Poster abstracts

Poster number 66 submitted by Jinani Slaibi

Therapeutic Potential of MicroRNAs in Prostate Cancer

Jinani E. SLaibi (Center for Gene Regulation in Health and Disease . Cleveland State University), Kavleen Sikand (Center for Gene Regulation in Health and Disease . Cleveland State University), Girish C. Shukla (Center for Gene Regulation in Health and Disease . Cleveland State University)

Abstract:
Prostate cancer (PCa) is the most common type of cancer found in American men, and the second leading cause of cancer related illness and deaths in the United States. Recent epidemiological study shows that 1 in every 6 men over the age of 45 is at risk of PCa. Androgen receptor (AR) plays a causative role in the development of hormonal-refractory PCa. Hormonal blockade therapy which inhibits the expression of AR eventually fails and disease progresses to fatal androgen-refractory stage from androgen-dependent stage. Therefore, novel molecular approaches which can target and block the expression of AR are urgently required. We propose that microRNAs (miRNA) that function as negative gene regulators have potential as PCa therapeutics. Using bioinformatics methods we have identified that human miRNA hsa-miR-E has the potential to inhibit AR expression. In the present study we are carrying out experiments to validate AR as a target of miR-E. Our preliminary data show that miR-E can suppress the expression of AR in prostate cancer cells; currently we are testing the effect of miR-E overexpression and resulting AR suppression on the growth and proliferation of prostate cancer cells.

References:
1.Bartel DP. MicroRNAs: genomics, biogenesis, mechanism, and function.Cell. 2004 Jan 23;116(2):281-97
2.Calin GA, Croce CM. MicroRNA signatures in human cancers. Nat Rev Cancer. 2006 Nov;6(11):857-66. Calin GA,
3.Croce CM. MicroRNA-cancer connection: the beginning of a new tale. Cancer Res. 2006 (15):7390-4

Keywords: miRNA, prostate cancer