REPS2/POB1 is downregulated during human prostate cancer progression and inhibits growth factor signalling in prostate cancer cells

During progression of prostate cancer, cellular changes occur, leading to a transition from androgen-dependent to androgen-independent growth. One aspect of this transition is a switch from androgens to growth factors, like epidermal growth factor (EGF), as primary regulators of proliferation. We examined the involvement of REPS2/POB1 in this process. REPS2/POB1 is an EH domain-containing protein, reported to be involved in signalling via RatBP1 and to play a role in endocytosis of EGF receptors. Furthermore, the protein is relatively highly expressed in androgen-dependent as compared to androgen-independent human prostate cancer cell lines and xenografts. Next to the known REPS2/POB1 protein, an open reading frame encoding REPS2/POB1, with 139 additional amino-acid residues at the NH2-terminus, was cloned and found to be expressed in prostate cancer cells. Overexpression, by transient transfection, of both forms of REPS2/POB1 in prostate cancer cell lines, induced apoptosis within 48 h. At shorter time intervals after transfection, signalling towards a TPA response element luciferase reporter was found to be inhibited. From these experiments, it is concluded that REPS2/POB1, through its influence on the Ral signalling pathway, is involved in growth factor signalling. Decreased expression of REPS2/POB1 during progression of prostate cancer may therefore result in loss of control of growth factor signalling and consequently in loss of control of cell proliferation.