Implication Of Beta 2-Adrenergic Receptor And Mir-196a Correlation In Neurite Outgrowth Of Lncap Prostate Cancer Cells

The beta 2-adrenergic receptor has been shown to be involved in neuroendocrine differentiation and to contribute to the development of aggressive prostate cancer. In this study we have investigated whether miR-196a plays a role in the regulation of the beta 2-adrenergic receptor in the LNCaP prostate cancer cell line. Our results show that the expression of miR-196a is elevated in LNCaP prostate cancer cells with reduced levels of beta 2-adrenergic receptor after stably transfection with three different shRNAs. Furthermore, treatment with beta-blockers showed that this upregulation is strictly related to the low levels of beta 2-adrenergic receptor and not to the inhibition of the receptor signaling activity. Finally, we found that the reduced ability of LNCaP cells with low levels of beta 2-adrenergic receptor to initiate neuroendocrine differentiation under androgen depletion conditions is mediated by miR-196a. In conclusion, this study provides the rational for a role of miR-196a in the beta 2-adrenergic receptor mediated neuroendocrine differentiation of LNCaP prostate cancer cells.