Investigating the expression changes of genes involved in the biosynthesis of androgens in prostate adenocarcinoma and benign prostatic hyperplasia
Subject Areas : International Journal of Bio-Inorganic Hybrid Nanomaterials
Keywords: Gene expression, Real-time PCR, prostate cancer, Androgens, Benign Prostate Hyperplasia,
Abstract :
Prostate cancer (PCa) is the second most frequently diagnosed malignancy in men worldwide. Androgens are critical for normal prostate development and function, as well as prostate cancer initiation and progression. There are various enzymes in the path of androgen biosynthesis, each of which can be a potential target for designing new therapeutic approaches. Studies have shown that the expression profile of genes involved in the biosynthesis of androgens changes in prostate cancer In this study, we investigated the expression changes of 4 genes involved in the biosynthesis of androgens at both transcription and translation levels in 80 patients with prostate adenocarcinoma, 80 adjacent healthy samples and 80 benign hyperplasia (BPH) samples by RT-qPCR and Western Blot methods, which included AR, HSD3B1, HSD3B2, SRD5A2. PCa showed a signifi cant increase in the expression of the gene AR compared with BPH and Ctrl tissues (p=0.0001), as well as signifi cant increase in the expression of the gene SRD5A2 (p=0.0038), HSD3B1 (p=0.0011) and HSD3B2 (p=0.0469) in BPH samples compared with PCa and Ctrl tissues. The results showed the presence and expression of all enzymes in all groups. But as can be seen, the expression levels of SRD5A2 and HSD3B2 proteins in the BPH group are higher than those in the Ctrl and PCa groups. The results of this study showed that there are extensive changes in the expression profile of genes involved in the biosynthesis of androgens in prostate adenocarcinoma and benign hyperplasia, these results support the claim that genes and enzymes involved in the biosynthesis of androgens can be used as diagnostic and therapeutic targets.