PSA reduces prostate cancer cell motility by stimulating TRPM8 activity and plasma membrane expression

Although the transient receptor potential melastatin 8 (TRPM8) cold receptor is highly expressed in prostate cancer (PCa) and constitutes a promising diagnostic and prognostic indicator, the natural agonists of this channel in the prostate, as well as its physiological and pathological functions, remain unknown. In this study, we identified the well-known PCa marker, prostate-specific antigen (PSA), as a physiological TRPM8 agonist. Electrophysiological and Ca(2+) imaging studies demonstrated that PSA activated TRPM8-mediated current by the bradykinin 2 receptor signaling pathway. Further investigation of this mechanism by cell-surface biotinylation revealed that the increase in TRPM8 current induced by PSA was due to an increase in the number of functional TRPM8 channels on the plasma membrane. Importantly, wound-healing and migration assays revealed that TRPM8 activation by PSA reduced motility of the PC3 PCa cell line, suggesting that plasma membrane TRPM8 has a protective role in PCa progression. Consequently, PSA was identified as a natural TRPM8 agonist in the prostate and we propose a putative physiological role for both of these proteins in carcinogenesis, making this pathway a potentially important target for anticancer agent development.