Institute for Human Genetics, Jena University Hospital, 07740 Jena, Germany.
Curr Med Chem. 2013;20(22):2731-40. doi: 10.2174/0929867311320220001.
Heat shock proteins (HSPs) and chaperones are highly conserved stress-induced factors. They regulate not only protein folding and stability but are also actively involved in protein transport and transcriptional regulation. HSPs have cytoprotective roles and are essential for cancer cell survival. Noteworthy, HSPs are often upregulated in cancer. Therefore, HSPs emerged as drug targets for cancer therapy. Especially for prostate cancer (PCa) therapy, a battery of different compounds has been identified that act with different modes to inhibit PCa growth. The androgen receptor (AR) is a major player in PCa progression and is a well-known interacting factor of HSPs. Since the AR function is very dependent on HSP activity, many emerging compounds address the AR-associated HSPs as novel drug targets. Here, we provide an insight into the different classes of HSPs, their association with the human AR, the role of HSPs in human PCa development and review also the targeting of HSPs in human PCa. Further, the function and the underlying molecular mechanisms of specific compounds that are currently under investigation for the use against PCa growth will be comprehensively summarized.
热休克蛋白（HSPs）和伴侣蛋白是高度保守的应激诱导因子。它们不仅调节蛋白质折叠和稳定性，而且还积极参与蛋白质运输和转录调控。HSPs 具有细胞保护作用，是癌细胞存活所必需的。值得注意的是，HSPs 在癌症中经常上调。因此，HSPs 成为癌症治疗的药物靶点。特别是对于前列腺癌（PCa）治疗，已经确定了一系列不同的化合物，它们以不同的方式作用来抑制 PCa 生长。雄激素受体（AR）是 PCa 进展的主要参与者，也是 HSPs 的已知相互作用因子。由于 AR 功能非常依赖 HSP 活性，许多新兴化合物将与 AR 相关的 HSPs 作为新的药物靶点。在这里，我们深入了解不同类别的 HSPs，它们与人类 AR 的关联，HSPs 在人类 PCa 发展中的作用，并综述 HSPs 在人类 PCa 中的靶向作用。此外，还将全面总结目前正在研究用于对抗 PCa 生长的特定化合物的功能及其潜在的分子机制。
