Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: UMLS:C0376358 (prostate cancer)
 59,338 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

The ubiquitin-proteasome pathway plays a critical role in the regulated degradation of proteins involved in cell cycle control and tumor growth. Dysregulating the degradation of such proteins should have profound effects on tumor growth and cause cells to undergo apoptosis. To test this hypothesis, we developed a novel series of proteasome inhibitors, exemplified by PS-341, which we describe here. As determined by the National Cancer Institute in vitro screen, PS-341 has substantial cytotoxicity against a broad range of human tumor cells, including prostate cancer cell lines. The PC-3 prostate cell line was, therefore, chosen to further examine the antitumor activity of PS-341. In vitro, PS-341 elicits proteasome inhibition, leading to an increase in the intracellular levels of specific proteins, including the cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor, p21. Moreover, exposure of such cells to PS-341 caused them to accumulate in the G2-M phase of the cell cycle and subsequently undergo apoptosis, as indicated by nuclear condensation and poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase cleavage. Following weekly i.v. treatment of PS-341 to mice bearing the PC-3 tumor, a significant decrease (60%) in tumor burden was observed in vivo. Direct injection of PS-341 into the tumor also caused a substantial (70%) decrease in tumor volume with 40% of the drug-treated mice having no detectable tumors at the end of the study. Studies also revealed that i.v. administration of PS-341 resulted in a rapid and widespread distribution of PS-341, with highest levels identified in the liver and gastrointestinal tract and lowest levels in the skin and muscle. Modest levels were found in the prostate, whereas there was no apparent penetration of the central nervous system. An assay to follow the biological activity of the PS-341 was established and used to determine temporal drug activity as well as its ability to penetrate tissues. As such, PS-341 was shown to penetrate PC-3 tumors and inhibit intracellular proteasome activity 1.0 h after i.v. dosing. These data illustrate that PS-341 not only reaches its biological target but has a direct effect on its biochemical target, the proteasome. Importantly, the data show that inhibition of this target site by PS-341 results in reduced tumor growth in murine tumor models. Together, the results highlight that the proteasome is a novel biochemical target and that inhibitors such as PS-341 represent a unique class of antitumor agents. PS-341 is currently under clinical evaluation for advanced cancers.
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PMID:Proteasome inhibitors: a novel class of potent and effective antitumor agents. 1036 83

The cyclin dependent kinase inhibitor p27 binds to and inhibits preferentially S-phase kinases thereby halting cell cycle progression. Loss of p27 expression has been shown to be associated with aggressive behavior in a variety of human epithelial tumors including prostate cancer. In this review, the role of p27 in cell cycle progression as well as its regulation by the ubiquitin-proteasome pathway are discussed. The experimental evidence pointing to the role of p27 as a tumor suppressor gene is outlined. The data generated to date on the prognostic significance of loss of p27 protein expression in human prostate cancers are summarized. Finally, the implications of the changes in p27 expression which occur as a result of androgen ablation in normal and neoplastic prostate are discussed.
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PMID:Role of p27 in prostate carcinogenesis. 1045 77

Previously we reported that proteasome inhibitors were able to overcome Bcl-2-mediated protection from apoptosis. Here we show that inhibition of the proteasome activity in Bcl-2-overexpressing cells accumulates the proapoptotic Bax protein to mitochondria/cytoplasm, where it interacts to Bcl-2 protein. This event was followed by release of mitochondrial cytochrome c into the cytosol and activation of caspase-mediated apoptosis. In contrast, proteasome inhibition did not induce any apparent changes in Bcl-2 protein levels. In addition, treatment with a proteasome inhibitor increased levels of ubiquitinated forms of Bax protein, without any effects on Bax mRNA expression. We also established a cell-free Bax degradation assay in which an in vitro-translated, (35)S-labeled Bax protein can be degraded by a tumor cell protein extract, inhibitable by addition of a proteasome inhibitor or depletion of the proteasome or ATP. The Bax degradation activity can be reconstituted in the proteasome-depleted supernatant by addition of a purified 20S proteasome or proteasome-enriched fraction. Finally, by using tissue samples of human prostate adenocarcinoma, we demonstrated that increased levels of Bax degradation correlated well with decreased levels of Bax protein and increased Gleason scores of prostate cancer. Our studies strongly suggest that ubiquitin/proteasome-mediated Bax degradation is a novel survival mechanism in human cancer cells and that selective targeting of this pathway should provide a unique approach for treatment of human cancers, especially those overexpressing Bcl-2.
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PMID:Bax degradation by the ubiquitin/proteasome-dependent pathway: involvement in tumor survival and progression. 1072

