HP1α promotes the progression of prostate cancer

Patients who have been diagnosed with prostate cancer (PCa) typically have a dismal outlook and few therapeutic choices available to them, because the precise pathogenesis of the disease is not yet fully understood. The presence of HP1α, also known as the heterochromatin protein 1α, is required for the creation of higher-order chromatin structures. However, little is known about HP1α that serves roles in the pathogenesis of PCa. The primary purpose of our research was to investigate alterations in the levels of HP1α expression and to plan a series of tests to validate the function of HP1α in PCa.

Information on HP1α expression in PCa and benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) tissues were gathered using the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and Gene Expression Profiling Interactive Analysis (GEPIA) databases. RT-qPCR, western blotting, and immunohistochemistry (IHC) were used to assess HP1α mRNA and protein expression in several human PCa tissues and cell lines. The CCK8 assay, clone formation assay, and transwell assay were used to examine biological activities including cell proliferation, migration, and invasion. The expression of proteins connected to apoptosis and the epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) was examined using Western blot. The tumorigenic effect of HP1α was also verified by in vivo experiments.

HP1α expression was much higher in PCa than in BPH tissues and cells, and was positively correlated with the Gleason score of PCa. In vitro experiments showed that HP1α knockdown could inhibit the ability of proliferation, invasion, and migration of PC3 and LNCaP cells, and promote cell apoptosis and EMT. In vivo experiments showed that HP1α knockdown inhibited tumorigenesis in mice.

Our findings indicate that HP1α expression promotes PCa development and might be a novel therapeutic target for the diagnosis or treatment of PCa.