miR-221促进前列腺癌LNCaP细胞系神经内分泌样转化

目的:研究miR-221对于前列腺癌细胞的神经内分泌化改变的影响,探讨miR-221在前列腺癌的雄激素剥夺治疗中发挥的作用.方法:免疫组织化学研究雄激素依赖性前列腺癌与雄激素非依赖性前列腺癌中NSE表达的差异.在前列腺癌细胞LNCaP上,观察基因转染前后miR-221对于LNCaP细胞的形态学改变,以及通过qRT-PCR和Western-blot方法检测细胞中NSEmRNA水平以及NSE蛋白表达的变化.结果:①免疫组化显示AIPC标本的NSE水平明显高于ADPC标本(P<0.05);②形态学观察:转染miR-221的前列腺癌细胞神经内分泌化改变明显加速③转染miR-221的LNCaP细胞中NSE的mRNA以及蛋白水平均较转染anti-mir-221和miR-NC组明显升高.结论:miR-221对于前列腺癌的神经内分泌化进程有明显的促进作用.     

miR-221对于前列腺癌细胞的增殖及侵袭能力作用的研究

目的:研究miR-221不同时期前列腺癌细胞系中表达差异,探讨miR-221在雄激素非依赖前列腺癌的生长及侵袭能力中发挥的作用.方法:Northern检测雄激素依赖性与雄激素非依赖性前列腺癌细胞系中差异表达的miRNA.在不同前列腺癌细胞系中,通过CCK-8及流式细胞学检测基因转染前后miR-221对于前列腺癌细胞系的生长影响,以及通过侵袭实验检测细胞侵袭能力的变化.结果:①Northern显示LNCaP-AI细胞中miR-221水平明显高于LNCaP细胞;②miR-221促进LNCaP及LNCaP-AI细胞的增殖能力③下调miR-221会减弱LNCaP-AI细胞的侵袭能力.结论:miR-221促进不同时期前列腺癌细胞系的增殖,并增强LNCaP-AI的侵袭能力.     

雄激素非依赖性前列腺癌细胞株BCL2和GRB10基因启动子区甲基化研究

目的 探讨基因甲基化在雄激素非依赖性前列腺癌(androgen-independent prostate cancer,AIPC)转化过程中可能的作用.方法 采用重亚硫酸盐测序PCR(bisulfite genomic sequencing PCR,BSP)联合TA克隆测序检测雄激素依赖性前列腺癌(androgen-dependent prostate cancer,ADPC)细胞株LNCaP和雄激素非依赖性前列腺癌细胞株LNCaP-AI(androgen independent)中生长因子受体结合蛋白10(growth factor receptor-bound protein 10,GRB10)和B细胞性淋巴瘤/白血病-2基因(B-cell lymphoma/leukaemia-2 gene,BCL2)的甲基化状态.结果 GRB10基因在LNCaP-AI细胞和LNCaP细胞中的甲基化率分别为9.6％、7.4％;BCL2基因在LNCaP-AI细胞和LNCaP细胞中的甲基化率分别为14.7％、25.3％,这两个基因在LNCaP细胞和LNCaP-AI细胞的甲基化率差异无统计学意义(P＞0.05).结论 GRB10和BCL2基因的异常表达与基因甲基化无明显相关,而二者是否参与到前列腺癌激素非依赖性到转化过程以及具体机制有待进一步研究.     

雄激素非依赖性前列腺癌细胞中差异甲基化基因的初步筛选

应用全基因组DNA甲基化芯片(Illumina Infinium HumanMethylation27 BeadChip)杂交技术以及转录组RNA测序技术,检测了雄激素依赖性前列腺癌(androgen-dependent prostate cancer,ADPC)细胞株LNCaP和雄激素非依赖性前列腺癌(androgen-independent prostate cancer,AIPC)细胞株LNCaP-AI(androgen independent)中的差异甲基化基因。发现与LNCaP细胞株相比,LNCaP-AI细胞株有990个CpG位点表现为高甲基化,涉及855个基因;2 305个CpG位点表现为低甲基化,涉及1 970个基因。结合转录组mRNA表达结果,筛选出6个超甲基化基因:FAM111B、RAB36、PCDH7、COL6A2、IGF1R、GULP1;8个低甲基化基因:EPHA3、TM4SF1、IGFBP5、FAM105A、RASD1、ITPR2、CYP27B1、UBE2E3。这些差异甲基化基因涉及钙离子信号通路、Wnt信号通路等多个信号通路,参与了细胞的基因表达、信号传导、细胞通讯、细胞运动、细胞黏附以及血管生成等功能,为探讨这些差异甲基化基因在前列腺癌雄激素非依赖性转化过程中发挥的作用奠定了基础。     

