Abstract
Prostate cancer (PCa) is the second leading cause of cancer-related mortality among men in the United States. While PCa initially responds to androgen deprivation therapy, a significant portion progresses to castration-resistant PCa. Approximately 20-25% of these cases acquire aggressive neuroendocrine (NE) features, ultimately leading to neuroendocrine prostate cancer (NEPC). In this study, we used bioinformatics analysis, western blotting, and immunohistochemical staining to investigate the expression of stathmin 1 (STMN1) in PCa cell lines and tissue samples from human PCa and mouse models. Our findings revealed a correlation between elevated STMN1 expression, high Gleason Score, and poor clinical outcomes in PCa patients. Additionally, STMN1 expression was positively correlated with the cell proliferation marker Ki67. Importantly, we observed a significant increase in STMN1 expression in NEPC compared to prostate adenocarcinoma, suggesting its potential role as a diagnostic and prognostic marker for advanced PCa. Furthermore, elevated STMN1 expression was detected in TRAMP tumors, a mouse model of PCa, further supporting its association with PCa progression. In summary, our study highlights the increased expression of STMN1 in NEPC and proliferating prostate adenocarcinoma cells, indicating its potential utility as a diagnostic and prognostic marker for advanced PCa.