A mitochondrial outer membrane protein TOMM20 maintains protein stability of androgen receptor and regulates AR transcriptional activity in prostate cancer cells.

Prostate cancer (PCa) is an androgen-dependent malignancy, with HSP90 and HSP70 serving as classical molecular chaperones that maintain androgen receptor (AR) protein stability and regulate its transcriptional activation. Surprisingly, our study identified TOMM20, a mitochondrial outer membrane protein, as a potential molecular chaperone with similar roles to HSP90/HSP70. We found that TOMM20 expression is elevated in PCa tissues and cell lines and positively correlates with AR levels.