Effects of ligand activation of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ in human prostate cancer

Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ (PPARγ) is a nuclear hormone receptor that plays a key role in the differentiation of adipocytes. Activation of this receptor in liposarcomas and breast and colon cancer cells also induces cell growth inhibition and differentiation. In the present study, we show that PPARγ is expressed in human prostate adenocarcinomas and cell lines derived from these tumors. Activation of this receptor with specific ligands exerts an inhibitory effect on the growth of prostate cancer cell lines. Further, we show that prostate cancer and cell lines do not have intragenic mutations in the PPARγ gene, although 40% of the informative tumors have hemizygous deletions of this gene. Based on our preclinical data, we conducted a phase II clinical study in patients with advanced prostate cancer using troglitazone, a PPARγ ligand used for the treatment of type 2 diabetes. Forty-one men with histologically confirmed prostate cancer and no symptomatic metastatic disease were treated orally with troglitazone. An unexpectedly high incidence of prolonged stabilization of prostate-specific antigen was seen in patients treated with troglitazone. In addition, one patient had a dramatic decrease in serum prostate-specific antigen to nearly undetectable levels. These data suggest that PPARγ may serve as a biological modifier in human prostate cancer and its therapeutic potential in this disease should be further investigated.

Regulated expression of the obese gene product (leptin) in white adipose tissue and 3T3-L1 adipocytes.

A mutation within the obese gene was recently identified as the genetic basis for obesity in the ob/ob mouse. The obese gene product, leptin, is a 16-kDa protein expressed predominantly in adipose tissue. Consistent with leptin's postulated role as an extracellular signaling protein, human embryonic kidney 293 cells transfected with the obese gene secreted leptin with minimal intracellular accumulation. Upon differentiation of 3T3-L1 preadipocytes into adipocytes, the leptin mRNA was expressed concomitant with mRNAs encoding adipocyte marker proteins. A factor(s) present in calf serum markedly activated expression of leptin by fully differentiated 3T3-L1 adipocytes. A 16-hr fast decreased (by approximately 85%) the leptin mRNA level of adipose tissue of lean (ob/+ or +/+) mice but had no effect on the approximately 4-fold higher level in obese (ob/ob) littermates. Since the mutation at the ob locus fails to produce the functional protein, yet its cognate mRNA is overproduced, it appears that leptin is necessary for its own downregulation. Leptin mRNA was also suppressed in adipose tissue of rats during a 16-hr fast and was rapidly induced during a 4-hr refeeding period. Insulin deficiency provoked by streptozotocin also markedly down-regulated leptin mRNA and this suppression was rapidly reversed by insulin. These results suggest that insulin may regulate the expression of leptin.