title: Cyclin G-associated kinase: a novel androgen receptor-interacting transcriptional coactivator that is overexpressed in hormone refractory prostate cancer.
abstract: The androgen receptor (AR), a steroid receptor family member, is a ligand-dependent transcription factor that has an integral role in normal prostate development. Alterations in AR-mediated activity can result in abnormal gene expression, dysregulated cell growth and prostate cancer. Coregulator proteins that interact with AR to influence activity and specificity of the AR-response may also have an important role in prostate cancer progression. Since the NH(2)-terminal domain (NTD) of AR encodes the ligand-independent activation function (AF)-1, this domain is incompatible with conventional yeast two-hybrid systems. Therefore, we have used the Tup1 repressed transactivator (RTA) system, which exploits the intrinsic transactivation properties of AR.NTD, for identification of novel AR-interacting proteins. Using this system, cyclin G-associated kinase (GAK) was identified as an AR interacting protein, and GST pull-down assays were used to confirm the interaction. GAK was shown to enhance the AF-1 function of AR activity in a ligand-dependent manner. Additionally, GAK enhanced the AR transcriptional response even at low concentrations of androgens, which is relevant to AR activity in androgen-independent prostate cancer. Finally, neo-adjuvant hormone therapy (NHT) tissue microarray analysis demonstrated that GAK expression increased significantly with prostate cancer progression to androgen independence, which suggests a prognostic role for GAK in advanced disease.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada.
authors.forename: Mira R
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Ray
authors.forename: Latif A
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Wafa
authors.forename: Helen
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Cheng
authors.forename: Robert
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Snoek
authors.forename: Ladan
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Fazli
authors.forename: Martin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Gleave
authors.forename: Paul S
authors.initials: PS
authors.lastname: Rennie
mesh_terms: D000728:Androgens / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D016213:Cyclins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D018450:Disease Progression; D015972:Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic; D006801:Humans; D047908:Intracellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins; D008297:Male; D011471:Prostatic Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology*; D011485:Protein Binding; D017346:Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D011944:Receptors, Androgen / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D017471:Receptors, Interferon / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D046888:Tissue Array Analysis; D015533:Transcriptional Activation / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: D000728:Androgens; D016213:Cyclins; C086185:IFNGR2 protein, human; D047908:Intracellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins; D011944:Receptors, Androgen; D017471:Receptors, Interferon; C486325:GAK protein, human; D017346:Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases