Heat shock protein (hsp) 70-1 (hsp70-1) is overexpressed in human prostate cancer cells and may play important roles in prostate cancer resistance to conventional therapies. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether androgen receptor (AR) and its signaling regulate hsp70-1 expression. Several lines of AR-positive (LNCaP, LAPC-4, and 22Rv1) and -negative (PC-3, DU145, WPE1-NB14 and WPE1-NB-26) human prostatic cells were used in the study. Dihydrotestosterone (DHT) enhanced hsp70-1 expression in LNCaP cells. Expression of hsp70-1 in LNCaP cells was downregulated by the anti-androgens bicalutamide (Bic), and flutamide (Flut), and a newly identified AR signaling antagonist DL3. The downregulation of hsp70-1 by DL3 was also observed in LAPC-4 and 22Rv1 cells, but not in the four lines of AR-negative cells examined. Expression of hsp70-1 was also reduced by DL3 in PC-3 cells engineered with AR. On the other hand, knocking down AR in LNCaP cells by siRNA moderately reduced hsp70-1 level and abolished effects of DL3 on hsp70-1 expression. DL3 reduced hsp70-1 mRNA synthesis in cells and its in vitro gene transcription but did not significantly alter the stabilities of hsp70-1 mRNA and protein. Chromatin-immunoprecipitation (ChIP) assay showed that AR bound to the promoter region of HSPA1B gene, which was reduced in cells treated with DL3 or Bic. These data suggest that AR and its signaling regulate hsp70-1 expression in prostate cancer cells and that HSPA1B could be an AR target gene.

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