Enhanced sensitivity to androgen withdrawal due to overexpression of interleukin-6 in androgen-dependent human prostate cancer LNCaP cells.
BACKGROUND
The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of interleukin-6 (IL-6) overexpression in androgen-dependent prostate cancer LNCaP cells on their phenotype under an androgen-deprived condition.


METHODS
We established IL-6-overexpressing LNCaP (LNCaP/IL-6) by introducing the expression vector containing IL-6 cDNA. Changes in the phenotype in LNCaP/IL-6 were compared with that in LNCaP transfected with control vector alone (LNCaP/Co).


RESULTS
In vitro, the growth of LNCaP/IL-6 was significantly inferior to that of LNCaP/Co under an androgen-deprived condition. Similarly, LNCaP/IL-6 tumour in nude mice rapidly regressed after castration; however, LNCaP/Co tumour growth was transiently inhibited after castration and then continuously accelerated. After androgen withdrawal, expression levels of phosphorylated p44/42 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) and Akt in LNCaP/IL-6 were markedly upregulated compared with those in LNCaP/Co; however, additional treatment with specific inhibitor of the MAPK or Akt signalling pathway significantly inhibited the growth of LNCaP/IL-6 compared with that of LNCaP/Co. Furthermore, gene microarray analyses showed that androgen deprivation resulted in differential expression of genes involved in growth, apoptotsis and tumorigenesis between LNCaP/Co and LNCaP/IL-6.


CONCLUSIONS
Excessive secretion of IL-6 by LNCaP cells in an autocrine manner may have a suppressive function in their growth and acquisition of androgen-independent phenotype under an androgen-deprived condition.
Terakawa
T
T
Division of Urology, Department of Surgery, Kobe University Graduate School of Medicine, Kobe 650-0017, Japan.
Miyake
H
H
Furukawa
J
J
Ettinger
S L
SL
Gleave
M E
ME
Fujisawa
M
M
D000728:Androgens / Q000172:deficiency* / Q000378:metabolism; D000818:Animals; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D006801:Humans; D015850:Interleukin-6 / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000235:genetics / Q000494:pharmacology; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008819:Mice, Nude; D020928:Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors / Q000378:metabolism; D009376:Neoplasms, Hormone-Dependent; D020411:Oligonucleotide Array Sequence Analysis; D011379:Prognosis; D017430:Prostate-Specific Antigen / Q000096:biosynthesis; D011471:Prostatic Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy; D011944:Receptors, Androgen / Q000378:metabolism; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000187:drug effects; D014162:Transfection
D000728:Androgens; D015850:Interleukin-6; D011944:Receptors, Androgen; D020928:Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases; D017430:Prostate-Specific Antigen