Ca2+ homeostasis in apoptotic resistance of prostate cancer cells.
Ca2+ is a universal messenger regulating many physiological functions including such an important one, as the ability of the cell to undergo orderly self-destruction upon completion of its mission, called apoptosis. If this function is compromised unwanted cells may eventually take over the tissue turning it into a cancer. Ca2+ dependency of apoptosis, when its all aspects are learned and understood and key molecular players identified, may provide a good opportunity for controlling tumor growth. In the present mini-review we describe the major molecular determinants of Ca2+ homeostasis in prostate cancer cells and establish their role in the transformation to apoptosis-resistant cell phenotypes typical of advanced androgen-independent prostate cancer. We show that the hallmark of such transformation is the inhibition of apoptosis pathway associated with endoplasmic reticulum Ca2+ store depletion.
Prevarskaya
Natalia
N
Laboratoire de Physiologie Cellulaire, INSERM EPI-9938, USTL, Bat. SN3, 59655 Villeneuve d'Ascq Cedex, France. natacha.prevarskaya@univ-lillel.fr
Skryma
Roman
R
Shuba
Yaroslav
Y
D017209:Apoptosis; D002118:Calcium / Q000378:metabolism; D020013:Calcium Signaling; D006706:Homeostasis; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011471:Prostatic Neoplasms / Q000209:etiology* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology
D002118:Calcium