Prostate cancer is the most prevalent cancer and the second leading cause of cancer death among males. In the United States in 2012, an estimated 24740 new cases of prostate cancer and 28170 deaths from prostate cancer were reported.

Scientists from Sweden have Indicated their latest results on how Par6 phosphorylation influences prostate cancer metastasis. The study was published in British Journal of Cancer.

The Par complex-comprising partition-defective 6(Par6), Par3, and atypical protein kinase C(aPKC) is crucial for cell polarisation, the loss of which contributes to cancer progression. Transforming growth factor β (TGFβ)-induced phosphorylation of Par6 on the conserved serine 345 is implicated in epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) in breast cancer.

In this study, the researchers investigated whether p-Par6 is involved in TGFβ-induced migratory responses in prostate cancer cells. Their results showed that TGFβ-induced Par6 phosphorylation, and in turn, p-Par6 formed a complex with aPKC at the leading edge of membrane ruffles, which was important for migration and invasion of prostate cancer cells. Interestingly, prostate cancer cell invasion could be prevented by interfering with polarity complex formation. Moreover, analysis of Par6 signaling in prostate cancer cells and tissues revealed that high levels of p-Par6 correlated to prostate cancer progression.

Reference:

Mu Y, Zang G, Engström U, et al. TGFβ-induced phosphorylation of Par6 promotes migration and invasion in prostate cancer cells[J]. British journal of cancer, 2015.