Histone Demethylase KDM5C Drives Prostate Cancer Progression by Promoting EMT

Prostate cancer (PCa) poses a major public health problem in men. Metastatic PCa is incurable, and ultimately threatens the life of many patients. Mutations in tumor suppressor genes and oncogenes are important for PCa progression, whereas the role of epigenetic factors in prostate carcinogenesis is insufficiently examined. The histone demethylase KDM5C exerts important roles in tumorigenesis. KDM5C has been reported to be highly expressed in various cancer cell types, particularly in primary PCa. Here, we could show that KDM5C is highly upregulated in metastatic PCa. Functionally, in KDM5C knockdown cells migratory and invasion capacity was reduced. Interestingly, modulation of KDM5C expression influences several EMT signaling pathways (e.g., Akt/mTOR), expression of EMT transcription factors, epigenetic modifiers, and miR-205, resulting in increased expression of E-cadherin and reduced expression of N-cadherin. Mouse xenografts of KDM5C knockdown cells showed reduced tumor growth. In addition, the Akt/mTOR pathway is one of the classic signaling pathways to mediate tumor metabolic homeostasis, which is beneficial for tumor growth and metastasis. Taken together, our findings indicate that a combination of a selective KDM5C- and Akt/mTOR-inhibitor might be a new promising therapeutic strategy to reduce metastatic burden in PCa.