Metabolic changes are a well-described hallmark of cancer and are responses to changes in the activity of diverse oncogenes and tumour suppressors. For example, steroid hormone biosynthesis is intimately associated with changes in lipid metabolism and represents a therapeutic intervention point in the treatment of prostate cancer (PCa). Both prostate gland development and tumorigenesis rely on the activity of a steroid hormone receptor family member, the androgen receptor (AR). Recent studies have sought to define the biological impact of the AR on PCa by defining the whole-genome binding sites and gene networks that are regulated by the AR. This work has provided the first systematic evidence that the AR impacts on metabolism and biosynthesis at key regulatory steps within pathways that have also been defined as impact points for other oncogenes, including c-Myc, p53 and HIF1alpha, in other cancers. The success of interfering with these pathways in a therapeutic setting will, however, hinge on our ability to manage the concomitant stress and survival responses induced by such treatments and to achieve appropriate therapeutic windows.
Written by:
Barfeld S1, Itkonen H, Urbanucci A, Mills I Are you the author?
1S Barfeld, Centre for Molecular Medicine Norway, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
Reference: Endocr Relat Cancer. 2014 Feb 4 (Epub ahead of print)
doi: 10.1530/ERC-13-0515
PubMed Abstract
PMID: 24497572
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