The Importance of STARD3 and Lipid Metabolism in Prostate Cancer

Prostate cancer is common in men and continues to pose a significant medical challenge.The primary feature of prostate cancer is hormone sensitivity.Prostate cancer cells become dependent on testicular androgen for survival.Steroidogenesis involves the synthesis of steroid hormones such as androgens from cholesterol.Tumor cells increase fatty acid production with androgens.Synthesized fatty acids contribute to membrane formation and support oncogenic signaling.Hormonedependent tumors require cholesterol for proliferation.Cancer cells have higher intracellular cholesterol levels than non-tumor cells.STARD3, a member of the START protein family, is a transmembrane protein that facilitates cholesterol transport and resides in late endosomes.STARD3 stimulates steroidogenesis by inducing the motion of lysosomal cholesterol into mitochondria.High mitochondrial cholesterol levels can prevent apoptotic cell death in different cancer types, thereby triggering tumor progression.This review discusses recent studies on the relationship between cholesterol levels and prostate cancer risk, as well as the properties and activity of STARD3.To the best of our knowledge, this study is the first to comprehensively summarize the role and therapeutic potential of STARD3 in prostate cancer.