Androgens and Tumor Suppressors in Prostate Cancer

Androgens are intimately associated with prostate cancer development and progression; however, the exact roles of androgens in prostate cancer cells remain unclear. Our research focuses on the identification and

Androgens are intimately associated with prostate cancer development and progression; however, the exact roles of androgens in prostate cancer cells remain unclear. Our research focuses on the identification and characterization of cellular androgen signaling pathways in the prostate. Androgen action is mediated through the androgen receptor fAR）, a ligand-dependent transcription factor that regulates the expression of androgen-responsive genes. We initiated our investigation by identifying androgen-responsive genes, on the basis of their induction during the initial regrowth of the regressed ventral prostate in 7-day castrated rats, using a PCR-based cDNA subtraction method and cDNA microarray. The androgen up-regulated genes identified in our studies can be classified into several functional groups： Genes involved in metabolism, protein chaperoning and trafficking, protein synthesis, secretions, cell cycle and apoptosis, cell structure and the extracellular matrix, as well as genes that encode novel proteins with unknown functions.