雄激素非依赖性前列腺癌细胞雄激素受体靶基因的筛选与初步鉴定

采用染色质免疫共沉淀技术在全基因组水平筛选雄激素非依赖性前列腺癌细胞LNCaP-AI的雄激素受体结合位点,行高通量测序及生物信息学分析共得到2 876个peak（pvalue〈1×10–5）,peak平均长度为673 bp;将peak序列定位到Hg19基因组,共有1 865个靶基因,其中fold enrichment≥10的基因有425个。对peak相关基因进行GO分析发现,与细胞、细胞组分、细胞过程、结合、细胞器相关的基因位列前五位;对peak相关基因进行通路分析发现,与黏着斑、代谢通路、癌症中的转录错误调控、嘌呤代谢等信号通路相关的基因占大多数。筛选出7个候选AR靶基因,采用Real-time qPCR技术分析它们在LNCaP-AI细胞和雄激素依赖性前列腺癌细胞LNCaP中对DTH刺激的反应性,发现DHT刺激可改变7个候选AR靶基因在LNCaP-AI细胞中的表达,为进一步研究雄激素依赖性前列腺癌向非依赖性前列腺癌发展的过程中雄激素受体及其调控的下游靶基因功能起着至关重要的作用。     

MicroRNA-575靶向抑制BLID促进非小细胞肺癌细胞的增殖和侵袭

目的:通过体外实验探讨miR-575对非小细胞肺癌(NSCLC)细胞增殖与侵袭能力的影响及相关机制。方法:采用实时定量PCR法检测不同非小细胞肺癌细胞系中miR-575、BLID的表达;CCK-8法检测转染miR-575模拟物、抑制因子后不同时间A549细胞增殖情况的变化;Transwell法检测A549细胞的侵袭情况;Targetcan法及双荧光素酶检测miR-575对BLID 3'UTR端的靶向作用;Western blot法检测BLID蛋白的表达。结果:A549、SPC-A1、H1299、H1650等人非小细胞肺癌细胞系中miR-575的表达均显著高于永生化的人支气管上皮细胞系16HBE(P0.001)。MiR-575模拟物转染的A549细胞miR-575的表达明显高于对照组(P0.001),同时细胞的增殖和侵袭力增强(P0.05);反之,miR-575抑制因子转染的A549细胞miR-575的表达显著降低,且细胞的增殖和侵袭力明显降低(P0.01)。Targetscan法预测BLID可能是miR-575的下游靶基因,荧光素酶结果显示miR-575不仅能够有效抑制野生型BLID 3'UTR端的荧光素酶反应(P0.01),而且能够降低BLID的蛋白表达量(P0.01)。实时定量PCR结果显示BLID在NSCLC细胞系中均呈现显著的低表达(P0.001),且转染BLID后,NSCLC细胞的增殖和细胞侵袭被明显抑制(P0.05),而当miR-575与BLID共转染时,miR-575能够逆转BLID所抑制的细胞增殖和侵袭(P0.01)。结论:在NSCLC细胞系中,miR-575的表达上调,且能够通过直接作用于下游靶点抑癌基因BLID从而促非小细胞肺癌细胞增殖及侵袭。     

SIK1作为miR-93新的靶基因抑制前列腺癌细胞增殖、侵袭和迁移

该文探讨了SIK1作为miR-93新的靶基因对前列腺癌细胞增殖、侵袭和迁移的抑制作用。采用重组质粒pcDNA3.1-SIK1上调前列腺癌细胞中SIK1的表达后,利用CCK8和克隆形成实验检测细胞增殖;利用细胞划痕和Transwell实验检测细胞侵袭和迁移;利用Western blot检测E-cadherin和Vimentin的蛋白表达。采用生物信息学方法预测靶向SIK1 mRNA的3’UTR的miRNAs并进行筛选;双荧光素酶报告实验和Western blot验证miR-93靶向调控SIK1。结果显示,上调SIK1的表达能抑制前列腺癌细胞的增殖、侵袭和迁移,并增加E-cadherin和减少Vimentin蛋白表达;miR-93能够靶向负调控SIK1。总之,SIK1可作为miR-93一个新的靶基因抑制前列腺癌细胞增殖、侵袭和迁移。     

