The phosphoprotein phosphatases are emerging as important androgen receptor (AR) regulators in prostate cancer (PCa). We reported previously that the protein phosphatase 1 catalytic subunit (PP1 alpha) can enhance AR activity by dephosphorylating a site in the AR hinge region (Ser650) and thereby decrease AR nuclear export. In this study we show that PP1 alpha increases the expression of wildtype as well as an S650A mutant AR, indicating that it is acting through one or more additional mechanisms. We next show that PP1 alpha binds primarily to the AR ligand binding domain and decreases its ubiquitylation and degradation. Moreover, we find that the PP1 alpha inhibitor tautomycin increases phosphorylation of AR ubiquitin ligases including SKP2 and MDM2 at sites that enhance their activity, providing a mechanism by which PP1 alpha may suppress AR degradation. Significantly, the tautomycin mediated decrease in AR expression was most pronounced at low androgen levels or in the presence of the AR antagonist enzalutamide. Consistent with this finding, the sensitivity of LNCaP and C4-2 PCa cells to tautomycin, as assessed by PSA synthesis and proliferation, was enhanced at low androgen levels or by treatment with enzalutamide. Together these results indicate that PP1 alpha may contribute to stabilizing AR protein after androgen deprivation therapies, and that targeting PP1 alpha or the AR-PP1 alpha interaction may be effective in castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC).
基金:
NIH [CA135592, CA163227]; SPORE in Prostate Cancer P50 grant [CA090381]; DOD [W81XWH-13-1-0266]; HuBei Natural Science Foundation, China [2013CFB095]; National Natural Science Foundation of China [30872924, 81072095, 81372760, 31070142, 81272560]; Program for New Century Excellent Talents in University from the Department of Education of China [NCET-08-0223]; National High Technology Research and Development Program of China (863 Program) [2012AA021101]