The long non-coding RNA PCGEM1 is regulated by androgen receptor activity in vivo

Background Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) can orchestrate oncogenic or tumor-suppressive functions in cancer biology. Accordingly, PCGEM1 and PRNCR1 were implicated in progression of prostate cancer (PCa) as transcriptional co-regulators of the androgen receptor (AR). However, these findings were recently refuted asserting that neither gene physically binds to the AR. Despite evidence for differing AR transcriptional programs in vivo and in vitro, studies investigating AR-regulation of these genes hitherto have only been conducted in vitro. Here, we further examine the relevance of PCGEM1 and PRNCR1 in PCa, and their relationship with AR signaling, using patient-derived xenograft models.