Abnormal expression of CDK11(p58) in prostate cancer

BACKGROUND: CDK11(p58) is one of the large families of p34cdc2-related kinases whose functions are linked with cell cycle progression, tumorigenesis and apoptotic signaling. Our previous investigation demonstrated that CDK11(p58) repressed androgen receptor (AR) transcriptional activity and was involved in the negative regulation of AR function. METHODS: CDK11(p58) expression was examined in the prostate cancer tissues and adjacent tissues by IHC and qRT-PCR. Cell apoptosis was detected by flow cytometry. The metastasis of cancer cells was evaluated by the Transwell Assay. Finally we further investigated the underlying molecular mechanisms by examining expression levels of relevant proteins using western blot analysis. RESULTS: We found that both RNA and protein expression of CDK11(p58) were low in prostate cancer tissues compared with its adjacent noncancerous tissues. CDK11(p58) promoted the prostate cancer cell apoptosis and inhibited its metastasis in a kinase dependent way. And finally CDK11(p58) could inhibit the metastasis of AR positive prostate cancer cells through inhibition of integrin β3 and MMP2. CONCLUSIONS: These data indicate that CDK11(p58) is an anti-metastasis gene product in prostate cancer.