Galectins, a family of glycan-binding proteins, influence tumor progression by modulating interactions between tumor, endothelial, stromal, and immune cells. Despite considerable progress in identifying the roles of individual galectins in tumor biology, an integrated portrait of the galectin network in different tumor microenvironments is still missing. We undertook this study to analyze the “galectin signature” of the human prostate cancer microenvironment with the overarching goal of selecting novel-molecular targets for prognostic and therapeutic purposes. In examining androgen-responsive and castration-resistant prostate cancer cells and primary tumors representing different stages of the disease, we found that galectin-1 (Gal-1) was the most abundantly expressed galectin in prostate cancer tissue and was markedly upregulated during disease progression. In contrast, all other galectins were expressed at lower levels: Gal-3, -4, -9, and -12 were downregulated during disease evolution, whereas expression of Gal-8 was unchanged. Given the prominent regulation of Gal-1 during prostate cancer progression and its predominant localization at the tumor-vascular interface, we analyzed the potential role of this endogenous lectin in prostate cancer angiogenesis. In human prostate cancer tissue arrays, Gal-1 expression correlated with the presence of blood vessels, particularly in advanced stages of the disease. Silencing Gal-1 in prostate cancer cells reduced tumor vascularization without altering expression of other angiogenesis-related genes. Collectively, our findings identify a dynamically regulated “galectin-specific signature” that accompanies disease evolution in prostate cancer, and they highlight a major role for Gal-1 as a tractable target for antiangiogenic therapy in advanced stages of the disease. Cancer Res; 73(1); 86–96. ©2012 AACR.

In prostate cancer, androgen blockade strategies are commonly used to treat osteoblastic bone metastases. However, responses to these therapies are typically brief, and the mechanism underlying androgen-independent progression is not clear. Here, we established what we believe to be the first human androgen receptor–negative prostate cancer xenografts whose cells induced an osteoblastic reaction in bone and in the subcutis of immunodeficient mice. Accordingly, these cells grew in castrated as well as intact male mice. We identified FGF9 as being overexpressed in the xenografts relative to other bone-derived prostate cancer cells and discovered that FGF9 induced osteoblast proliferation and new bone formation in a bone organ assay. Mice treated with FGF9-neutralizing antibody developed smaller bone tumors and reduced bone formation. Finally, we found positive FGF9 immunostaining in prostate cancer cells in 24 of 56 primary tumors derived from human organ-confined prostate cancer and in 25 of 25 bone metastasis cases studied. Collectively, these results suggest that FGF9 contributes to prostate cancer–induced new bone formation and may participate in the osteoblastic progression of prostate cancer in bone. Androgen receptor–null cells may contribute to the castration-resistant osteoblastic progression of prostate cancer cells in bone and provide a preclinical model for studying therapies that target these cells.

In a published case-control study (GSE152075) from SARS-CoV-2-positive (n = 403) and -negative patients (n = 50), we analyzed the response to infection assessing gene expression of host cell receptors and antiviral proteins. The expression analysis associated with reported risk factors for COVID-19 was also assessed. SARS-CoV-2 cases had higher ACE2, but lower TMPRSS2, BSG/CD147, and CTSB expression compared with negative cases. COVID-19 patients' age negatively affected ACE2 expression. MX1 and MX2 were higher in COVID-19 patients. A negative trend for MX1 and MX2 was observed as patients' age increased. Principal-component analysis determined that ACE2, MX1, MX2, and BSG/CD147 expression was able to cluster non-COVID-19 and COVID-19 individuals. Multivariable regression showed that MX1 expression significantly increased for each unit of viral load increment. Altogether, these findings support differences in ACE2, MX1, MX2, and BSG/CD147 expression between COVID-19 and non-COVID-19 patients and point out to MX1 as a critical responder in SARS-CoV-2 infection.

Prostate cancer (PCa) is the second leading cause of cancer-associated death in men. Inflammation has been recognized as a risk factor for this disease. Heme oxygenase 1 (HO-1), the inducible isoform of the rate-limiting enzyme in heme degradation, counteracts oxidative and inflammatory damage. Here, we investigated the regulated expression of HO-1 and its functional consequences in PCa. We studied the effect of genetic and pharmacologic disruption of HO-1 in the growth, invasion, and migration in androgen-sensitive (MDA PCa2b and LNCaP) and androgen-insensitive (PC3) PCa cell lines. Our results show that HO-1 levels are markedly decreased in PC3 compared with MDA PCa2b and LNCaP. Hemin treatment increased HO-1 at both protein and mRNA levels in all cell lines and decreased cell proliferation and invasion. Furthermore, overexpression of HO-1 in PC3 resulted in markedly reduced cell proliferation and migration. Accordingly, small interfering RNA–mediated silencing of HO-1 expression in MDA PCa2b cells resulted in increased proliferation and invasion. Using reverse transcription-quantitative PCR–generated gene array, a set of inflammatory and angiogenic genes were upregulated or downregulated in response to HO-1 overexpression identifying matrix metalloprotease 9 (MMP9) as a novel downstream target of HO-1. MMP9 production and activity was downregulated by HO-1 overexpression. Furthermore, PC3 cells stably transfected with HO-1 (PC3HO-1) and controls were injected into nu/nu mice for analysis of in vivo tumor xenograft phenotype. Tumor growth and MMP9 expression was significantly reduced in PC3HO-1 tumors compared with control xenografts. Taken together, these results implicate HO-1 in PCa cell migration and proliferation suggesting its potential role as a therapeutic target in clinical settings. (Mol Cancer Res 2009;7(11):1745–55)

The role of oxidative stress in prostate cancer has been increasingly recognised. Acute and chronic inflammations generate reactive oxygen species that result in damage to cellular structures. Haeme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) has cytoprotective effects against oxidative damage. We hypothesise that modulation of HO-1 expression may be involved in the process of prostate carcinogenesis and prostate cancer progression. We thus studied HO-1 expression and localisation in 85 samples of organ-confined primary prostate cancer obtained via radical prostatectomy (Gleason grades 4–9) and in 39 specimens of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). We assessed HO-1 expression by immunohistochemical staining. No significant difference was observed in the cytoplasmic positive reactivity among tumours (84%), non-neoplastic surrounding parenchyma (89%), or BPH samples (87%) (P=0.53). Haeme oxygenase-1 immunostaining was detected in the nuclei of prostate cancer cells in 55 of 85 (65%) patients but less often in non-neoplastic surrounding parenchyma (30 of 85, 35%) or in BPH (9 of 39, 23%) (P<0.0001). Immunocytochemical and western blot analysis showed HO-1 only in the cytoplasmic compartment of PC3 and LNCaP prostate cancer cell lines. Treatment with hemin, a well-known specific inducer of HO-1, led to clear nuclear localisation of HO-1 in both cell lines and highly induced HO-1 expression in both cellular compartments. These findings have demonstrated, for the first time, that HO-1 expression and nuclear localisation can define a new subgroup of prostate cancer primary tumours and that the modulation of HO-1 expression and its nuclear translocation could represent new avenues for therapy.

Dovitinib is therapeutically active in a subset of patients with prostate cancer bone metastases, partly due to blockade of FGFR-mediated stromal-epithelial interactions in the bone microenvironment.