miR-335靶向Rho相关卷曲螺旋形成蛋白激酶1对卵巢癌细胞增殖的影响

目的: 探讨miR-335 靶向Rho相关卷曲螺旋形成蛋白激酶1(rho associated coiled-coil forming protein kinase 1,ROCK1)对卵巢癌细胞系SKOV3增殖的调控作用。方法:(1)选取卵巢癌细胞系SKOV3及人正常卵巢上皮细胞系IOSE80,采用RT-PCR检测各组细胞中miR-335表达;采用Western blot检测各组细胞中ROCK1蛋白表达;(2)选取卵巢癌细胞系SKOV3,分别转染miR-335 mimic及mimic control,采用RT-PCR检测细胞中miR-335表达;(3)选取卵巢癌细胞系SKOV3,将SKOV3荧光素酶报告载体与miR-335 mimic共转染,采用荧光素酶活性实验验证miR-335对SKOV3的靶向作用;(4)选取卵巢癌细胞系SKOV3,分为3组,即SKOV3组(转染mimic control)、miR-335 mimic组(转染miR-335 mimic)及miR-335 mimic+ROCK1组(共转染miR-335 mimic+ROCK1),采用MTT法检测各组细胞增殖活性,采用Western blot检测各组细胞中ROCK1蛋白表达,采用RT-PCR检测细胞中Cyclin D1表达。结果: (1)RT-PCR结果显示,卵巢癌细胞SKOV3中miR-335表达显著低于人正常卵巢上皮细胞IOSE80(P < 0.05);Western blot结果显示,卵巢癌细胞SKOV3中ROCK1蛋白表达显著高于人正常卵巢上皮细胞IOSE80(P < 0.05);(2)RT-PCR结果显示,转染miR-335 mimic可使卵巢癌细胞SKOV3中miR-335表达上调,与转染mimic control相比较差异具有统计学意义(P < 0.05);(3)双荧光素酶活性检测结果显示,miR-335 mimic可显著抑制野生型ROCK1-Wt报告载体的荧光素酶活性,但对突变型ROCK1-Mut报告载体的荧光素酶活性并无显著抑制作用;(4)转染miR-335mimic后,卵巢癌细胞SKOV3增殖活性及Cyclin D1表达较阴性对照组显著降低(P < 0.05);而转染miR-335 mimic+ROCK1后,卵巢癌细胞SKOV3增殖活性及Cyclin D1表达较单纯转染miR-335 mimic组显著提高(P < 0.05),但仍显著低于阴性对照组(P < 0.05)。Western blot检测结果显示,转染miR-335mimic后,卵巢癌细胞SKOV3中ROCK1蛋白表达较阴性对照组显著降低(P < 0.05);而转染miR-335 mimic+ROCK1后,ROCK1蛋白表达较单纯转染miR-335mimic组显著增高(P < 0.05),且显著高于阴性对照组(P < 0.05)。结论: miR-335可通过靶向ROCK1抑制卵巢癌细胞系SKOV3增殖。     

miR-182在前列腺癌组织中的表达及其对前列腺癌细胞增殖和凋亡的影响

目的:观察前列腺癌组织及不同前列腺癌细胞系中miR-182的表达,并探讨下调其表达对前列腺癌细胞增殖和凋亡的影响及机制。方法:采用实时荧光定量PCR(q RT-PCR)检测30例前列腺癌组织和30例相应的癌旁组织以及前列腺正常上皮RWPE-1细胞、前列腺癌PC-3、LNCa P和DU145细胞中miR-182的表达,进一步采用Lipfectamine 2000脂质体转染miRNA-182 inhibitor和阴性对照miRNA于PC-3细胞后,通过噻唑蓝(MTT)比色法检测细胞增殖情况,流式细胞术检测细胞凋亡率,免疫印迹(Western blot)法检测转录因子FOXO1、血管内皮生长因子(VEGF)和抑癌基因p53蛋白的表达。结果:miR-182在前列腺癌组织中的表达明显高于癌旁组织(P0.05);miR-182在前列腺癌细胞系PC-3、LNCa P和DU145中的表达均高于前列腺正常上皮细胞RWPE-1(P0.05),其中PC-3细胞中miR-182表达水平最高。转染miRNA-182 inhibitor至PC-3细胞成功下调miR-182表达后,细胞的增殖能力明显受到抑制,细胞凋亡能力明显增强,FOXO1表达水平显著升高,VEGF和p53的表达明显降低,差异均具有统计学意义(P0.05)。结论:miR-182在前列腺癌组织及细胞中呈高表达,下调miR-182的表达可能通过增加FOXO1的表达并减少VEGF和p53的表达,抑制前列腺癌细胞增殖并诱导细胞凋亡。     

