Chapter 18, Problem 13TYU

Summary Introduction

To describe: The experiment that proves the given hypothesis.

Hypothesis: “The female hormone estrogen activates genes controlled by androgen in prostate cancer cells”.

Introduction:

Androgen and estrogen are sex steroid hormones. They control the expression of male and female sexual characters, respectively. They function by binding and activating the intracellular receptors. These receptors act as ligand-dependent–specific transcription factors that stimulate the transcription of specific genes. Androgens are required for the survival of prostate cancer cells. There are certain prostate cancer cells that survive, despite the treatment that inhibits androgens. Both androgen and estrogen are steroid hormones and follow the same pathway for action. So, it can be hypothesized that estrogen activates genes in prostate cancer cells in the absence of androgen.