TMPRSS2-ERG activates NO-cGMP signaling in prostate cancer cells

• Published in: Oncogene 2019-05, Vol.38 (22), p.4397-4411
• Main Authors: Zhou, Feng, Gao, Shuai, Han, Dong, Han, Wanting, Chen, Sujun, Patalano, Susan, Macoska, Jill A., He, Housheng Hansen, Cai, Changmeng
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: 13/89; 45/77; 631/337/572; 631/67/589/466; 64/60; 82/29; 82/80; Animals; Apoptosis; Cancer cells; Cell Biology; Cell Line, Tumor; Cell proliferation; Cell Proliferation - genetics; Cyclic GMP; Cyclic GMP - genetics; Cyclic GMP-Dependent Protein Kinases - genetics; Development and progression; Enzalutamide; ERG gene; Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic - genetics; Gene fusion; Genes; Genetic aspects; Guanylate cyclase; Human Genetics; Humans; Internal Medicine; Kinases; Male; Medical schools; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Mice; Mice, SCID; Nitric oxide; Nitric Oxide - genetics; Nitrogen oxides; Novels; Oncogene Proteins, Fusion - genetics; Oncology; Prostate - pathology; Prostate cancer; Prostatic Neoplasms - genetics; Prostatic Neoplasms - pathology; Protein kinase; Protein kinase G; Protein kinases; Serine Endopeptidases - genetics; Signal transduction; Signal Transduction - genetics; Soluble Guanylyl Cyclase - genetics; Tetracyclines; Transcriptional Regulator ERG - genetics; Tumors; Xenografts
• ISSN: 0950-9232; 1476-5594
• DOI: 10.1038/s41388-019-0730-9

The aberrant activation of the ERG oncogenic pathway due to the TMPRSS2-ERG gene fusion is the major event that contributes to prostate cancer (PCa) development. However, the critical downstream effectors that can be therapeutically targeted remain to be identified. In this study, we have found that the expression of the α1 and β1 subunits of soluble guanylyl cyclase (sGC) was directly and specifically regulated by ERG in vitro and in vivo and was significantly associated with TMPRSS2-ERG fusion in clinical PCa cohorts. sGC is the major mediator of nitric oxide (NO)-cGMP signaling in cells that, upon NO binding, catalyzes the synthesis of cGMP and subsequently activates protein kinase G (PKG). We showed that cGMP synthesis was significantly elevated by ERG in PCa cells, leading to increased PKG activity and cell proliferation. Importantly, we also demonstrated that sGC inhibitor treatment repressed tumor growth in TMPRSS2-ERG -positive PCa xenograft models and can act in synergy with a potent AR antagonist, enzalutamide. This study strongly suggests that targeting NO-cGMP signaling pathways may be a novel therapeutic strategy to treat PCa with TMPRSS2-ERG gene fusion.