miR-324-3p靶向GPX4对前列腺癌细胞铁死亡的影响

目的:探讨miR-324-3p对前列腺癌(PCa)细胞铁死亡的影响及其分子作用机制.方法:通过qRT-PCR检测PCa组织、癌旁组织和细胞系中miR-324-3p和GPX4 mRNA的表达水平;采用Western blot检测PCa细胞系中谷胱甘肽过氧化物酶4(GPX4)蛋白的表达水平;CCK-8检测PCa细胞增殖活力...     

Androgen receptor represses the neuroendocrine transdifferentiation process in prostate cancer cells

Androgen-ablation therapy is an effective method for treating prostate cancer. However, prostate tumors that survive long-term androgen-ablation therapy are classified as androgen-independent as they proliferate in the absence of androgens, and they tend to be enriched for neuroendocrine (NE) cells. Androgen withdrawal causes androgen-dependent prostate cancer cells to adopt a pronounced NE phenotype, suggesting that androgen receptor (AR) represses an intrinsic NE transdifferentiation process in prostate cancer cells. In this report we show that short interfering RNA-induced AR silencing induced a NE phenotype that manifested itself in the growth of dendritic-like processes in both the androgen-dependent LNCaP and androgen-independent LNCaP-AI human prostate cancer cells. Western blot analysis revealed that neuronal-specific enolase, a marker of the neuronal lineage, was increased by AR knockdown in LNCaP cells. The expression levels of the neuronal-specific cytoskeletal proteins beta-tubulin III, nestin, and glial acidic fibrillary protein were also characterized in AR knockdown cells. Most interestingly, AR silencing induced beta-tubulin III expression in LNCaP cells, while AR knockdown increased glial acidic fibrillary protein levels in both LNCaP and LNCaP-AI cells. Lastly, AR silencing reduced the proliferative capacity of LNCaP and LNCaP-AI cells. Our data demonstrate that AR actively represses an intrinsic NE transdifferentiation process in androgen-responsive prostate cancer cells and suggest a potential link between AR inactivation and the increased frequency of NE cells in androgen-independent tumors.     

Multipathways for transdifferentiation of human prostate cancer cells into neuroendocrine-like phenotype

The neuroendocrine (NE) cell is a minor cell population in normal human prostate glands. The number of NE cells is increased in advanced hormone-refractory prostate carcinomas (PCA). The mechanism of increased NE cell population in these advanced tumors is poorly understood. We examined molecular mechanisms which may be involved in the regulation of the transdifferentiation process of human PCA cells leading to a NE phenotype. We compared PCA cell lines LNCaP and PC-3 in the following medium conditions: steroid-reduced (SR), interleukin-6 (IL-6)-supplemented, or dibutyrate cAMP (db-cAMP)-supplemented. We found that androgen-responsive C-33 LNCaP cells responded to all treatments, having a neuronal-like morphology. In contrast, C-81 LNCaP cells, having a decreased androgen responsiveness, had a less pronounced effect although followed a similar trend. Androgen-unresponsive PC-3 cells showed little change in their morphology. Grown in the SR condition, the level of neuron-specific enolase (NSE), a marker of neuronal cells, was upregulated in C-33 LNCaP cells, while to a lesser degree in the presence of IL-6. In the presence of db-cAMP, the NSE level in C-33 cells was decreased, lower than that in control cells. An opposite effect was observed for C-81 LNCaP cells. Nevertheless, the NSE level was only elevated in db-cAMP-treated PC-3 cells, but no change was found in PC-3 cells grown in the SR- or IL-6-supplemented medium. Thus, a similar gross phenotypic change may correlate with differential molecular expressions. We also analyzed the expression of protein tyrosine phosphatase alpha (RPTPalpha) since it plays a critical role in normal neuronal differentiation and signaling. Our results showed that the expression of RPTPalpha correlates with the NE phenotypic change of LNCaP cells in the SR condition. In summary, our data clearly show that the molecular process by which cultured human prostate cancer cells undergo a transdifferentiation process to a NE cell-like phenotype is accompanied by differential expressions of different markers, and a gross NE cell-like phenotype can occur by exposing PCA cells to different pharmacological agents.     

