journal contribution
posted on 2023-03-31, 03:23 authored by Hongxi Wu, Linjun You, Yan Li, Zhili Zhao, Guangjiang Shi, Zhen Chen, Zhuo Wang, Xianjing Li, Shijia Du, Wanli Ye, Xiaofang Gao, Jingjing Duan, Yan Cheng, Weiyan Tao, Jinsong Bian, Jin-Rong Zhou, Qingyi Zhu, Yong Yang IRF8 protein is expressed in human PCa cells and not methylated.
Funding
National Natural Science Foundation of China
“Double First-Class” University project
Natural Science Foundation of Jiangsu Province
China Postdoctoral Science Foundation
History
ARTICLE ABSTRACT
In incurable castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC), resistance to the novel androgen receptor (AR) antagonist enzalutamide is driven mainly by AR overexpression. Here we report that the expression of interferon regulatory factor 8 (IRF8) is increased in primary prostate cancer but decreased in CRPC compared with normal prostate tissue. Decreased expression of IRF8 positively associated with CRPC progression and enzalutamide resistance. IRF8 interacted with AR and promoted its degradation via activation of the ubiquitin/proteasome systems. Epigenetic knockdown of IRF8 promoted AR-mediated prostate cancer progression and enzalutamide resistance in vitro and in vivo. Furthermore, IFNα increased expression of IRF8 and improved the efficacy of enzalutamide in CRPC by targeting the IRF8–AR axis. We also provide preliminary evidence for the efficacy of IFNα with hormonotherapy in a clinical study. Collectively, this study identifies IRF8 both as a tumor suppressor in prostate cancer pathogenesis and a potential alternative therapeutic option to overcome enzalutamide resistance.
These findings identify IRF8-mediated AR degradation as a mechanism of resistance to AR-targeted therapy, highlighting the therapeutic potential of IFNα in targeting IRF8–AR axis in CRPC.
