Ping Yi, assistant professor of biology and biochemistry, is leading a team investigating castrate-resistant prostate cancer. Credit: University of Houston
Castrate-resistant prostate cancer presents unique treatment challenges as typical hormonal treatment is ineffective, and the disease continues to grow even in the absence of testosterone. New research from the University of Houston has identified potential alternative treatment options for castrate-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC).
Often used as a preliminary treatment option for prostate cancer patients, androgen-deprivation therapy is used to reduce male hormone levels. However, this treatment while showing initially positive results, often falls short as patients typically develop CRPC. The study, published in PNAS, demonstrates that CRPC is highly dependent on androgen receptors (AR) and that these receptors will often change their behavior in advanced prostate cancer.
"We found a specific chemical modification that occurs on the AR protein in certain conditions where the levels of male hormones are reduced to castration conditions,” said Ping Yi, assistant professor of biology and biochemistry. “This modification involves another protein called TRAF4, which is frequently overexpressed in advanced prostate cancers. We demonstrated that overexpression of TRAF4 leads to the conversion of androgen-sensitive prostate cancer cells into castration-resistant cells, both in lab experiments and in live samples. We also found that the TRAF4 protein level is higher in androgen-insensitive lymph node carcinoma cells of the prostate.”
The researchers believe their findings could provide a new means of targeted treatment in advanced prostate cancer patients by targeting these molecular changes caused by the modification of androgen receptors in castration conditions. Further testing is planned, including identifying CRPC patients that may respond well to the new treatment methods.