| abstract |
The invention is based in part on the discovery of a number of genes (HRPCa 2, HRPCa 3, HRPCa 6/7, HRPCa 8, HRPCa 9, HRPCa 10, HRPCa 13, HRPCa 14, HRPCa 15, and HRPCa 19) which are androgen-inducible in androgen-dependent prostate cancer (e.g., LNCaP cells) cells and constitutively expressed in androgen-independent prostate cancer cells (e.g., LN3 LNCaP cells). Because androgen is required for growth and survival of androgen-dependent prostate cancer cells, HRPCa 2, HRPCa 3, HRPCa 6/7, HRPCa 8, HRPCa 9, HRPCa 10, HRPCa 13, HRPCa 14, HRPCa 15, and HRPCa 19 are therapeutic targets. An agent which decreases the expression or activity of HRPCa 2, HRPCa 3, HRPCa 6/7, HRPCa 8, HRPCa 9, HRPCa 10, HRPCa 13, HRPCa 14, HRPCa 15, or HRPCa 19 may slow or arrest the growth of prostate cancer cells or may kill prostate cancer cells. Moreover, because the genes of the invention are constitutively expressed by androgen-independent prostate cancer cells, they can be used to identify agents useful for the treatment of androgen-dependent and androgen-independent prostate cancer. |