1. ¹Department of Biological Sciences, The University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware 19716, USA
2. ²Pathology Department, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia 30322, USA

Correspondence: DD Carson, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Delaware, Newark, DE 19716, USA. E-mail: dcarson@udel.edu

Received 3 March 2004; Revised 7 May 2004; Accepted 2 August 2004; Published online 12 October 2004.

Abstract

MUC1 expression was evaluated in normal prostate epithelial cells (PrEC), and prostate cancer cell lines in response to dihydrotestosterone (DHT), interferon- (IFN-) and tumor necrosis factor- (TNF-) treatment. Expression of MUC1 core protein was stimulated in PrEC and PC-3 cells after cytokine treatment, but was highly and constitutively expressed by DU-145 cells. MUC1 was not expressed by LNCaP, C4-2 or C4-2B cells under any condition. DHT alone or in combination with cytokines had no effect on MUC1 expression in any cell line tested. Using antibodies capable of detecting all isoforms of MUC1 core protein independent of their glycosylation state, immunohistochemical staining of tissue microarrays containing both nontumor and tumor tissue revealed that only 17% of tumor tissues and 41% of nontumor tissues stained positively for MUC1. Staining patterns in tumor tissue varied from focal apical staining to diffuse cytoplasmic staining. Neither the presence of MUC1 core protein nor its subcellular distribution correlated with Gleason grade. These data indicate that MUC1 is a poor marker of prostate cancer progression. Furthermore, IFN- and TNF- strongly induce MUC1 expression in both normal prostate epithelia and certain prostate tumor cell lines and may exacerbate pathologies associated with MUC1-positive prostate cancers.