Identification of ryanodine receptor isoforms in prostate DU-145, LNCaP, and PWR-1E cells

The ryanodine receptor (RyR) is a large, intracellular calcium (Ca(2+)) channel that is associated with several accessory proteins and is an important component of a cell's ability to respond to changes in the environment. Three isoforms of the RyR exist and are well documented for skeletal and cardiac muscle and the brain, but the isoforms in non-excitable cells are poorly understood. The aggressiveness of breast cancers in women has been positively correlated with the expression of the RyR in breast tumor tissue, but it is unknown if this is limited to specific isoforms. Identification and characterization of RyRs in cancer models is important in understanding the role of the RyR channel complex in cancer and as a potential therapeutic target. The objective of this report was to identify the RyR isoforms expressed in widely used prostate cancer cell lines, DU-145 and LNCaP, and the non-tumorigenic prostate cell line, PWR-1E. Oligonucleotide primers specific for each isoform were used in semi-quantitative and real-time PCR to determine the identification and expression levels of the RyR isoforms. RyR1 was expressed in the highest amount in DU-145 tumor cells, expression was 0.48-fold in the non-tumor cell line PWR-1E compared to DU-145 cells, and no expression was observed in LNCaP tumor cells. DU-145 cells had the lowest expression of RyR2. The expression was 26- and 15-fold higher in LNCaP and PWR-1E cells, respectively. RyR3 expression was not observed in any of the cell lines. All cell types released Ca(2+) in response to caffeine showing they had functional RyRs. Total cellular RyR-associated Ca(2+) release is determined by both the number of activated RyRs and its accessory proteins which modulate the receptor. Our results suggest that the correlation between the expression of the RyR and tumor aggression is not related to specific RyR isoforms, but may be related to the activity and number of receptors.