Both epidermal growth factor (EGF) and androgens induce proliferation and invasion in prostate cancer cells. Using microarray analysis, we evaluated the EGF-regulated genes involved in proliferation and invasion of LNCaP cells and compared them with data on androgen-regulated genes from the literature. The proliferation-related transcripts showed an overlap between androgen- and EGF-regulated genes. Most genes involved in invasion did not show such overlap. Upon comparison of the androgen-regulated genes in LNCaP cells with RNA-expression data from prostate samples (normal, hyperplasia, cancer, metastases), we observed that 50% of the androgen-regulated genes were differentially expressed in metastatic prostate cancer samples as compared with normal prostate. The microarray data indicate that EGF and androgens use, at least in part, the same pathways to control cell proliferation and different pathways to control cell invasion in LNCaP cells. Furthermore, the data presented here support the hypothesis that next to the androgen receptor-pathway, the EGF-pathway, although to a lesser extent, is an important factor in the events that control prostate cancer progression.

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doi.org/10.1515/IJDHD.2005.4.2.77, hdl.handle.net/1765/101140
International Journal on Disability and Human Development
Department of Developmental Biology

Oosterhoff, J., Kühne, L., Grootegoed, A., & Blok, L. (2005). Cluster-analysis of androgen- and EGF-regulated genes in relation to the proliferation and invasion of prostate cancer cells. International Journal on Disability and Human Development, 4(2), 77–86. doi:10.1515/IJDHD.2005.4.2.77