PURINE-RICH ELEMENT BINDING PROTEIN ALPHA INDUCES CELL STRESS AND DIFFERENTIATION PATHWAYS IN PROSTATE CANCER CELLS

Novel treatments for androgen independent prostate cancer are needed since most men who relapse after a period of androgen ablation therapy have a poor prognosis. Previously we demonstrated that purine-rich element binding protein, PUR alphaμ was significantly repressed in androgen-independent prostate cancer cell lines in comparison to an androgen-dependent line. Furthermore, over-expressing PUR alpha in androgen-independent prostate cancer cells attenuated their proliferation. The aim of this study was to uncover some of the mechanisms by which PUR alpharegulate cell growth and to determine if the pathways regulated by PUR alpha may serve as targets to develop novel therapeutic interventions in hormone-refractory prostate cancer.