Castration-induced up-regulation of insulin-like growth factor binding protein-5 potentiates insulin-like growth factor-I activity and accelerates progression to androgen independence in prostate cancer models.

Although insulin-like growth factor binding protein-5 (IGFBP-5) has been shown to be implicated in prostate cancer progression, the functional role of IGFBP-5 in progression to androgen-independence remains largely undefined. Here, we demonstrate substantial up-regulation of IGFBP-5 during castration-induced regression and androgen-independent (AI) progression in the mouse androgen-dependent (AD) Shionogi tumor model. To analyze the functional significance of these changes in IGFBP-5, human AD LNCaP prostate cancer cells were stably transfected with IGFBP-5 gene, and IGFBP-5-overexpressing LNCaP tumors progressed significantly faster to androgen independence after castration compared with controls. Antisense mouse IGFBP-5 oligodeoxynucleotides (ODNs) were then designed that reduced IGFBP-5 expression in Shionogi tumor cells in vitro in a dose-dependent and sequence-specific manner. Growth of Shionogi tumor cells was inhibited by antisense IGFBP-5 ODN treatment in a time- and dose-dependent manner, which could be reversed by exogenous IGF-I. However, antisense IGFBP-5 ODN treatment had no additive inhibitory effect on Shionogi tumor cell growth when IGF-I activity was neutralized by anti-IGF-I antibody. Antisense IGFBP-5 ODN treatment resulted in decreased mitogen-activated protein kinase activity and number of cells in the S + G2-M phases of the cell cycle that directly correlated with reduced proliferation rate of Shionogi tumor cells. Systemic administration of antisense IGFBP-5 ODN in mice bearing Shionogi tumors after castration significantly delayed time to progression to androgen independence and inhibited growth of AI recurrent tumors. These findings suggest that up-regulation of IGFBP-5 after castration serves to enhance IGF bioactivity and raise the possibility that the response of prostate cancer to androgen withdrawal can be enhanced by strategies, such as antisense IGFBP-5 ODN therapy, that target IGF signal transduction.