AMPK/SIRT1 signaling through p38MAPK mediates Interleukin-6 induced neuroendocrine differentiation of LNCaP prostate cancer cells

Neuroendocrine Prostate Cancer (NEPC) is an aggressive form of androgen independent prostate cancer (AIPC), correlated with therapeutic resistance. Interleukin (IL)-6 promotes proliferation and neuroendocrine differentiation (NED) of androgen dependent LNCaP cells. We treated LNCaP cells with IL-6 and observed for in vitro NED of cells and also expression of NE markers βIII tubulin, neuron-specific enolase (NSE) and chromogranin A (ChA). Here we investigated the proteins and/or pathways involved in NED of LNCaP cells induced by IL-6 and characterized their role in NED of PCa cells. We found that the altered proteins modulated AMPK signaling pathway in NE cells. Remarkably, IL-6 induces NED of LNCaP cells through activation of AMPK and SIRT1 and also both of these are co-regulated while playing a predominant role in NED of LNCaP cells. Of the few requirements of AMPK-SIRT1 activation, increased eNOS is essential for NED by elevating Nitric oxide (NO) levels. Pleiotropic effects of NO ultimately regulate p38MAPK in IL-6 induced NED. Hence, IL-6 induced AMPK-SIRT1 activation eventually transfers its activation signals through p38MAPK for advancing NED of LNCaP cells. Moreover, inactivation of p38MAPK with specific inhibitor (SB203580) attenuated IL-6 induced NED of LNCaP cells. Therefore, IL-6 promotes NED of PCa cells via AMPK/SIRT1/p38MAPK signaling. Finally, targeting AMPK-SIRT1 or p38MAPK in androgen independent PC3 cells with neuroendocrine features reversed their neuroendocrine characteristics. Taken together these novel findings reveal that targeting p38MAPK mitigated NED of PCa cells, and thus it can be a favorable target to overcome progression of NEPC.     

MicroRNA-221 regulates osteosarcoma cell proliferation,apoptosis, migration,and invasion by targeting CDKN1B/p27

MicroRNAs (miRNAs, miR) are of critical importance in growth and metastasis of cancer cells; however, the underlying functions of miRNAs in osteosarcoma (OS) remain largely unknown. This study was aimed to elucidate the role of miR-221 in regulating the biological behavior of OS cells. The proliferation ability was examined by cell counting kit-8 (CCK-8) and cell cycle assay. The abilities of cell migration, invasion, and apoptosis were monitored by transwell assay and flow cytometry, respectively. The effect of miR-221 on cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor 1B (CDKN1B) expression was evaluated by luciferase assays, real-time polymerase chain reaction, and Western blot analysis. We found that miR-221 was elevated in OS cell lines compared with the normal osteoblastic cell line. Transfection of the miR-221 inhibitor into MG63 and U-2OS cell lines obviously suppressed cell proliferation, migration, and invasion, which is accompanied with cell cycle arrest in G0/G1 phase. Furthermore, luciferase reporter assays indicated that CDKN1B is directly targeted by miR-221 in OS cells. Knockdown of CDKN1B inhibited the effects of miR-221 inhibitor, along with decreased Bax and caspase-3 and increased cyclin E, cyclin D1, Bcl-2, Snail, and Twist1 expression. The results suggested that miR-221 might act as a potentially useful target for treatment of OS.     

miR-888 is an expressed prostatic secretions-derived microRNA that promotes prostate cell growth and migration

microRNAs (miRNAs) are a growing class of small non-coding RNAs that exhibit widespread dysregulation in prostate cancer. We profiled miRNA expression in syngeneic human prostate cancer cell lines that differed in their metastatic potential in order to determine their role in aggressive prostate cancer. miR-888 was the most differentially expressed miRNA observed in human metastatic PC3-ML cells relative to non-invasive PC3-N cells, and its levels were higher in primary prostate tumors from cancer patients, particularly those with seminal vesicle invasion. We also examined a novel miRNA-based biomarker source called expressed prostatic secretions in urine (EPS urine) for miR-888 expression and found that its levels were preferentially elevated in prostate cancer patients with high-grade disease. These expression studies indicated a correlation for miR-888 in disease progression. We next tested how miR-888 regulated cancer-related pathways in vitro using human prostate cancer cell lines. Overexpression of miR-888 increased proliferation and migration, and conversely inhibition of miR-888 activity blocked these processes. miR-888 also increased colony formation in PC3-N and LNCaP cells, supporting an oncogenic role for this miRNA in the prostate. Our data indicates that miR-888 functions to promote prostate cancer progression and can suppress protein levels of the tumor suppressor genes RBL1 and SMAD4. This miRNA holds promise as a diagnostic tool using an innovative prostatic fluid source as well as a therapeutic target for aggressive prostate cancer.     

