Progerin is a truncated form of lamin A. It is identified in patients with 
Hutchinson-Gilford progeria syndrome (HGPS), a disease characterized by 
accelerated aging. The contribution of progerin toward aging has been shown to 
be related to increased DNA damages. Since aging is one major risk factor for 
carcinogenesis, and genomic instability is a hallmark of malignant cancers, we 
investigated the expression of progerin in human cancer cells, and whether its 
expression contributes to carcinogenesis. Using RT-PCR and Western blotting, we 
detected the expression of progerin in prostate PC-3, DU145 and LNCaP cells at 
mRNA and protein levels. Ectopic progerin expression did not cause cellular 
senescence in PC-3 or MCF7 cells. PC-3 cells progerin transfectants were 
sensitized to DNA damage agent camptothecin (CPT); and persistent DNA damage 
responses were observed, which might be caused by progerin induced defective DNA 
damage repair. In addition, progerin transfectants were more tumorigenic in vivo 
than vector control cells. Our study for the first time describes the expression 
of progerin in a number of human cancer cell lines and its contributory role in 
tumorigenesis.