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Updated: Apr 30, 2026

Application of AlDeSense to Stratify Ovarian Cancer Cells Based on Aldehyde Dehydrogenase 1A1 Activity
Published on: March 31, 2023
Aldehyde dehydrogenase 3A1 associates with prostate tumorigenesis
11] Division of Nephrology, Department of Medicine, McMaster University, 1280 Main Street West, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada L8S 4L8 [2] Father Sean O'Sullivan Research Centre, St. Joseph's Healthcare Hamilton, 50 Charlton Avenue East, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada L8N 4A6 [3] The Hamilton Center for Kidney Research, St. Joseph's Healthcare Hamilton, 50 Charlton Avenue East, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada L8N 4A6.
Background:
Accumulating evidence demonstrates high levels of aldehyde dehydrogense (ALDH) activity in human cancer types, in part, because of its association with cancer stem cells. Whereas ALDH1A1 and ALDH7A1 isoforms were reported to associate with prostate tumorigenesis, whether other ALDH isoforms are associated with prostate cancer (PC) remains unclear.
Methods:
ALDH3A1 expression was analysed in various PC cell lines. Xenograft tumours and 54 primary and metastatic PC tumours were stained using immunohistochemistry for ALDH3A1 expression.
Results:
In comparison with the non-stem counterparts, a robust upregulation of ALDH3A1 was observed in DU145-derived PC stem cells (PCSCs). As DU145 PCSCs produced xenograft tumours with more advanced features compared with those derived from DU145 cells, higher levels of ALDH3A1 were detected in the former; a dramatic elevation of ALDH3A1 occurred in DU145 cell-derived lung metastasis compared with local xenograft tumours. Furthermore, while ALDH3A1 was not observed in prostate glands, ALDH3A1 was clearly present in PIN, and further increased in carcinomas. In comparison with the paired local carcinomas, ALDH3A1 was upregulated in lymph node metastatic tumours; the presence of ALDH3A1 in bone metastatic PC was also demonstrated.
Conclusions:
We report here the association of ALDH3A1 with PC progression.

