Gene and microRNA expression data from neuroendocrine transdifferentiated and untreated prostate cancer cell line LNCaP

Prostate tumors contain foci of neuroendocrine transdifferentiation (NETD), resulting in an increase of androgen-independent neuroendocrine-like (NE) tumor cells, whose number significantly correlates with tumor aggressiveness and a lower survival rate. The mechanisms leading to NETD and the exact role of NE-like tumor cells in disease progression are not fully understood yet. We used microarrays to analyze mRNA and microRNA expression during NE-transdifferentiation and we identified wide changes in both expression profiles including several genes and microRNAs with potential roles in NETD of prostate carcinoma. LNCaP prostate cancer cells were differentiated to NE-like cancer cells by androgen deprivation or cultivated in control medium for RNA extraction and hybridization on Affymetrix microarrays. Succesful NE differentiation was confirmed by qRT-PCR analysis of three marker genes (PSA, AR, NSE). Total RNA from three independent NETDs and control cells was pooled for gene and miRNA expression analysis.