Programmed cell death and survival pathways in prostate cancer cells.

Programmed cell death, or apoptosis, is a series of morphologically and biochemically related processes. The extrinsic (death receptor mediated) and intrinsic (mitochondrial-mediated) apoptotic pathways can be triggered by physiological and pharmacological substances. However, other molecular events influence the sensitivity of prostate cancer cells to apoptotic stimuli, leading to marked variations in the responsiveness of prostate cancer cell lines to individual stimuli. Modulation of apoptotic responses by over expression of anti-apoptotic proteins (NF-kappaB, IAPs and Bcl-2), or attenuation of pro-apoptotic proteins (PTEN and Bax) may be responsible for the variations in sensitivity of these cell lines to hormone and chemotherapy. The expression of anti- and pro-apoptotic proteins in some of the widely used in vitro models of prostate cancer is reviewed.