The Effect of Cx43 on the Motility of Prostate Cancer Cells

https://kent-islandora.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/ugresearch/2018/2018all/159/thumbnail.jpgProstate cancer (PC) is a very common type of cancer in males and metastatic growth often leads to death. Connexins (Cx) are important to intercellular communication and may also play a role in metastasis. Cultured PC3 metastatic prostate cancer cells have high levels of Cx43 and readily migrate in Boyden chambers, a model for metastasis. We previously silenced Cx43 in PC3 cells and tested their migration in Boyden chamber assays. Silencing Cx34 reduced the motility of the migratory PC3 cells. Conversely, LNCaP prostate cancer cells are not migratory and express very little Cx43. We hypothesized that over-expressing Cx43 in LNCaP cells would enhance their motility. To test this, we transfected LNCaP cells with a Cx43 expression plasmid and used Boyden chamber migration to analyze their motility. Transfection of the LNCaP cells with the Cx43 expression plasmid increased migration 2-fold compared to the control empty expression plasmid. Knowing the role that Cx43 plays in cell motility can lead to new ways to target and treat metastatic prostate cancer.