Androgen receptor and HIF-1α interaction in prostate cancer.

197 Background: Prostate cancer is the most common noncutaneous cancer among men in the United States, and its progression is largely controlled by the androgen receptor (AR). Androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) is an initially effective treatment for prostate cancer, but most tumors eventually become castrate resistant. Tumor hypoxia also appears to be associated with a poor prognosis in prostate cancer. HIF-1a regulates the transcription of genes that allow tumor survival and growth in low oxygen conditions. Our laboratory has data showing that in response to castration and anti-androgen therapy in mice, there was a strong transcriptional relationship between HIF-1a and AR, as measured by quantitative RT-PCR, suggesting an interaction between the two proteins. Thus, the purpose of this study was to determine if there is a molecular interaction between HIF-1a and AR in prostate cancer cells. Methods: We used Western blot analysis to examine the expression levels of HIF-1a and AR in LNCaP prostate cancer c...