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Elucidating the mechanism underlying prostate turmorigenesis mediated by AR in Shh-responsive cells

ABSTRACT: The activation of the androgen receptor (AR) through binding of androgens is essential for prostate tumorigenesis. Although significant effort has been devoted to determining the intrinsic mechanism underlying AR action and designing therapies to directly target AR expressing tumor cells, these therapies failed in most prostate cancer patients. Here, we demonstrate that loss of AR in stromal sonic-hedgehog Gli1-lineage cells diminishes prostate epithelial oncogenesis and tumor development using both in vivo tissue recombination assays and mouse models. Single-cell RNA sequencing combined with other experimental analyses showed that AR loss in stromal Gli1-lineage niches resulted in robust increased expression of insulin-like growth factor binding protein 3 (IGFBP3) through attenuation of AR suppression on Sp1-regulated transcription. Aberrant increased IGFBP3 further inhibits IGF1 induced Wnt signaling activation in subsets of basal epithelial cells, impairing oncogenic cell growth and tumor development. IGFBP3 further showed to attenuate IGF1-induced oncogenic growth of prostatic organoids derived from mouse basal epithelia. Loss of human prostate tumor basal cell signatures was identified in basal cells with AR-deficient microenvironment. This study demonstrates the niche effect of stromal AR in Gli1-lineage cells in supporting prostate tumorigenesis, implicating co-targeting tumor epithelial and stromal AR signaling for treating advanced prostate cancer.

ORGANISM(S): Mus musculus

PROVIDER: GSE174471 | GEO | 2022/10/07

REPOSITORIES: GEO

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Project description:Prostate embryonic development, pubertal and adult growth, maintenance, and regeneration are regulated through androgen signaling-mediated mesenchymal epithelial interactions. Specifically, the essential role of mesenchymal androgen signaling in the development of prostate epithelium has been observed for over 30 years. However, the identity of the mesenchymal cells responsible for this paracrine regulation and related mechanisms are still unknown. Here, we provide the first demonstration of an indispensable role of the androgen receptor (AR) in sonic hedgehog (SHH) responsive Gli1-expressing cells, in regulating prostate development, growth, and regeneration. Selective deletion of AR expression in Gli1-expressing cells during embryogenesis disrupts prostatic budding and impairs prostate development and formation. Tissue recombination assays showed that urogenital mesenchyme (UGM) containing AR-deficient mesenchymal Gli1-expressing cells combined with wildtype urogenital epithelium (UGE) failed to develop normal prostate tissue in the presence of androgens, revealing the decisive role of AR in mesenchymal SHH responsive cells in prostate development. Prepubescent deletion of AR expression in Gli1 expressing cells resulted in severe impairment of androgen-induced prostate growth and regeneration. RNA-sequencing analysis showed significant alterations in signaling pathways related to prostate development, stem cells, organ morphogenesis appeared showed significant changes in AR-deficient Gli1-expressing cells. The transforming growth factor β (TGFβ) pathway was up-regulated in AR-deficient Gli1-expressing cells. We further demonstrated the activation of TGF- b signaling in AR deleted prostatic Gli1-expressing cells, which inhibits prostate epithelium growth through paracrine regulation. These data demonstrate a novel role of the AR in the Gli1-expressing cellular niche for regulating prostatic cell fate, morphogenesis, and renewal, and elucidate the mechanism by which mesenchymal androgen-signaling through SHH-responsive cells elicits the growth and regeneration of prostate epithelium.

Project description:Prostate cancer is initially responsive to androgen deprivation, but the effectiveness of androgen receptor (AR) inhibitors in recurrent disease is variable. Biopsy of bone metastases is challenging, hence sampling circulating tumor cells (CTCs) may reveal drug resistance mechanisms. We established single cell RNA-sequencing profiles of 77 intact CTCs isolated from 13 patients (mean 6 CTCs/patient) using microfluidic enrichment. Single CTCs from each individual display considerable heterogeneity, including expression of AR gene mutations and splicing variants. Retrospective analysis of CTCs from patients progressing on AR inhibitor, compared with untreated cases indicates activation of noncanonical Wnt signaling (P=0.0064). Ectopic expression of Wnt5a in prostate cancer cells attenuates the antiproliferative effect of AR inhibition, while its suppression in drug-resistant cells restores partial sensitivity, a correlation also evident in an established mouse model. Thus, single cell analysis of prostate CTCs reveals heterogeneity in signaling pathways that could contribute to treatment failure. A total of 221 single candidate prostate CTCs were isolated from 18 patients with metastatic prostate cancer and 4 patients with localized prostate cancer. Of these, 133 cells (60%) had RNA of sufficient quality for amplification and next generation RNA sequencing, and 122 (55%) had >100,000 uniquely aligned sequencing reads. In addition to candidate CTCs, we also obtained comprehensive transcriptomes for 12 bulk primary prostate cancers (macrodissected for >70% tumor content), 30 single cells derived from four different prostate cancer cell lines, and 5 patient-derived leukocyte controls. The leukocytes were readily distinguished by their expression of hematopoietic lineage markers and served to exclude any CTCs with potentially contaminating signals. Strict expression thresholds were used to define lineage-confirmed CTCs, scored by prostate lineage-specific genes (PSA, PSMA, AMACR, AR) and standard epithelial markers (KRT7, KRT8, KRT18, KRT19, EpCAM). 28 cells were excluded given the presence of leukocyte transcripts suggestive of cellular contamination or misidentification during selection, and 17 cells were excluded given low expression of both prostate lineage-specific genes and 5 standard epithelial markers. The remaining 77 cells, defined as lineage-confirmed CTCs, displayed expression of either prostate lineage-specific or epithelial genes, and low expression of leukocyte-specific genes, consistent with their tumor of origin.

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Elucidating the mechanism underlying prostate turmorigenesis mediated by AR in Shh-responsive cells

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