Androgen-independent expression of hoxb-13 in the mouse prostate.
BACKGROUND
Hox genes encode transcriptional regulatory proteins that are largely responsible for establishing the body plan of all metazoan organisms. A subset of Hox genes is expressed during the period of organogenesis and into adulthood. hoxb-13 is a recently-described member of the Hox gene family that is expressed in the spinal cord, hindgut, and urogenital sinus during embryogenesis.


METHODS
Northern blot and in situ hybridization analyses of hoxb-13 expression in adult mouse tissues were performed.


RESULTS
hoxb-13 mRNA is restricted to the prostate gland and distal colon in adult animals. In situ hybridization of mouse prostate tissue demonstrated that hoxb-13 is expressed in the epithelial cells of the ventral, dorsal, lateral, and anterior prostate lobes. Accumulation of hoxb-13 mRNA is not diminished following castration.


CONCLUSIONS
These data demonstrate that hoxb-13 expression is androgen-independent in mouse prostate glands. The identification of hoxb-13 as an androgen-independent gene expressed in adult mouse prostate epithelial cells provides a new potential target for developing therapeutics to treat advanced prostate cancer.
Sreenath
T
T
Functional Genomics Unit, NIDCR, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, USA.
Orosz
A
A
Fujita
K
K
Bieberich
C J
CJ
D000728:Androgens / Q000494:pharmacology*; D000818:Animals; D015152:Blotting, Northern; D004847:Epithelial Cells / Q000502:physiology; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation; D005801:Genes, Homeobox / Q000235:genetics*; D018398:Homeodomain Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D017403:In Situ Hybridization; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D011467:Prostate / Q000502:physiology*
D000728:Androgens; D018398:Homeodomain Proteins; C100943:Hoxb13 protein, mouse