Better understanding of the immunology of prostate cancer is needed for the development of new therapeutic approaches that can be used in conjunction with current treatment methods. The present study was designed to compare the immunological properties of a genetically matched pair of primary tumor- and metastasis-derived prostate cancer cell lines generated from the mouse prostate reconstitution (MPR) model. Only the primary prostate cancer cells were immunogenic in that prior immunization with irradiated primary but not the metastatic prostate cancer cells delayed the growth of subsequently injected live cancer cells. The lack of immunogenicity of the metastatic cells was not attributable to their inability to induce antitumor cytotoxic T cells. Both primary and metastatic cells induced antitumor CTLs in syngeneic hosts, but unlike the primary cells, the metastatic cells were resistant to CTL lysis. Differential resistance to cytolysis in metastatic versus primary prostate cancer cells was not attributable to the differential expression of molecules such as transporter associated with antigen processing (TAP)-1, TAP-2, low molecular weight protein of the proteasome complex (LMP)-2, and LMP-7 that contribute to antigen presentation by class I MHC. IFN-gamma induced surface class I MHC expression, as well as gene expression of TAP-1, TAP-2, LMP-2, and LMP-7 in the metastatic cells, yet the cells remained resistant to cell lysis induced by CTLs. Interestingly, although in comparison to the primary cells the metastatic cells were resistant to cytolysis, both cell types were susceptible to DNA fragmentation induced by CTLs. Cell fusion between primary and metastatic cancer cells resulted in hybrids that also resisted the cytolytic activity of CTLs. Therefore, there is a dominant factor(s) in the metastatic prostate cancer cells that confers specific protection against CTL cytolysis in this model system.
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PMID:Resistance to lysis by cytotoxic T cells: a dominant effect in metastatic mouse prostate cancer cells. 1076 82

Mdm2 is a nuclear phosphoprotein which functions as a negative feedback regulator of the p53 tumor suppressor gene. In this study, we investigated the alteration of Mdm2 and p53 in three human cancer cell lines containing either a wild-type or mutant p53 gene after treatment with Adriamycin (doxorubicin, ADR), a DNA damaging agent. We found that human breast cancer MCF-7 cells containing wild-type p53 were much more susceptible to ADR compared to human breast cancer MDA-MB-231 and human prostate cancer Du-145 cells which contain mutant p53. ADR resulted in a significant dose-dependent accumulation of p53 protein in MCF-7 cells, whereas little or no influence was observed on p53 protein of the two mutant p53 cell lines. However, a significant down-regulation of Mdm2 at protein and mRNA levels was observed in these three cell lines following ADR treatment. Moreover, the decrease of Mdm2 was in both a dose- and time-dependent manner. It is interestingly noted that 5 microM is a critical dose for significant down-regulation of the Mdm2 protein. Selected proteasome inhibitors did not rescue the ADR-caused decline in the expression of Mdm2 protein. Therefore, our present results reveal that ADR can induce a down-regulation of Mdm2 via a p53-independent pathway in human cancer cells and the ubiquitin-proteasome degradation mechanism may not be involved in the decreased expression of Mdm2 protein.
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PMID:P53-independent down-regulation of Mdm2 in human cancer cells treated with adriamycin. 1077 10

To elucidate the mechanism of androgen-dependent cellular proliferation in prostate cancer, androgen-dependent alterations of individual cell cycle regulatory proteins in the androgen-sensitive prostate cancer cell line LNCaP were evaluated. LNCaP cells were deprived of androgens by culture in steroid-depleted media for 5 days, which resulted in the maximal accumulation of cells in G(0)/G(1) phase of the cell cycle. The mitogenic concentration of the synthetic androgen R1881 was established as 0.1 nM using cell proliferation assay. Protein and mRNA levels of particular cyclins, cyclin-dependent kinases (Cdks), cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitors (Ckis), and the retinoblastoma proteins (Rb) were assessed. Androgen stimulation resulted in a post-transcriptional reduction in Rb protein levels, an increase in Rb phosphorylation at serine 780 and an accumulation of high molecular weight Rb protein species. Androgen stimulation also induced the expression of the Cdk2 and Cdk1 as well as their regulatory partners, cyclin A and cyclin B, resulting in a corresponding increase in cyclin A/Cdk2 activity in vitro. Pulse-chase showed decreased Rb protein stability in androgen-treated LNCaP cells. Collectively, our findings suggest a novel mechanism of androgen-dependent prostate cancer growth in which androgen stimulation results in decreased Rb protein expression in LNCaP cells. The observation of decreased Rb protein stability in the setting of increased phosphorylation supports the concept of phosphorylation mediated protein degradation. We propose that the observed reduction in Rb protein level occurs through Rb degradation via the ubiquitin/proteasome pathway, and is preceded by selective Rb phosphorylation by cyclin A/Cdk2 and cyclin B/Cdk1.
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PMID:Androgen stimulated cellular proliferation in the human prostate cancer cell line LNCaP is associated with reduced retinoblastoma protein expression. 1174 27

