Investigation of the Correlation between Androgen Receptor and ZEB1 and its Value in Progression of Gastric Cancer

Zinc-finger Enhancer Binding protein (ZEB1) acts as a transcription factor to promote cancer progression through regulating Epithelial to Mesenchymal Transition (EMT). It is well-known that ZEB1 mRNA expression is directly induced by both Estrogen Receptor (ER) and Progesterone Receptor (PR). Moreover, Androgen Receptor (AR) and PR could bind to the same regulatory element. Since it has been shown that AR overexpresses in Gastric Cancer (GC) as a male-predominant tumor, the goal of this study was to evaluate whether AR could regulate ZEB1 expression in GC.

The expression profile of ZEB1 in 60 fresh GC and adjacent non-tumor tissues and 50 normal gastric specimens was assessed by qRT-PCR, and the association of ZEB1 expression with clinicopathological features was investigated. Furthermore, possible correlation between ZEB1 and AR was evaluated to elucidate a novel prognostic marker using Kaplan-Meier method and Cox regression model. Finally, molecular interaction of ZEB1 and AR was assessed using a potent AR antagonist in GC cells.

Among GC patients, 70.2% (40/57) overexpressed ZEB1 and 64.91% (37/57) overexpressed AR relative to normal gastric tissues. ZEB1 overexpression was significantly correlated with the AR overexpression in GC patients. Moreover, ZEB1 overexpression was remarkably associated with lower overall survival; however, it was not an independent prognostic factor. Evidence shows that simultaneous evaluation of ZEB1 and AR expression could independently predict survival of GC patients (HR= 2.193, p=0.047).

These findings have clinical importance suggesting simultaneous evaluation of ZEB1 and AR expression as a potential prognostic marker. Moreover, AR may regulate ZEB1 expression in GC cells proposing a possible promising targeted therapy for GC patients.