TNF-α controls Lipocalin-2 expression in PC-3 prostate cancer cells

Prostate cancer (PCa) is one of the most common and deadly cancers in men worldwide. The surrounding tumor microenvironment (TME) is important in tumor progression, as cytokines and soluble mediators including tumor necrosis factor (TNF-alpha) or lipocalin-2 (LCN2) can influence tumor growth and formation of metastasis. The exact mechanisms on how these pleiotropic factors affect PCa are still unknown. In this study, we showed for the first time that LCN2 mRNA and protein expression are strongly inducible by TNF-alpha in the highly metastatic human PCa cell line PC-3. In addition, we observed higher levels of secreted LCN2 in cell culture medium of TNF-alpha-treated PC-3 cells. We found that different signaling pathways such as p38, NF-kappa B or JNK were activated shortly after TNF-alpha treatment. Moreover, the mRNA levels of IL-1 beta and IL-8 were also significantly increased after 24 h stimulation. Mechanistically, the NF-kappa B pathway and the JNK signaling axis are directly responsible for LCN2 upregulation. This was shown by the fact that pretreatment with the JNK inhibitors SP600125 or JNK-IN-8 strongly downregulated phosphorylation of c-Jun protein and markedly reduced TNF-alpha-mediated LCN2 upregulation in PC-3 cells. Likewise, the NF-kappa B inhibitor QNZ was able to repress TNF-alpha-induced LCN2 expression in PC-3 cells. Taking into consideration that LCN2 has been described as a tumor promoting factor in PCa, our results indicate that JNK regulates LCN2 expression and unmasks the JNK signaling axis as a possible therapeutic target for patients with PCa.