Prostate cancer and the androgen receptor gene

Abstract

Carcinoma of the prostate is the most frequently diagnosed malignancy and the second leading cause of death as a result of cancer in men in the Western countries. Androgens act on the prostatic epithelial cells by binding to an intracellular protein, the androgen receptor (AR), which is a ligand-dependent transcription factor. Prostatic cells have a wide range of responses to androgens, which ultimately control both the cell division cycle and the cell differentiation. These properties of the AR makes it important for both prostatic function and cancer. The AR is codified by the AR gene, which possesses two length polymorphisms related to prostate cancer incidence. The AR gene is frequently mutated in androgen insensitive prostatic cancer that often leads to antiandrogen-driven tumor growth. There is cumulative evidence suggesting that the AR gene variability is important in various aspects of prostatic cancer, such as racial distribution, age of appearance, recurrence and response to hormones therapy. Here we discuss the most recent and relevant findings on AR gene and prostate cancer, in order provide a comprehensive interpretation of the clinical behavior of tumors at molecular levels.