Canonical androgen response element motifs are tumor suppressive regulatory elements in the prostate
The androgen receptor (AR) is central in prostate tissue identity and differentiation, and controls normal growth-suppressive, prostate-specific gene expression. It also drives prostate tumorigenesis when hijacked for oncogenic transcription. The execution of growth-suppressive AR transcriptional programs in prostate cancer (PCa) and the potential for reactivation remain unclear. Here, we use a genome-wide approach to modulate canonical androgen response element (ARE) motifs-the classic DNA binding elements for AR-to delineate distinct AR transcriptional programs. We find that activating these AREs promotes differentiation and growth-suppressive transcription, potentially leading to AR<sup>+</sup> PCa cell death, while ARE repression is tolerated by PCa cells but deleterious to normal prostate cells. Gene signatures driven by ARE activity correlate with improved prognosis and luminal phenotypes in PCa patients. Canonical AREs maintain a normal, lineage-specific transcriptional program that can be reengaged in PCa cells, offering therapeutic potential and clinical relevance.
Authors
- Elai Davicioni (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9136-099X)
- Felix Yi-Chung Feng (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0963-7687)
- Jude Owiredu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7361-501X)
- Christopher E. Barbieri (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0381-1947)
- Martin Sjöström (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2629-9966)
- Lesa D. Deonarine
- Andrea Sboner (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6915-3070)
- Alex Hakansson
- Brian D. Robinson (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5374-890X)
- Francesca Khani (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7238-8604)
- Un In Chan (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6095-3565)
- Xuanrong Chen (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4694-4579)
- Massimo Loda (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9674-8379)
- Michael A. Augello (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3999-1465)
- Kevin Lin (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1236-9847)
- Yang Liu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1467-2652)
- Jaida Travascio-Green
- Jian Wu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3394-1507)
- Deli Liu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4513-5753)
Institutions
- University of California, San Francisco (US)
- Cornell University (US)
- Lander Institute (IL)
- Veracyte (United States) (US)
- Weill Cornell Medicine (US)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Nature Communications
- Published
- 2024-12-13
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-024-53734-z
- Citations
- 10
- Primary Topic
- Prostate Cancer Treatment and Research
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 4.19
Funders
- Prostate Cancer Foundation
- MetLife Foundation
- Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation
- Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center
- Weill Cornell Medical College
- National Cancer Institute