Genes upregulated in prostate cancer reactive stroma promote prostate cancer progression in vivo
Menée à l'aide de xénogreffes, cette étude met en évidence un ensemble de gènes dont la surexpression dans les cellules du stroma est associée à la progression d'une tumeur de la prostate
Purpose: Marked reactive stroma formation is associated with poor outcome in clinically localized prostate cancer. We have previously identified genes with diverse functions that are upregulated in reactive stroma. This study tests the hypothesis that expression of these genes in stromal cells enhances prostate cancer growth in vivo. Experimental Design: The expression of reactive stroma genes in prostate stromal cell lines was evaluated by RT-PCR and Q-RT-PCR. Genes were knocked down using stable expression of shRNAs and the impact on tumorigenesis assessed using the differential reactive stroma (DRS) system, in which prostate stromal cell lines are mixed with LNCaP prostate cancer cells and growth as subcutaneous xenografts assessed. Results: Nine of 10 reactive stroma genes tested were expressed in one or more prostate stromal cell lines. Gene knockdown of c-Kit, Wnt10B, Bmi1, Gli2 or COMP all resulted in decreased tumorigenesis in the DRS model. In all tumors analyzed, angiogenesis was decreased and there were variable effects on proliferation and apoptosis in the LNCaP cells. Wnt10B has been associated with stem/progenitor cell phenotype in other tissue types. Using a RT-PCR array, we detected downregulation of multiple genes involved in stem/progenitor cell biology such as OCT4 and LIF as well as cytokines such as VEGFA, BDNF and CSF2 in cells with Wnt10B knockdown. Conclusions: These findings show that genes upregulated in prostate cancer reactive stroma promote progression when expressed in prostate stromal cells. Moreover, these data indicate that the DRS model recapitulates key aspects of cancer cell/reactive stroma interactions in prostate cancer.