Impacts of the prostate stem cell antigen (PSCA) and Clostridium perfringens enterotoxin (CPE) on the apoptosis and cell cycle regulatory genes in PC3

Abstract

Clostridium perfringens enterotoxin (CPE) has anti-prostate cancer effects and the prostate stem cell antigen (PSCA) has been used as a plasmid-based vaccine. So we expressed both of them in the PC3 cells to evaluate their effects on cell cycling and apoptosis. The PC3 cells were transfected either by the pBudCE4.1-CPE-PSCA or empty plasmid. The expression of the cpe and PSCA genes in transfected PC3 was evaluated. The apoptosis genes (Fas, P53, Bak, and Bax) as well as cell cycling genes (cyclin D1 and E) expression was evaluated by qPCR. Successful expression of cpe and PSCA in PC3 cells was confirmed. The flow cytometry results showed the cellular death rates of 62.6% and 21.8% for PC3 cells transformed with recombinant and empty plasmids respectively. Bak, Fas, Bax and P53 genes were significantly upregulated in PC3 cells transformed with pBudCE4.1-CPE-PSCA, while cyclin D1 and E were downregulated when compared with the pBudCE4.1-transfected PC3 and normal cells (p < .05). The results showed the lethal consequences of cpe and PSCA genes expression on PC3 transfected cells. Expression of the cpe and PSCA genes affects the PC3 cell death so it could be a suitable candidate for further researches in prostate cancer vaccine development.

Keywords:

• Clostridium perfringens enterotoxin (CPE)
• prostate stem cell antigen (PSCA)
• prostate cancer
• PC3
• apoptosis
• cell cycling genes

Acknowledgments

This article was based on the PhD thesis and we would like to express our sincere thanks and appreciation to the Research Deputy of the Islamic Azad University of Shahrekord Branch and all staffs of Cellular and Molecular Research Center of Basic Health Sciences Institute in Shahrekord University of Medical Sciences for their cooperation. We also would acknowledge Payam Ghasemi-Dehkordi and Alireza Karimi-Taghanaki for their kindly helps during this study.

Disclosure statement

Saied Abedi, Abbas Doosti and Mohammad-Saied Jami declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.

Additional information

Funding

This article was based on the Ph.D thesis with grant number 2991 (Islamic Azad University, Shahrekord branch).