Jonghoe Byun

Roles of Prostatic Acid Phosphatase in Prostate Cancer

Prostatic acid phosphatase (PAP) is one of the widely used biomarkers in the diagnosis of prostate cancer. It was initially identified in 1935 and is the most abundant phosphatase in the human prostate. PAP is a prostate-specific enzyme that is synthesized in prostate epithelial cells. It belongs to the acid phosphatase group that shows enzymatic activity in acidic conditions. PAP is abundant in prostatic fluid and is thought to have a role in fertilization and oligospermia. It also has a potential role in reducing chronic pain. But one of the most apparent functions of PAP is the dephosphorylation of macromolecules such as HER-2 and PI3P that are involved in the ERK1/2 and MAPK pathways, which in turn leads to inhibition of cell growth and tumorigenesis. Currently, clinical trials using PAP DNA vaccine are underway and FDA-approved immunotherapy using PAP is commercially available. Despite these clinically important aspects, molecular mechanisms underlying PAP regulation are not fully understood. The promoter region of PAP was reported to be regulated by NF-, TNF-, IL-1, androgen and androgen receptors. Here, the features of PAP gene and protein structures together with the function, regulation and roles of PAP in prostate cancer are discussed.

Ultrasound contrast-enhanced study as an imaging biomarker for anti-cancer drug treatment: preliminary study with paclitaxel in a xenograft mouse tumor model (secondary publication)

Purpose The purpose of this study was to assess tumor angiogenesis using contrast-enhanced ultrasonography (CEUS) of human prostate cancer cells (PC3) that were implanted in mice before and after paclitaxel injection. Methods Twelve mice were injected with human PC3. The mice were grouped into two groups; one was the paclitaxel-treated group (n=6) and the other was the control group (n=6). Before administering paclitaxel into the peritoneal cavity, baseline CEUS was performed after the administration of 500 μL (1×108 microbubbles) of contrast agent. The area under the curve (AUC) up to 50 seconds after injection was derived from the time-intensity curves. After injection of paclitaxel or saline, CEUS studies were performed at the 1-week follow-up. Changes in tumor volume and the AUC in both two groups were evaluated. After CEUS, the microvessel density (MVD) was compared between the groups. Results In the paclitaxel-treated group, the AUC from CEUS showed a significant decrease 1-week after paclitaxel administration (P=0.030), even though the tumor volume showed no significant changes (P=0.116). In the control group, there was no significant decrease of the AUC (P=0.173). Pathologically, there was a significant difference in MVD between both groups (P=0.002). Conclusion The AUC from the time intensity curve derived from CEUS showed an early change in response to the anti-cancer drug treatment that preceded the change in tumor size. The findings of CEUS could serve as an imaging biomarker for assessing tumor responses to anti-cancer drug treatment.

Abstract C141: Screening of novel RNA aptamer(s) that selectively bind(s) to prostatic acid phosphatase.

Prostate cancer is becoming one of the most popular non-skin cancers in Korea due to continued increase of western life styles. Since earlier detection of prostate cancer can lead to complete cure, a lot of studies have been done on prostate cancer markers such as prostate-specific antigen (PSA), prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA), prostate acid phosphatase (PAP) and prostate stem cell antigen (PSCA). Among these biomarkers, PAP is gaining renewed interest because of its potential merits in diagnosis and therapeutics. PAP, which was initially identified in 1935, is an abundant enzyme that is synthesized in prostate epithelial cells and has enzymatic activity in acidic conditions. PAP expression is androgen-independent and increases in proportion to prostate cancer progression. Indeed, PAP expression level has high correlation with cause-specific survival and its dephosphorylation activity is believed to play an important role in the incidence and development of prostate cancer. Here, we screened the in vitro transcribed RNA libraries to get aptamer(s) that can selectively bind to PAP. Aptamers are oligonucleic acid molecules that bind to a specific target through formation of tertiary structures. These chemical antibodies can bind their target molecules with a high affinity and specificity and have the advantage of being less immunogenic in vivo. For in vitro selection, the ectracellular domain of PAP were cloned from PC3 cells and subjected to 6 rounds of SELEX procedure. This resulted in enrichment of the RNA aptamers that bound to the PAP ectodomain with 3-fold higher affinity than the library control as evidenced by real-time RT-PCR and gel shift assay. Sequence analysis of the aptamers revealed three distinct groups (G1, G2, N) having variable sequences within the region comprising nucleotides 43 to 87. The Kd values of the best clones with the highest affinity were within 120nM. These clones could also bind to the PAP-positive cells such as PC3 and LNCaP cells. Interestingly, 29-OH-modification of the aptamers led to loss of binding, implying that 29-F modification may be essential in binding to PAP. Characterization of these aptamers is currently underway and initial minimization results suggest that the structure coming from the 50 nucleotides is essential for binding to PAP. With further optimization, these PAP RNA aptamers could find wide application in theragonosis of prostate cancer. Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR-NCI-EORTC International Conference: Molecular Targets and Cancer Therapeutics; 2011 Nov 12-16; San Francisco, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Mol Cancer Ther 2011;10(11 Suppl):Abstract nr C141.