AUTHOR=Park Sungyeon , Kang Minsoo , Kim Suhyun , An Hyoung-Tae , Gettemans Jan , Ko Jesang 

TITLE=α-Actinin-4 Promotes the Progression of Prostate Cancer Through the Akt/GSK-3β/β-Catenin Signaling Pathway

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Cell and Developmental Biology

VOLUME=Volume 8 - 2020

YEAR=2020

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/cell-and-developmental-biology/articles/10.3389/fcell.2020.588544

DOI=10.3389/fcell.2020.588544

ISSN=2296-634X

ABSTRACT=The first-line treatment for prostate cancer (PCa) is androgen ablation therapy. However, prostate tumors generally recur and progress to androgen-independent PCa (AIPC) within 2-3 years. α-Actinin-4 (ACTN4) is an actin-binding protein that belongs to the spectrin gene superfamily and acts as an oncogene in various cancer types. Although ACTN4 is involved in tumorigenesis and the epithelial-mesenchymal transition of cervical cancer, the role of ACTN4 in PCa remains unknown. We found that the ACTN4 expression level increased during the transition from androgen-dependent PCa to AIPC. ACTN4 overexpression resulted in enhanced proliferation and motility of PCa cells. Increased β-catenin due to ACTN4 promoted the transcription of genes involved in proliferation and metastasis such as CCND1 and ZEB1.ACTN4-overexpressing androgen-sensitive PCa cells were able to grow in charcoal-stripped media. In contrast, ACTN4 knockdown using si-ACTN4 and ACTN4 nanobody suppressed