MicroRNA-221/222 negatively regulates estrogen receptor alpha and is associated with tamoxifen resistance in breast cancer

A search for regulators of estrogen receptor alpha (ERalpha) expression has yielded a set of microRNAs (miRNAs) for which expression is specifically elevated in ERalpha-negative breast cancer. Here we show distinct expression of a panel of miRNAs between ERalpha-positive and ERalpha-negative breast cancer cell lines and primary tumors. Of the elevated miRNAs in ERalpha-negative cells, miR-221 and miR-222 directly interact with the 3'-untranslated region of ERalpha. Ectopic expression of miR-221 and miR-222 in MCF-7 and T47D cells resulted in a decrease in expression of ERalpha protein but not mRNA, whereas knockdown of miR-221 and miR-222 partially restored ERalpha in ERalpha protein-negative/mRNA-positive cells. Notably, miR-221- and/or miR-222-transfected MCF-7 and T47D cells became resistant to tamoxifen compared with vector-treated cells. Furthermore, knockdown of miR-221 and/or miR-222 sensitized MDA-MB-468 cells to tamoxifen-induced cell growth arrest and apoptosis. These findings indicate that miR-221 and miR-222 play a significant role in the regulation of ERalpha expression at the protein level and could be potential targets for restoring ERalpha expression and responding to antiestrogen therapy in a subset of breast cancers.     

MicroRNA-210 modulates endothelial cell response to hypoxia and inhibits the receptor tyrosine kinase ligand Ephrin-A3

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small non-protein-coding RNAs that function as negative gene expression regulators. In the present study, we investigated miRNAs role in endothelial cell response to hypoxia. We found that the expression of miR-210 progressively increased upon exposure to hypoxia. miR-210 overexpression in normoxic endothelial cells stimulated the formation of capillary-like structures on Matrigel and vascular endothelial growth factor-driven cell migration. Conversely, miR-210 blockade via anti-miRNA transfection inhibited the formation of capillary-like structures stimulated by hypoxia and decreased cell migration in response to vascular endothelial growth factor. miR-210 overexpression did not affect endothelial cell growth in both normoxia and hypoxia. However, anti-miR-210 transfection inhibited cell growth and induced apoptosis, in both normoxia and hypoxia. We determined that one relevant target of miR-210 in hypoxia was Ephrin-A3 since miR-210 was necessary and sufficient to down-modulate its expression. Moreover, luciferase reporter assays showed that Ephrin-A3 was a direct target of miR-210. Ephrin-A3 modulation by miR-210 had significant functional consequences; indeed, the expression of an Ephrin-A3 allele that is not targeted by miR-210 prevented miR-210-mediated stimulation of both tubulogenesis and chemotaxis. We conclude that miR-210 up-regulation is a crucial element of endothelial cell response to hypoxia, affecting cell survival, migration, and differentiation.     

Differential expression and effects of gp130 cytokines and receptors in prostate cancer cells

High levels of circulating interleukin-6 (IL6), and possibly neuroendocrine (NE) differentiation, correlate with advanced prostate cancer (PCa). IL6 has many overlapping biological effects with the related gp130 cytokines LIF and OSM that can be explained by the shared usage of the signalling receptor, gp130. We set out to determine whether LIF and OSM can substitute for IL6 in PCa, particularly in relation to neuroendocrine differentiation. Expression analysis of the gp130 cytokines and receptors by RT-PCR, Southern blotting and immunohistochemistry showed that they are widely expressed in LNCaP, DU145 and PC3 cells, but not in normal prostate epithelial PZ-HPV-7 cells. IL6, but not LIF or OSM inhibited proliferation, induced NE differentiation and tyrosine phosphorylation of STAT3 in LNCaP cells. The data suggests that IL6 has a unique role in the progression of PCa.