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Updated: Jul 18, 2026
miRNA Expression Analyses in Prostate Cancer Clinical Tissues
Published on: September 8, 2015
Differential expression of TRAIL and its receptors in benign and malignant prostate tissues
Ahter Dilsad Sanlioglu1, Ismail Turker Koksal, Akif Ciftcioglu
1Human Gene Therapy Unit, Faculty of Medicine, Akdeniz University, Antalya, Turkey.
Purpose:
Because TRAIL (tumor necrosis factor related apoptosis inducing ligand) selectively kills cancer cells without damaging normal cells, a gene therapy approach using TRAIL is feasible for treating patients with cancer. However, recent publications suggest that significant portions of human tumors appear to be TRAIL resistant. Furthermore, there is some controversy about whether TRAIL receptor composition influences TRAIL sensitivity in cancer cells. Our recent studies suggest that TRAIL receptor composition is the major modulator of TRAIL sensitivity, as demonstrated using prostate, breast and lung cancer cells. We investigated TRAIL and TRAIL receptor expression profiles during prostate carcinogenesis to evaluate their potential as biomarkers and predict the feasibility of a related gene therapy approach.
Materials And Methods:
Paraffin embedded prostate tissues of 44 patients with benign prostatic hyperplasia, 28 with organ confined prostate carcinoma and 26 with advanced prostate carcinoma were analyzed using immunohistochemical staining procedures.
Results:
Significant levels of TRAIL-R4 decoy receptor expression were detected in patients with benign prostatic hyperplasia, and organ confined and advanced prostate carcinoma. All TRAIL markers tested appear to be valuable markers for separating patients with benign prostatic hyperplasia from patients with organ confined prostate carcinoma or advanced prostate carcinoma.
Conclusions:
Due to high TRAIL-R4 expression in all patient groups complementary gene therapy modalities might be needed to bypass potential TRAIL-R4 induced resistance.
Insights
Tumor necrosis factor related apoptosis inducing ligand (TRAIL) shows promise for cancer gene therapy. However, TRAIL resistance is common, and TRAIL receptor composition influences sensitivity. High TRAIL-R4 expression in prostate tissues suggests potential resistance to TRAIL therapy.
Area of Science:
- Oncology
- Molecular Biology
- Cancer Genetics
Background:
- Tumor necrosis factor related apoptosis inducing ligand (TRAIL) selectively induces apoptosis in cancer cells, making it a candidate for gene therapy.
- Recent studies indicate significant TRAIL resistance in human tumors, with TRAIL receptor composition potentially influencing sensitivity.
- Prostate cancer exhibits varying TRAIL sensitivity, necessitating investigation into TRAIL and its receptor expression profiles during carcinogenesis.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate TRAIL and TRAIL receptor expression profiles during prostate carcinogenesis.
- To evaluate the potential of TRAIL and its receptors as biomarkers for prostate cancer.
- To predict the feasibility of TRAIL-based gene therapy for prostate cancer.
Main Methods:
- Immunohistochemical staining was performed on paraffin-embedded prostate tissues from patients with benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), organ-confined prostate carcinoma, and advanced prostate carcinoma.
- Analysis included tissues from 44 BPH patients, 28 with organ-confined prostate carcinoma, and 26 with advanced prostate carcinoma.
Main Results:
- Significant expression of the TRAIL-R4 decoy receptor was detected across all patient groups: BPH, organ-confined, and advanced prostate carcinoma.
- TRAIL markers demonstrated value in differentiating BPH from organ-confined and advanced prostate carcinoma.
- High TRAIL-R4 expression was consistently observed, suggesting a potential mechanism for TRAIL resistance.
Conclusions:
- The high expression of TRAIL-R4 in all prostate tissue groups indicates a potential for TRAIL-induced resistance.
- Complementary gene therapy strategies may be necessary to overcome TRAIL-R4-mediated resistance in prostate cancer treatment.
- TRAIL and its receptor profiles, particularly TRAIL-R4, may serve as predictive biomarkers for TRAIL-based therapies.
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