p53-dependent CD51 expression contributes to characteristics of cancer stem cells in prostate cancer

Castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC), which is considered to contain cancer stem cells (CSCs), leads to a high relapse rate in patients with prostate cancer (PCa). However, the markers of prostate CSCs are controversial. Here we demonstrate that CD51, in part, correlates with the poor prognosis of PCa patients. Further, we find that CD51 is a functional molecule that is able to promote the malignancy of PCa through enhancing tumor initiation, metastatic potential, and chemoresistance. Moreover, we find that elevated CD51 expression in PCa specimens correlates with p53 loss of function. Mechanistically, we demonstrate that p53 acts via Sp1/3 to repress CD51 transcription, and CD51 is required for PCa stemness and metastasis properties, and is downregulated by p53. Taken together, these results indicate that CD51 is a novel functional marker for PCa, which may provide a therapeutic target for the efficiently restricting PCa progression.