Overexpression of aldo-keto reductase 1C2 is associated with disease progression in patients with prostatic cancer.
OBJECTIVE
Prostatic cancer is resistant to chemotherapy. Expression of aldo-keto reductase 1C (AKR1C) has been associated with drug resistance and disease progression in several cancers. The aim was to investigate the relationship between AKR1C expression and disease progression in prostatic cancer.


RESULTS
From January 1996 to December 2005, 86 pathological samples were collected from patients with prostatic cancer. A tissue microarray containing 31 prostatic cancers from American patients was used for comparison between Chinese and American patients. Using immunohistochemistry, aldo-keto reductase family 1, member C2 (AKR1C2) expression was assessed in tissue sections. The AKR1C2 was determined by two-dimensional immunoblotting and DNA sequencing of reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction products. The relationship between AKR1C2 expression and clinicopathological variables was statistically analysed. In vitro, the association between AKR1C2 expression and drug resistance was investigated in androgen-sensitive and androgen-insensitive prostatic cancer cells. DNA sequencing and two-dimensional immunoblotting showed that prostatic cancer expressed AKR1C2. It was overexpressed in 77 of 86 (89.5%) Chinese and in 28 of 31 (90.3%) American samples. No difference was found in AKR1C2 expression between Chinese and American prostatic cancer patients. In vitro, increased expression of AKR1C2 and prostaglandin F2α correlated with cytoprotection against anticancer drugs and lycopene.


CONCLUSIONS
Overexpression of AKR1C2 is associated with disease progression in prostatic cancer.
Huang
Kuo-Hsuan
KH
Institute of Medicine, Department of Family Medicine, Chung-Shan Medical University, Taichung, Taiwan.
Chiou
Shiow-Her
SH
Chow
Kuan-Chih
KC
Lin
Tze-Yi
TY
Chang
Hui-Wen
HW
Chiang
I-Ping
IP
Lee
Meng-Chih
MC
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D018450:Disease Progression; D015972:Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic; D006801:Humans; D006913:Hydroxysteroid Dehydrogenases / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011471:Prostatic Neoplasms / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000235:genetics / Q000473:pathology; D011944:Receptors, Androgen / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D019032:Spectrometry, Mass, Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption-Ionization; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured; D045002:3-alpha-Hydroxysteroid Dehydrogenase (B-Specific)
D006913:Hydroxysteroid Dehydrogenases; D011944:Receptors, Androgen; C435496:AKR1C2 protein, human; D045002:3-alpha-Hydroxysteroid Dehydrogenase (B-Specific)