A reduction in Pten tumor suppressor activity promotes ErbB-2-induced mouse prostate adenocarcinoma formation through the activation of signaling cascades downstream of PDK1

Am J Pathol. 2009 Jun;174(6):2051-60. doi: 10.2353/ajpath.2009.080859. Epub 2009 May 14.

Abstract

Loss of function at the Pten tumor-suppressor locus is a common genetic modification found in human prostate cancer. While recent in vivo and in vitro data support an important role of aberrant ErbB-2 signaling to clinically relevant prostate target genes, such as cyclin D1, the role of Pten in ErbB-2-induced prostate epithelial proliferation is not well understood. In the Pten-deficient prostate cancer cell line, LNCaP, restoration of Pten was able to inhibit ErbB-2- and heregulin-induced cell cycle progression, as well as cyclin D1 protein levels and promoter activity. Previously, we established that probasin-driven ErbB-2 transgenic mice presented with high-grade prostate intraepithelial neoplasia and increased nuclear cyclin D1 levels. We show that mono-allelic loss of pten in the probasin-driven-ErbB-2 model resulted in increased nuclear cyclin D1 and proliferating cell nuclear antigen levels and decreased disease latency compared to either individual genetic model and, unlike the probasin-driven-ErbB-2 mice, progression to adenocarcinoma. Activated 3-phosphoinositide-dependent protein kinase-1 was observed during cancer initiation combined with the activation of p70S6K (phospho-T389) and inactivation of the 4E-binding protein-1 (phosphorylated on T37/46) and was primarily restricted to those cases of prostate cancer that had progressed to adenocarcinoma. Activation of mTOR was not seen. Our data demonstrates that Pten functions downstream of ErbB-2 to restrict prostate epithelial transformation by blocking full activation of the PDK1 signaling cascade.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
  • Research Support, N.I.H., Intramural
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • 3-Phosphoinositide-Dependent Protein Kinases
  • Adenocarcinoma / genetics
  • Adenocarcinoma / metabolism*
  • Animals
  • Blotting, Western
  • Cell Line, Tumor
  • Flow Cytometry
  • Humans
  • Image Processing, Computer-Assisted
  • Immunohistochemistry
  • Male
  • Mice
  • Mice, Transgenic
  • PTEN Phosphohydrolase / metabolism*
  • Prostatic Neoplasms / genetics
  • Prostatic Neoplasms / metabolism*
  • Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases / metabolism*
  • Receptor, ErbB-2 / genetics
  • Receptor, ErbB-2 / metabolism*
  • Signal Transduction / physiology*

Substances

  • Receptor, ErbB-2
  • 3-Phosphoinositide-Dependent Protein Kinases
  • PDPK1 protein, human
  • Pdpk1 protein, mouse
  • Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases
  • PTEN Phosphohydrolase
  • Pten protein, mouse