Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 19, 2026
06:48
An Orthotopic Murine Model of Human Prostate Cancer Metastasis
Published on: September 18, 2013
HOXB13-Mediated Lipid Metabolism Regulates Prostate Cancer Metastasis.
1Department of Urology, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA.
Serican Journal of Medicine
|May 18, 2026
Summary
Homeobox B13 (HOXB13) regulates prostate cancer (PCa) metastasis by altering lipid metabolism through epigenetic changes. This suggests targeting lipid metabolism may treat HOXB13-low, castration-resistant PCa.
Area of Science:
- Oncology
- Molecular Biology
- Epigenetics
Background:
- Prostate cancer (PCa) is characterized by increased lipogenesis and lipid accumulation.
- The molecular drivers of these lipid changes in PCa are not well understood.
- HOXB13's role in PCa progression, beyond androgen receptor (AR) signaling, is emerging.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the role of HOXB13 in regulating lipid metabolism in prostate cancer.
- To elucidate the mechanisms by which HOXB13 influences PCa metastasis.
- To identify potential therapeutic targets for advanced prostate cancer.
Main Methods:
- Investigated the interaction between HOXB13 and histone deacetylase 3 (HDAC3).
- Analyzed the impact of HOXB13 on epigenetic reprogramming.
- Studied the modulation of lipid metabolism by HOXB13 in PCa models.
Main Results:
- HOXB13 regulates PCa progression and metastasis independently of AR signaling.
- HOXB13 interacts with HDAC3 to induce epigenetic changes.
- HOXB13 influences lipid metabolism, contributing to PCa metastasis.
Conclusions:
- HOXB13 plays a critical role in PCa metastasis via epigenetic regulation of lipid metabolism.
- Targeting lipid metabolism presents a potential therapeutic strategy for castration-resistant, HOXB13-low PCa.
Related Concept Videos
02:33Hedgehog Signaling Pathway
The Hedgehog gene (Hh) was first discovered due to its control of the growth of disorganized, hair-like bristles phenotype in Drosophila, much like hedgehog spines. Hh plays a crucial role in the development of organs and the maintenance of homeostasis in both invertebrates and vertebrates. However, while Drosophila has only one Hh protein, mammals have multiple functional Hedgehog proteins - Sonic (Shh), Desert (Dhh), and Indian Hedgehog (Ihh). All of these homologous proteins have adapted to...
01:24Regulation of Angiogenesis and Blood Supply
Rapidly dividing tumors, embryos, and wounded tissues require more oxygen than usual, lowering the oxygen concentration in the blood. At low oxygen or hypoxic conditions, an oxygen-sensitive transcription factor called the hypoxia-inducible factor 1 or HIF1 is activated. HIF1 is a dimeric protein of alpha (ɑ) and beta (β) subunits. Under optimal oxygen conditions, HIF1β is present in the nucleus while HIF1ɑ remains in the cytosol. HIF1ɑ is hydroxylated by prolyl hydroxylase and factor...
02:53Adaptive Mechanisms in Cancer Cells
Cancer cells accumulate genetic changes at an abnormally rapid rate due to the defects in the DNA repair mechanisms. From an evolutionary perspective, such genetic instability is advantageous for cancer development. Mutant cell lines accumulate a series of beneficial mutations that contribute to their progression into cancer.
Some of the advantages that cancer cells have on normal cells include - enhanced ability to divide without terminally differentiating, induce new blood vessel formation,...
Some of the advantages that cancer cells have on normal cells include - enhanced ability to divide without terminally differentiating, induce new blood vessel formation,...
02:54Canonical Wnt Signaling Pathway
The gene encoding the main signaling molecules of the Wnt signaling pathways (the Wnt proteins) was discovered almost four decades ago by Nüsslein-Volhard and Wieschaus. They identified and originally named the gene "wingless" (wg) after a phenotype discovered during their landmark genetic screen in Drosophila for body pattern defects. At around the same time, another researcher named Harold Varmus found that a murine tumor virus activates the mammalian wg homolog, Int-1, which results in tumor...
03:03mTOR Signaling and Cancer Progression
The mammalian target of rapamycin or mTOR protein was discovered in 1994 due to its direct interaction with rapamycin. The protein gets its name from a yeast homolog called TOR. The mTOR protein complex in mammalian cells plays a major role in balancing anabolic processes such as the synthesis of proteins, lipids, and nucleotides and catabolic processes, such as autophagy in response to environmental cues, such as availability of nutrients and growth factors.
The mTOR pathway or the...
The mTOR pathway or the...
01:41Non-Canonical Wnt Signaling Pathways
Wnt is a zygotic effect gene that is expressed during very early embryonic development. It regulates various processes in animals starting from early development through the adult stage, such as organogenesis in the embryo and maintenance of neuronal and blood stem cells. Wnt proteins can induce a wide variety of intracellular pathways depending upon the specific abilities of different Wnt ligands to form a complex with shared and cognate receptors in the presence of different co-receptors. The...