Endocrine Abstracts

Chronic inflammation and high expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines, such as Interleukin-6 (IL6), are well-known risk factors for prostate cancer (PCa). IL6 is known to activate the androgen receptor (AR) and has been implicated in development of castration resistance. Therefore, we wanted to investigate the interaction of AR and IL6 signalling and the effect on anti-androgen treatment. We could confirm IL6 mediated activation of the AR on 3 AR target genes in presence of R...

Enzalutamide is an androgen receptor (AR) inhibitor approved for therapy of metastatic castration resistant prostate cancer. However, clinical application revealed that 30 to 40% of patients acquire resistance after a short period of treatment. Currently, the molecular mechanisms underlying such insensitivities are not completely understood, partly due to a lack of model systems. In the present study we established three different cellular models of enzalutamide resistance inc...

Due to the urgent need for new prostate cancer (PCa) therapies, the role of androgen receptor (AR) interacting proteins should be investigated. In this study we aimed to address whether the AR coactivator nuclear receptor coactivator 1 (NCOA1) is involved in PCa progression. Therefore, we tested the effect of long-term NCOA1 knockdown on processes relevant to metastasis formation. [3H]-thymidine incorporation assays revealed a reduced proliferation rate in ...

The importance of the androgen receptor (AR) in the development and maintenance of the male phenotype is demonstrated by patients with androgen insensitivity syndrome (AIS). These patients carry germline mutations in the AR and display a mild to complete intersex phenotype. The AR belongs to the subfamily of steroid receptors, which need to form homodimers to execute their role as transcription factors. For estrogen receptors, dimerization via the DNA-binding domains as well a...