High Mobility Group AT-hook 2: A Biomarker Associated with Resistance to Enzalutamide in Prostate Cancer Cells

Abstract

Metastatic prostate cancer (mPCa) is a leading cause of mortality, partly due to its resistance to anti-androgens like enzalutamide. Snail can promote this resistance by increasing full-length AR and AR-V7. High Mobility Group AT-hook 2 (HMGA2), a DNA-binding protein upstream of Snail, is crucial in proliferation and epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT). This study examines HMGA2’s role in enzalutamide resistance. LNCaP and 22Rv1 cells overexpressing wild-type HMGA2, but not truncated HMGA2, showed EMT. Both variants led to a decreased sensitivity to enzalutamide but not alisertib compared to Neo control cells. The overexpression of HMGA2 did not alter AR expression. Enzalutamide-resistant C4-2B cells (C4-2B MDVR) had higher HMGA2 and AR/AR variant expression than enzalutamide-sensitive C4-2B cells but remained sensitive to alisertib. The HMGA2 knockdown in C4-2B MDVR cells increased sensitivity to both enzalutamide and alisertib without changing AR expression. A clinical analysis via cBioPortal revealed HMGA2 alterations in 3% and AR alterations in 59% of patients. The HMGA2 changes were linked to treatments like enzalutamide, abiraterone, or alisertib, with amplifications more prevalent in bone, lymph node, and liver metastases. Conclusively, HMGA2 is a potential biomarker for enzalutamide resistance in mPCa, independent of Snail and AR signaling, and alisertib may be an effective treatment for mPCa that expresses HMGA2.