Calcium and CaSR/IP3R in prostate cancer development

Prostate cancer (PrCa) progression and mortality are associated with calcium metabolism, parathyroid hormone level, and vitamin D level. However, the lack of comprehensive understanding on the molecular rationale of calcium intake, serum homeostasis, and cytoplasmic function, is critically hindering our ability to propose a mechanism based technique for targeting calcium in PrCa. Recently, studies performed on PrCa samples have shown that calcium-sensing receptor regulates cytoplasmic calcium levels in relation to extracellular calcium concentrations. Recent publications have also revealed the role of BAP1 and FBXL2 associated endoplasmic reticular IP3Rs in controlling the trafficking of calcium from cytosol into the mitochondria of PrCa cells. Competitive binding between BAP1, PTEN and FBXL2 to IP3Rs regulates the calcium flux of mitochondria and thereby controls apoptosis. Analysis of data released by Prostate Adenocarcinoma (Provisional TCGA) reveals that calcium related proteins play critical role in the development of PrCa. From this constantly expanding appreciation for the role of calcium outside the muscle, we predict that calcium-induced-calcium-release ryanodine receptors could also be involved in determining cell fate.