There is now mounting evidence that the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) plays an important role in physiologic responses such as development, cell cycle regulation, immune function and also malignant transformation in various tissues. The strong nuclear AhR expression is observed in the invasive phenotype, and an elevated nuclear AhR expression is associated with a poor prognosis of human prostate cancer. On the other hand, there are conflicting results that the AhR deficiency results in increased susceptibility to prostate tumors in mouse model. In the present study, we investigated AhR expression and its role in the growth and invasiveness of human prostate cancer cells. The AhR protein expression was detected in prostate cancer cell lines and human prostate cancer tissues. A small interfering RNA targeting AhR, constitutive active AhR expression vector, and AhR agonist and antagonist were used to moderate its expression and signaling. The induction of AhR signaling attenuated invasiveness of prostate cancer cells without affecting the cellular growth rate. These results suggest that AhR signaling in prostate cancer cells facilitates invasion of these cells, and modulation with this signaling can be a potential therapeutic target of invasive tumors.
Keywords: Aryl hydrocarbon receptor; Invasion; Prostate cancer.