Inhibition of CDK8/CDK19 with the small molecule inhibitor SEL120-34A in prostate cancer cell lines (3’ tag DGE)

The Mediator complex is a multi-subunit protein that modulates gene expression on a genome-wide scale. MED12 and cyclin-dependent kinase 8 (CDK8) or its paralog CDK19 are components of its kinase module that regulate the proliferation of prostate cancer cells. In this study, we investigated how MED12 and CDK8/19 influence cancer-driven processes in prostate cancer cell lines, focusing on AR activity and enzalutamide resistance. To investigate if CDK8/CDK19 inhibition has similar effects as downregulation of MED12 in enzalutamide sensitive and resistant prostate cancer cells, we treated the cells with SEL120-34A and analyzed the response using high-throughput 3’ tag differential gene expression analysis.