Transcripts of the Prostate Cancer-Associated Gene Are Retained in the Nuclei of Prostatic Epithelial Cells.

Prostate cancer affects millions of men globally. The prostate cancer-associated gene is downregulated in advanced prostate cancer, whereas benign tissue and low-grade cancer display varying expression levels. In this study, we assess the spatial correlation between mRNA and protein using fluorescent in situ hybridization and immunohistochemistry for the detection of mRNA and protein in parallel sections of tissue microarrays prepared from radical prostatectomy samples. We show that mRNA and protein expression correlate in prostate tissue. Furthermore, we show that mRNA is enriched in the nuclei of the luminal cells at 89% in benign ducts and low-grade cancer, and at 78% in high-grade cancer. The nuclear enrichment of mRNA was validated in prostate cancer cell lines 22Rv1 and MDA PCa 2b using droplet digital polymerase chain reaction (ddPCR) on RNA isolated from nuclear and cytoplasmic fractions of the cells. The nuclear enrichment of mRNA was compared to the nuclearly-enriched lncRNA , confirming the surprisingly high nuclear retention of mRNA. has been suggested to be used as a diagnostic marker and a target for immunotherapy, but a full comprehension of its role in prostate cancer progression is currently lacking. Our results contribute to a better understanding of the dynamics of expression in prostatic tissue.