Analysis of androgen-induced increase in lipid accumulation in prostate cancer cells

Increased metabolic activity is a hallmark of proliferating cancer cells. One common deregulated metabolic pathway in prostate cancer is de novo lipogenesis which is highly increased in prostate cancer and is linked to poor prognosis and metastasis. Male sex hormones play an essential role in prostate cancer growth and have been shown to increase the expression and activity of several lipogenic factors, such as fatty acid synthase (FASN) and sterol regulatory element-binding proteins (SREBPs), leading to accumulation of neutral lipids in prostate cancer cells. These factors are being evaluated as potential prognostic markers and therapeutic targets in prostate cancer. Here we describe methods to directly detect and quantify accumulation of neutral lipids and assess concomitant changes in lipogenic gene expression in LNCaP prostate cancer cells.