Over the last decade, the critical role of the proteasome in cell-cycle regulation has become increasingly apparent. The proteasome, a multicatalytic protease present in all eukaryotic cells, is the primary component of the protein degradation pathway of the cell. By degrading regulatory proteins (or their inhibitors), the proteasome serves as a central conduit for many cellular regulatory signals and, thus, is a novel target for therapeutic drugs. PS-341 is a small molecule that is a potent and selective inhibitor of the proteasome. In vitro and mouse xenograft studies of PS-341 have shown antitumor activity in a variety of tumor types, including myeloma, chronic lymphocytic leukemia, prostate cancer, pancreatic cancer, and colon cancer, among others. Although PS-341 rapidly leaves the vascular compartment, a novel pharmacodynamic assay has shown that inhibition of proteasome-the biologic target-is dose dependent and reversible. These studies provided the rationale for a twice-weekly dosing schedule employed in ongoing clinical studies. Phase I trials in a variety of tumor types have shown PS-341 to be well tolerated, and phase II trials in several hematologic malignancies and solid tumor types are now in progress. Efficacy and safety data from the most advanced of these, a phase II multicenter trial in myeloma, will be available in early 2002.
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PMID:Development of the proteasome inhibitor PS-341. 1185 43

Insulin-like growth factor binding protein (IGFBP)-3, a p53-response gene, can induce apoptosis in an IGF-independent manner. Here we demonstrate that IGFBP-3 mediates p53-induced apoptosis during serum starvation using two foil neoplastic cell models: one which introduces p53 activity and one which eliminates it. We created a doxycycline-inducible p53 model from the p53-negative PC-3 prostate cancer cell line. Doxycycline treatment increased both p53 and IGFBP-3 levels. It also augmented apoptosis, but not during insulin-like growth factor-I co-treatment. In a second model, lung carcinoma H460 cells expressing fully functional p53 were stably transfected with E6, which targets p53 for degradation. H460-E6 cells contained less p53 and IGFBP-3 than control neo-transfected cells, and proteasome blockade restored both. In serum deprivation, H460-E6 cells had enhanced growth and less apoptosis than did H460-neo cells. Reductions in H460-neo apoptosis, comparable in magnitude to H460-E6, were achieved by adding anti-IGFBP-3-antibody or IGFBP-3 antisense oligomers, but not non-specific immunoglobulin or IGFBP-3 sense oligomers. In summary, turning p53 in two foil neoplastic cell models induced IGFBP-3 expression and increased apoptosis during serum starvation, an effect inhibited by insulin-like growth factor-I treatment and specific IGFBP-3 blockade. This is the first demonstration of inhibition of p53 action by antagonizing IGFBP-3.
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PMID:IGFBP-3 mediates p53-induced apoptosis during serum starvation. 1211 29

Upon binding to androgen, the androgen receptor (AR) can translocate into the nucleus and bind to androgen response element(s) to modulate its target genes. Here we have shown that MG132, a 26 S proteasome inhibitor, suppressed AR transactivation in an androgen-dependent manner in prostate cancer LNCaP and PC-3 cells. In contrast, MG132 showed no suppressive effect on glucocorticoid receptor transactivation. Additionally, transfection of PSMA7, a proteasome subunit, enhanced AR transactivation in a dose-dependent manner. The suppression of AR transactivation by MG132 may then result in the suppression of prostate-specific antigen, a well known marker used to monitor the progress of prostate cancer. Further mechanistic studies indicated that MG132 may suppress AR transactivation via inhibition of AR nuclear translocation and/or inhibition of interactions between AR and its coregulators, such as ARA70 or TIF2. Together, our data suggest that the proteasome system plays important roles in the regulation of AR activity in prostate cancer cells and may provide a unique target site for the development of therapeutic drugs to block androgen/AR-mediated prostate tumor growth.
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PMID:Proteasome activity is required for androgen receptor transcriptional activity via regulation of androgen receptor nuclear translocation and interaction with coregulators in prostate cancer cells. 1211 96

The proteasome is a multicatalytic protease, present in all eukaryotic cells, that is primarily responsible for intracellular protein degradation. By destroying regulatory proteins or their inhibitors, the proteasome influences many cellular regulatory signals and is thus a potential target for pharmacological agents. The dipeptide boronic acid analogue PS-341 is a potent and selective proteasome inhibitor in clinical trials for a variety of tumor types. In vitro and in vivo (murine xenograft) studies show that PS-341 has activity against a variety of malignancies, including myeloma, chronic lymphocytic leukemia, prostate cancer, pancreatic cancer, breast cancer and colon cancer.
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PMID:Preclinical and clinical evaluation of proteasome inhibitor PS-341 for the treatment of cancer. 1213 26


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