Prostate Cell News Volume 7.11 | Apr 1 2016

N-Myc Drives Neuroendocrine Prostate Cancer Initiated from Human Prostate Epithelial Cells
Scientists defined N-Myc and activated AKT1 as oncogenic components sufficient to transform human prostate epithelial cells to prostate adenocarcinoma and neuroendocrine prostate cancer (NEPC) with phenotypic and molecular features of aggressive, late-stage human disease. They directly showed that prostate adenocarcinoma and NEPC can arise from a common epithelial clone. [Cancer Cell]
Abstract | Graphical Abstract | Press Release

PTP1B Deficiency Enables the Ability of a High Fat Diet to Drive the Invasive Character of PTEN-Deficient Prostate Cancers
Scientists present genetic evidence in the mouse showing that prostate cancer progression driven by loss of the tumor suppressor Pten is mainly unresponsive to a high fat diet, but that coordinate loss of the protein tyrosine phosphatase Ptpn1 enables a highly invasive disease. [Cancer Res] Abstract

Endogenous GAS6 and Mer Receptor Signaling Regulate Prostate Cancer Stem Cells in Bone Marrow
The authors investigated the role that endogenous GAS6 and Mer receptor signaling plays in establishing prostate cancer stem cells in the bone marrow microenvironment. [Oncotarget] Full Article

The Retinoblastoma Protein Regulates Hypoxia-Inducible Genetic Programs, Tumor Cell Invasiveness and Neuroendocrine Differentiation in Prostate Cancer Cells
Investigators characterized the role retinoblastoma protein (Rb) plays in mediating hypoxia-regulated genetic programs by stably ablating Rb expression with retrovirally-introduced short hairpin RNA in LNCaP and 22Rv1 human prostate cancer cells. [Oncotarget] Full Article

Activin A Regulates MicroRNAs and Gene Expression in LNCaP Cells
No studies have investigated the impact of activin A on microRNA (miRNA) expression in prostate cancer (PCa) cell lines. Hence, the authors determined the effect of activin A on miRNA expression and downstream target genes in PCa. [Prostate] Abstract

Epigenetics Reactivation of Nrf2 in Prostate TRAMP C1 Cells by Curcumin Analogue FN1
Researchers explored the epigenetic modification of FN1 that restores Nrf2 expression in TRAMP-C1 cells. Stably transfected HepG2-C8 cells were used to investigate the effect of FN1 on the Nrf2- antioxidant response element pathway. [Chem Res Toxicol] Abstract | Graphical Abstract

A Triad of Telomerase, Androgen Receptor and Early Growth Response 1 in Prostate Cancer Cells
Researchers demonstrated a decline in the hTERT expression and telomerase activity on “loss of AR” in androgen-dependent prostate cancer cells. They further addressed two unresolved queries, whether AR-mediated signaling is of any relevance to hTERT expression in castration-resistant prostate cancer and whether this signaling involves EGR1. [Cancer Biol Ther] Abstract

MicroRNA-495 Regulates Migration and Invasion in Prostate Cancer Cells via Targeting Akt and mTOR Signaling
Investigators identified a novel microRNA (miR)-495, which was downregulated in prostate cancer, but not normal prostate cell lines. MiR-495 directly targeted the 3′-UTR of Akt and mTOR mRNAs. [Cancer Invest] Abstract

CLINICAL RESEARCH

A Phase II Clinical Trial of Everolimus plus Bicalutamide for Castration-Resistant Prostate Cancer
Patients who were eligible for this study had to have progressive castration-resistant prostate cancer with serum testosterone levels <50 ng/dL. No prior bicalutamide or everolimus was allowed. Treatment included oral bicalutamide 50 mg and oral everolimus 10 mg, both once daily, with a cycle defined as four weeks. [Cancer] Abstract

Enzalutamide in Japanese Patients with Chemotherapy-Naïve, Metastatic Castration-Resistant Prostate Cancer: A Post-Hoc Analysis of the Placebo-Controlled PREVAIL Trial
Asymptomatic or mildly symptomatic chemotherapy-naïve patients with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer progressing on androgen deprivation therapy were randomized one-to-one to 160 mg/day oral enzalutamide or placebo until discontinuation on radiographic progression or skeletal-related event and initiation of subsequent antineoplastic therapy. [Int J Urol] Abstract

Visit our reviews page to see a complete list of reviews in the prostate cell research field.

Tokai Announces Dosing of First Patient in Phase II Expansion Study of Galeterone in Enzalutamide-Refractory mCRPC Patients
Tokai Pharmaceuticals Inc. announced that it has begun dosing patients in an expansion arm of ARMOR2, the company’s ongoing Phase II clinical trial of galeterone, to further explore the safety and clinical activity of galeterone in metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) patients whose disease progressed during treatment with Xtandi^®. [Tokai Pharmaceuticals Inc.] Press Release

Bayer Receives Approval for Xofigo^® in Japan
Bayer announced that the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare in Japan has granted marketing authorization for Xofigo^® for the treatment of patients with castration-resistant prostate cancer and bone metastases. [Bayer AG] Press Release

From our sponsor:
Interested in assays for human mammary stem and progenitor cells? Request your free wallchart.

Food and Drug Administration (United States)

Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research (United States)

European Medicines Agency (European Union)

Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (United Kingdom)

Therapeutic Goods Administration (Australia)

Visit our events page to see a complete list of events in the prostate cell community.

NEW PhD Studentship – Various Projects (Cancer Research UK Manchester Institute)

Clinical Research Fellow – Prostate Cancer Vaccine (University of Oxford)

Lead Scientist – Prostate Cancer (Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center)

Postdoctoral Fellowship – Castration Resistant Prostate Cancer (University of Florida)

Postdoctoral Fellowship – Optical Imaging of Prostate Cancer (CEA Tech)

PhD Studentship – Wnt Signaling in Stem Cells and Cancer (German Cancer Research Center)

PhD Studentship – Aggressive Prostate Cancer (University of East Anglia)

Postdoctoral Fellowship – Prostate and Breast Cancer Molecular Mechanisms (Feinberg School of Medicine)

Tenure Track Faculty Positions – Various Methods in Cancer Biology (Paul L. Foster School of Medicine)

Postdoctoral Fellowship – Epidemiology of Prostate Cancer (Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center)

Research Group Leader – Stress Regulated Processes During Oncogenesis (INSERM)

Postdoctoral Fellowship – Cancer Epigenomics (Princess Margaret Cancer Centre)

Postdoctoral Fellowship – Prostate Cancer Biology (Medical University of South Carolina)

Postdoctoral Fellowship – Prostate Cancer and Cancer Metabolism (Cleveland Clinic)

Postdoctoral Research Fellow – Cell Cycle Control and Tumorigenesis (Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center)

Division Head – Medical Oncology (Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center)

Recruit Top Talent: Reach more than 60,000 potential candidates by posting your organization’s career opportunities on the Connexon Creative Job Board at no cost.