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Altered calcium signalling in prostate cancer facilitates progression to castrate resistance

O'Reilly, Debbie orcid logoORCID: 0000-0001-9405-7961 (2021) Altered calcium signalling in prostate cancer facilitates progression to castrate resistance. PhD thesis, Dublin City University.

Abstract
Prostate cancer (PCa) carries a significant clinical burden worldwide with ~1.3-million new cases annually. It is the most frequently diagnosed cancer in Irish men, excluding non-cutaneous skin cancer, and is the third most common cause of cancer related deaths among this cohort. The most utilised treatment for advanced or metastatic PCa is androgen deprivation therapy (ADT). Although this treatment initially shrinks the tumour, treatment resistance develops after ~2 years. At this stage, the disease is called castrate resistant prostate cancer (CRPC) and is associated with mortality. Calcium signalling has been implicated in the malignant progression of many cancers, particularly PCa. Research demonstrates that the L-type voltage gated calcium channel CaV1.3 is significantly increased in PCa tissues compared to normal prostate epithelia. The aim of this study was to explore the role CaV1.3 plays in ADT resistance and determine its underlying tumour biology. This research investigates the mechanism associated with CaV1.3 upregulation and the progression to CRPC. Using clinical, in vivo and in vitro models we reveal that CaV1.3 is enhanced by ADT, which correlates with higher Gleason score and shorter time to biochemical recurrence. Herein we uncover a novel mechanism through which upregulated CaV1.3 functions to increase calcium mobilisation by enhancing store operated calcium entry (SOCE). Increased calcium results in altered cellular signalling and stable expression of Hif-1α under hypoxic conditions, it also increases the expression of PCa markers such as androgen receptor. This facilitates cell viability under conditions of ADT and maintaines the proliferative ability of CRPC. Confirming that CaV1.3 has a direct involvement in PCa progression and signifying that CaV1.3 could be utilised as both a biomarker for treatment resistance and as a drug target to prevent disease progression.
Metadata
Item Type:Thesis (PhD)
Date of Award:November 2021
Refereed:No
Supervisor(s):Buchanan, Paul and Johnson, Patricia
Uncontrolled Keywords:Prostate Cancer; CaV1.3; CACNA1D; androgen deprivation therapy; hypoxia; store operated calcium
Subjects:Biological Sciences > Molecular biology
Humanities > Biological Sciences > Molecular biology
Medical Sciences > Cancer
DCU Faculties and Centres:DCU Faculties and Schools > Faculty of Science and Health > School of Nursing, Psychotherapy & Community Health
Research Institutes and Centres > National Institute for Cellular Biotechnology (NICB)
Use License:This item is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 License. View License
Funders:Irish Research Council - Government of Ireland Postgraduate Scholarship Programme, School of Nursing, Psychotherapy and Community Health
ID Code:26188
Deposited On:29 Oct 2021 10:34 by Paul Buchanan . Last Modified 04 Feb 2022 15:33
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