Characterization of two functional NKX3.1 binding sites upstream of the PCAN1 gene that are involved in the positive regulation of PCAN1 gene transcription

Background NKX3.1 and PCAN1 are both prostate-specific genes related to prostate development and prostate cancer. So far, little is known about the regulatory mechanisms of the expression of these two genes. In the present study, we found that NKX3.1 upregulated PCAN1 gene transcription in LNCaP prostate cancer cells. To understand the regulatory mechanisms, our work focused on identifying the functional NKX3.1 binding sites upstream of the PCAN1 gene, which might be involved in the positive regulation of PCAN1 expression by NKX3.1.