[Role of limb-bud and heart development expression in prostate cancer]

To investigate the expression and biological function of limb-bud and heart development (LBH) in prostate cancer.

Using real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR), Western blot and immunohistochemistry, we detected the expression of LBH in the prostate cancer and adjacent normal tissues of 20 prostate cancer patients. We transfected the PC-3 and LNCaP cells with siRNA-1, siRNA-2 or negative control siRNA to silence the expression of LBH, and then observed the proliferation, immigration and invasiveness of the cells by CCK-8 and Transwell assays.

The expression of LBH mRNA was significantly higher in the prostate cancer than in the normal tissue (4.8 ± 2.4 vs 1.8 ± 1.1, P = 0.032), and so was that of the LBH protein (3.5 ± 1.2 vs 1.3 ± 0.6, P = 0.019) and the positive rate of LBH expression was (90% ［18/20］ vs 15% ［3/20］, P = 0.006). Interfering with the LBH expression significantly reduced the proliferation of both the PC-3 and LNCaP cells, with a remarkable decrease at 96 hours in the A450 value of the PC-3 cells transfected with siRNA-1 (1.2 ± 0.1) and siRNA-2 (1.1 ± 0.1) as compared with that in the negative control group (1.8 ± 0.2) (P < 0.01) as well as in the A450 value of the LNCaP cells (1.4 ± 0.2 and 1.1 ± 0.2 vs 1.9 ± 0.2, P < 0.01). The count of the PC-3 cells that migrated through the polycarbonate membrane was significantly lower in the siRNA-1 and siRNA-2 transfection groups than in the negative control (55.5 ± 6.4 and 44.9 ± 4.5 vs 175.6 ± 25.8, P < 0.05), and so was that of the LNCaP cells (46.4 ± 5.8 and 40.2 ± 8.2 vs 125.3 ± 13.5, P < 0.05). Cell invasion assay also showed significant lower number of the PC-3 cells penetrating the polycarbonate membrane and matrigel in the siRNA-1 and siRNA-2 transfection groups than in the negative control (82.5 ± 7.5 and 68.4 ± 5.5 vs 138.2 ± 10.7, P < 0.05) as well as in that of the LNCaP cells (46.4 ± 5.8 and 23.1 ± 6.2 vs 92.1 ± 10.5, P < 0.05).

The overexpression of LBH may play an important role in the development and progression of prostate cancer and serve as a therapeutic target in the treatment of the malignance.