This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Ma, A.-H. Articles by Kung, H.-J. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Ma, A.-H. Articles by Kung, H.-J.

Male Germ Cell–Associated Kinase, a Male-Specific Kinase Regulated by Androgen, Is a Coactivator of Androgen Receptor in Prostate Cancer Cells

¹ Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine and University of California Davis Cancer Center and ² Department of Urology, School of Medicine, University of California at Davis, Sacramento, California and ³ Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan

Requests for reprints: Hsing-Jien Kung, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine and Cancer Center Basic Sciences, School of Medicine, University of California at Davis, Room 2400, 4645 Second Avenue, Sacramento, CA 95817. Phone: 916-734-1538; Fax: 916-734-2589; E-mail: hkung{at}ucdavis.edu.

Androgen receptor (AR) is a ligand-induced transcriptional factor, which plays an important role in the normal development of prostate as well as in the progression of prostate cancer. Numerous coactivators, which associate with AR and function to remodel chromatin and recruit RNA polymerase II to enhance the transcriptional potential of AR, have been identified. Among these coactivators, few are protein kinases. In this study, we describe the characterization of a novel protein kinase, male germ cell–associated kinase (MAK), which serves as a coactivator of AR. We present evidence, which indicates that (a) MAK physically associates with AR (MAK and AR are found to be coprecipitated from cell extracts, colocalized in nucleus, and corecruited to prostate-specific antigen promoter in LNCaP as well as in transfected cells); (b) MAK is able to enhance AR transactivation potential in an androgen- and kinase-dependent manner in several prostate cancer cells and synergize with ACTR/steroid receptor coactivator-3 coactivator; (c) small hairpin RNA (shRNA) knocks down MAK expression resulting in the reduction of AR transactivation ability; (d) MAK-shRNA or kinase-dead mutant, when introduced into LNCaP cells, reduces the growth of the cells; and (e) microarray analysis of LNCaP cells carrying kinase-dead MAK mutant showed a significant impediment of AR signaling, indicating that endogenous MAK plays a general role in AR function in prostate cancer cells and likely to be a general coactivator of AR in prostate tissues. The highly restricted expression of this kinase makes it a potentially useful target for intervention of androgen independence. (Cancer Res 2006; 66(17): 8439-47)

This article has been cited by other articles:

				Z. Fu, J. Kim, A. Vidrich, T. W. Sturgill, and S. M. Cohn Intestinal cell kinase, a MAP kinase-related kinase, regulates proliferation and G1 cell cycle progression of intestinal epithelial cells Am J Physiol Gastrointest Liver Physiol, October 1, 2009; 297(4): G632 - G640. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				J. X. Zou, L. Guo, A. S. Revenko, C. G. Tepper, A. T. Gemo, H.-J. Kung, and H.-W. Chen Androgen-Induced Coactivator ANCCA Mediates Specific Androgen Receptor Signaling in Prostate Cancer Cancer Res., April 15, 2009; 69(8): 3339 - 3346. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				R. Snoek, H. Cheng, K. Margiotti, L. A. Wafa, C. A. Wong, E. C. Wong, L. Fazli, C. C. Nelson, M. E. Gleave, and P. S. Rennie In vivo Knockdown of the Androgen Receptor Results in Growth Inhibition and Regression of Well-Established, Castration-Resistant Prostate Tumors Clin. Cancer Res., January 1, 2009; 15(1): 39 - 47. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				H. V. Heemers and D. J. Tindall Androgen Receptor (AR) Coregulators: A Diversity of Functions Converging on and Regulating the AR Transcriptional Complex Endocr. Rev., December 1, 2007; 28(7): 778 - 808. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				S. Chouinard, O. Barbier, and A. Belanger UDP-glucuronosyltransferase 2B15 (UGT2B15) and UGT2B17 Enzymes Are Major Determinants of the Androgen Response in Prostate Cancer LNCaP Cells J. Biol. Chem., November 16, 2007; 282(46): 33466 - 33474. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]