Abstract 3605: Peroxiredoxin IV promotes prostate cancer malignancy through the activation of NF-kB signaling
Authors: Ding Na , Jiang Hong , Thapa Pratik , Hao Yanning , Alshahrani Aziza , Rangnekar Vivek , Liu Xiaoqi , Wei Qiou 
Published: June 2023

Background: The peroxiredoxin (Prx) family of proteins functions as major cellular antioxidants to maintain redox homeostasis as well as mediate oxidative signaling in both physiological and pathological conditions. Our previous studies show that Prx4 is highly expressed in prostate cancer and promotes tumor growth in vitro and in vivo. But how Prx4 contributes to prostate cancer cell invasion and metastasis remains to be elucidated. The purpose of this study is to understand the oncogenic signaling pathways that are mediated by Prx4 in prostate cancer cells.

Methods: Bioinformatic analysis of existing database were used to examine the expression of Prx4 in primary and metastatic prostate cancer samples. CRISPR/Cas9 technique was used to establish Prx4 knockout in cultured human prostate cancer cell lines. Matrigel invasion assays were performed to evaluate cell migration and invasion. RNAseq was performed to examine the differences of gene expression between control and Prx4KO cells. Gene Set Enrichment Analysis (GSEA) and Gene Oncology (GO) enrichment analysis were performed using RNAseq results. RT-PCR and immunoblotting were used to validate findings from RNAseq and enrichment analysis.

Results: Compared with normal prostate, transcript levels of PRDX4 are found to be upregulated in specimens of patients with prostate cancer, and those with bone metastasis show even higher levels. Knockout of Prx4 in cultured human prostate cancer cells leads to significantly reduced ability of cell migration and invasion. Gene expression profiling reveals that loss of Prx4 leads to the upregulation of epithelial as well as downregulation of mesenchymal markers, and multiple signaling pathway changes including the inhibition of cellular response to inflammatory factors such as tumor necrosis factors and interleukins. These changes are also associated with variety of cellular activities such as wound healing, interferon signaling, and antigen processing & presentation. Among known target genes downstream of NF-κB signaling, E-cadherin, vimentin and matrix metalloproteinase 14 (MMP14) were found to be significantly affected by the loss of Prx4. Therefore, Prx4 plays a critical role in human prostate cancer cell malignancy through regulation of intracellular cell signaling pathways.

Conclusions: A combination of bioinformatic, cellular and molecular methods reveals that Prx4 plays a critical role in promoting prostate cancer metastasis. Prx4 is a potential therapeutic target to reduce prostate cancer metastasis.

Citation Format: Na Ding, Hong Jiang, Pratik Thapa, Yanning Hao, Aziza Alshahrani, Vivek Rangnekar, Xiaoqi Liu, Qiou Wei. Peroxiredoxin IV promotes prostate cancer malignancy through the activation of NF-kB signaling. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2023; Part 1 (Regular and Invited Abstracts); 2023 Apr 14-19; Orlando, FL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2023;83(7_Suppl):Abstract nr 3605.