THURSDAY, Feb. 25 (HealthDay News) -- Vitamin D receptor (VDR) agonists can reduce the growth of prostate cancer cells containing a common, androgen-regulated, growth-promoting gene fusion, according to a study published online Feb. 10 in Endocrinology.
Michele N. Washington and Nancy L. Weigel, Ph.D., of the Baylor College of Medicine in Houston examined the effect of VDR agonists on prostate cancer cells containing androgen-regulated TMPRSS2:ERG gene fusions, which occur in up to 79 percent of prostate cancers and mediate growth and invasiveness.
The researchers found that 1α, 25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 and its synthetic analog EB1089 induced the TMPRSS2:ERG fusion gene. An androgen receptor antagonist could block TMPRSS2 induction but not TMPRSS2:ERG induction. However, VDR agonists that induced TMPRSS2:ERG also reduced cell growth.
"In summary, our studies show that VDR induces TMPRSS2 and the TMRPSS2:ERG fusion gene and that neither androgen nor androgen receptor are required for induction," the authors write. "Thus, the beneficial effects of VDR agonist treatment override some of the negative effects of ERG induction, although others remain to be tested."
Abstract
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