Objective  To investigate the regulatory effect of the PI3K/AKT pathway on PHF19 gene expression in prostate cancer.

Methods  PC-3 cells were treated with the PI3K/AKT pathway inhibitor LY294002 or the activator EGF. Subsequently, the expression of TP63, ΔNp63 and PHF19 mRNA was detected using quantitative reverse transcription PCR (qRT-PCR). Potential transcription factors involved in PHF19 gene regulation were predicted using ChIPBase and JASPAR databases. The correlation between mRNA expressions of TP53, TP63 and PHF19 genes was analyzed through the GEPIA 2 database. Chromatin immunoprecipitation followed by quantitative PCR (ChIP-qPCR) was employed to assess the binding of ΔNP63 protein to the PHF19 gene promoter.

Results  LY294002 significantly reduced PHF19 mRNA expression (compared with different time treatment groups, P<0.05), while EGF notably enhanced the PHF19 mRNA expression (compared with different time treatment groups, P<0.05). TP63 mRNA was positively correlated with PHF19 mRNA expression in prostate cancer tissues (r=0.43, P<0.05). ΔNp63 could bind to the promoter region of the PHF19 gene. LY294002 also significantly reduced the expression of both TP63 and ΔNp63 mRNA (compared with different time treatment groups, P<0.05).

Conclusion  The PI3K/AKT pathway may enhance PHF19 gene expression via the transcription factor TP63.

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