Human acid ceramidase is overexpressed but not mutated in prostate cancer

The human acid ceramidase gene, that causes Farber disease, is located in 8 p22, a region frequently altered in several cancers, including prostate can cer. Acid ceramidase catalyzes the hydrolysis of ceramide, a potent lipid s econd messenger molecule that promotes apoptosis and inhibits cellular prol iferation. it is not known whether this gene, or its expression, is altered in prostate cancer. Here, we report the structural organization of the hum an gene, its expression in human tissues, and the identification of several single nucleotide polymorphisms. No cancer-related mutations were found in the gene in a panel of prostate tumor DNAs analyzed, but increased express ion was observed in prostate tumor tissues when compared with matched norma ls. This increase was observed in all three prostate tumor cell lines teste d (DU145, LnCAP, and PC3) when compared to a BPH (benign prostatic hyperpla sia) cell line and 15/36 prostate tumors. These results suggest that acid c eramidase may play an important role in prostate carcinogenesis. (C) 2000 W iley-Liss, Inc.