Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 17, 2026

Sequencing Small Non-coding RNA from Formalin-fixed Tissues and Serum-derived Exosomes from Castration-resistant Prostate Cancer Patients
12:13

Sequencing Small Non-coding RNA from Formalin-fixed Tissues and Serum-derived Exosomes from Castration-resistant Prostate Cancer Patients

Published on: November 19, 2019

PCA3 noncoding RNA is involved in the control of prostate-cancer cell survival and modulates androgen receptor

Luciana Bueno Ferreira1, Antonio Palumbo, Kivvi Duarte de Mello

  • 1Instituto Nacional do Câncer/Programa de Carcinogênese Molecular and Programa de Pós Graduação Stricto Sensu em Oncologia, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

BMC Cancer
|November 8, 2012
PubMed
Abstract

Insights

Prostate cancer (PCa) non-coding RNA PCA3 knockdown inhibits cancer cell growth and viability by modulating androgen receptor (AR) signaling. This suggests PCA3 targeting as a potential therapeutic strategy for PCa.

Area of Science:

  • Molecular Biology
  • Cancer Research
  • RNA Biology

Background:

  • Prostate cancer (PCa) is a prevalent malignancy.
  • PCA3, a non-coding RNA (ncRNA), is highly expressed in PCa cells.
  • The functional role of PCA3 in PCa remains largely unknown.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the functional role of PCA3 in prostate cancer (PCa) biology.
  • To explore PCA3's involvement in androgen receptor (AR) signaling pathways.

Main Methods:

  • Gene expression knockdown using small interference RNA (siRNA) targeting PCA3.
  • In vitro functional assays using LNCaP and PC3 cells.
  • Analysis of AR signaling pathway modulation by dihydrotestosterone (DHT) and flutamide.

Main Results:

  • PCA3 knockdown significantly inhibited LNCaP cell growth, viability, and induced apoptosis.
  • DHT upregulated PCA3 expression, which was reversed by flutamide.
  • PCA3 knockdown downregulated AR target genes and counteracted DHT's stimulatory effects on AR signaling.

Conclusions:

  • PCA3 plays a role in prostate cancer (PCa) cell survival, partly through AR signaling modulation.
  • Targeting PCA3 via knockdown presents a potential therapeutic strategy for PCa control.

More Related Videos

miRNA Expression Analyses in Prostate Cancer Clinical Tissues11:29

miRNA Expression Analyses in Prostate Cancer Clinical Tissues

Published on: September 8, 2015

MicroRNA Detection in Prostate Tumors by Quantitative Real-time PCR (qPCR)08:30

MicroRNA Detection in Prostate Tumors by Quantitative Real-time PCR (qPCR)

Published on: May 16, 2012

Related Concept Videos

lncRNA - Long Non-coding RNAs02:39

lncRNA - Long Non-coding RNAs

In humans, more than 80% of the genome gets transcribed. However, only around 2% of the genome codes for proteins. The remaining part produces non-coding RNAs which includes ribosomal RNAs, transfer RNAs, telomerase RNAs, and regulatory RNAs, among other types. A large number of regulatory non-coding RNAs have been classified into two groups depending upon their length – small non-coding RNAs, such as microRNA, which are less than 200 nucleotides in length, and long non-coding RNA (lncRNA)...
Abnormal Proliferation02:23

Abnormal Proliferation

Under normal conditions, most adult cells remain in a non-proliferative state unless stimulated by internal or external factors to replace lost cells. Abnormal cell proliferation is a condition in which the cell's growth exceeds and is uncoordinated with normal cells. In such situations, cell division persists in the same excessive manner even after cessation of the stimuli, leading to persistent tumors. The tumor arises from the damaged cells that replicate to pass the damage to the daughter...
Negative Regulator Molecules01:23

Negative Regulator Molecules

Positive regulators allow a cell to advance through cell cycle checkpoints. Negative regulators have an equally important role as they terminate a cell’s progression through the cell cycle—or pause it—until the cell meets specific criteria.
The Ras Gene02:38

The Ras Gene

The Ras-gene-encoded proteins are regulators of signaling pathways controlling cell proliferation, differentiation, or cell survival. The Ras-gene family in humans constitutes three primary members—the HRas, NRas, and KRas. These genes code for four functionally distinct yet closely related proteins—the HRas, NRas, KRas4A, and KRas4B. The involvement of mutant Ras genes in human cancer was first discovered in 1982 and is among the most common causes of human tumorigenesis.
Ras is a superfamily...
mTOR Signaling and Cancer Progression03:03

mTOR Signaling and Cancer Progression

The mammalian target of rapamycin or mTOR protein was discovered in 1994 due to its direct interaction with rapamycin. The protein gets its name from a yeast homolog called TOR. The mTOR protein complex in mammalian cells plays a major role in balancing anabolic processes such as the synthesis of proteins, lipids, and nucleotides and catabolic processes, such as autophagy in response to environmental cues, such as availability of nutrients and growth factors.
The mTOR pathway or the...
GPCRs Regulate Adenylyl Cylase Activity01:09

GPCRs Regulate Adenylyl Cylase Activity

Some GPCRs transmit signals through adenylyl cyclase (AC), a transmembrane enzyme. AC helps synthesize second messenger cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP). AC catalyzes cyclization reaction and converts ATP to cAMP by releasing a pyrophosphate. The pyrophosphate is further hydrolyzed to phosphate by the enzyme pyrophosphatase, which drives cAMP synthesis to completion. However, cAMP is rapidly degraded to 5′ AMP by the enzymes phosphodiesterase (PDE), preventing overstimulation of cells.
Two...