ERK5‑regulated RERG expression promotes cancer progression in prostatic carcinoma

Big mitogen‑activated protein kinase 1 [also named extracellular signal‑regulated kinase (ERK) 5] is activated by mitogens and oncogenic signals and is strongly implicated in tumorigenesis. Our previous investigation indicated that ERK5 can induce prostatic carcinoma cell proliferation by promoting entry into the S phase of the cell cycle. In the present study, microarray and western blot analysis revealed that ERK5 can inhibit Ras‑like oestrogen‑regulated growth inhibitor (RERG) protein expression and that the inhibition of RERG expression promotes prostatic carcinoma cell proliferation and migration. In addition, pathological analysis indicated that the RERG expression level was associated with the malignancy of prostatic carcinoma. Furthermore, an apoptotic assay and western blot analysis demonstrated that the downregulation of RERG expression inhibits apoptosis by regulating the protein expression levels of B cell lymphoma‑2 and c‑Myc. Moreover, a luciferase activity assay indicated that the nuclear factor‑κB pathway is associated with RERG‑mediated apoptosis in prostatic carcinoma. Therefore, these data suggested that ERK5‑regulated RERG expression plays a role in the progression of prostatic carcinoma, indicating that RERG may be a potential biomarker for the prognosis of patients with prostatic carcinoma.