGT2B17 enzyme toward xenobiotics. Drug Metab Dispos. 2003;31: 670 -676.[Abstract/Free Full Text]

Turgeon D, Carrier JS, Levesque E, Hum DW, Belanger A. Relative enzymatic activity, protein stability, and tissue distribution of human steroid-metabolizing UGT2B subfamily members. Endocrinology. 2001; 142: 778 -787.[Abstract/Free Full Text]

Uygur MC, Arik AI, Altug U, Erol D. Effects of the 5 alpha-reductase inhibitor finasteride on serum levels of gonadal, adrenal, and hypo-physeal hormones and its clinical significance: a perspective clinical study. Steroids. 1998; 63: 208 -213.[Medline]

Wang LG, Liu XM, Kreis W, Budman DR. Down-regulation of prostate-specific antigen expression by finasteride through inhibition of complex formation between androgen receptor and steroid receptor-binding consensus in the promoter of the PSA gene in LNCaP cells. Cancer Res. 1997;57: 714 -719.[Abstract/Free Full Text]

Zhu YS, Cai LQ, You X, Cordero JJ, Huang Y, Imperato-McGinley J. Androgen-induced prostate-specific antigen gene expression is mediated via dihydrotestosterone in LNCaP cells. J Androl. 2003; 24: 681 -687[Abstract/Free Full Text]





This Article
Right arrow Abstract Freely available
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Schmidt, L. J.
Right arrow Articles by Tindall, D. J.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Schmidt, L. J.
Right arrow Articles by Tindall, D. J.


HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS