Fig. 8.

Proposed model of how androgen-mediated autophagy promotes prostate cell growth. Androgens, via AR, promote intracellular lipid accumulation through 1) increasing the expression of enzymes involved in de novo lipogenesis (e.g. FAS, ACC, and ACL) and 2) elevating intracellular ROS levels. The increased ROS levels stimulate lipid accumulation through an autophagy-mediated mechanism that is not fully understood but is downstream/independent of FAS. The intracellular fat depots can then ultimately promote prostate cell growth and/or survival through potentially altering multiple aspects of cell biology and metabolism.