Inhibition of Stat5a/b enhances proteasomal degradation of androgen receptor liganded by antiandrogens in prostate cancer

David T. Hoang, Lei Gu, Zhiyong Liao, Feng Shen, Pooja G. Talati, Mateusz Koptyra, Shyh Han Tan, Elyse Ellsworth, Shilpa Gupta, Heather Montie, Ayush Dagvadorj, Saija Savolainen, Benjamin Leiby, Tuomas Mirtti, Diane E. Merry, Marja T. Nevalainen

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

15 Scopus citations

Abstract

Although poorly understood, androgen receptor (AR) signaling is sustained despite treatment of prostate cancer with antiandrogens and potentially underlies development of incurable castrateresistant prostate cancer. However, therapies targeting the AR signaling axis eventually fail when prostate cancer progresses to the castrate-resistant stage. Stat5a/b, a candidate therapeutic target protein in prostate cancer, synergizes with AR to reciprocally enhance the signaling of both proteins. In this work, we demonstrate that Stat5a/b sequesters antiandrogen-liganded (MDV3100, bicalutamide, flutamide) AR in prostate cancer cells and protects it against proteasomal degradation in prostate cancer. Active Stat5a/b increased nuclear levels of both unliganded and antiandrogen- liganded AR, as demonstrated in prostate cancer cell lines, xenograft tumors, and clinical patient-derived prostate cancer samples. Physical interaction between Stat5a/b and AR in prostate cancer cells wasmediated by theDNA-bindingdomain of Stat5a/b and the N-terminal domain of AR. Moreover, active Stat5a/b increased AR occupancy of the prostate-specific antigen promoter and AR-regulated gene expression in prostate cancer cells. Mechanistically, both Stat5a/b genetic knockdown and antiandrogen treatment induced proteasomal degradation of AR in prostate cancer cells, with combined inhibition of Stat5a/b and AR leading to maximal loss of AR protein and prostate cancer cell viability. Our results indicate that therapeutic targeting of AR in prostate cancer using antiandrogens may be substantially improved by targeting of Stat5a/b.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)713-726
Number of pages14
JournalMolecular Cancer Therapeutics
Volume14
Issue number3
DOIs
StatePublished - Mar 1 2015

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© 2015 American Association for Cancer Research.

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