A distinct feature of human prostate cancer (PCa) is the development of osteoblastic (bone-forming) bone metastases. Metastatic growth in the bone is supported by factors secreted by PCa cells that activate signaling networks in the tumor microenvironment that augment tumor growth. To better understand these signaling networks and identify potential targets for therapy of bone metastases, we characterized the secretome of a patient-derived xenograft, MDA-PCa-118b (PCa-118b), generated from osteoblastic bone lesion. PCa-118b induces osteoblastic tumors when implanted either in mouse femurs or subcutaneously. To study signaling molecules critical to these unique tumor/microenvironment-mediated events, we performed mass spectrometry on conditioned media of isolated PCa-118b tumor cells, and identified 26 secretory proteins, such as TGF-2, GDF15, FGF3, FGF19, CXCL1, galectins, and 2-microglobulin, which represent both novel and previously published secreted proteins. RT-PCR using human versus mouse-specific primers showed that TGF2, GDF15, FGF3, FGF19, and CXCL1 were secreted from PCa-118b cells. A distinct feature of human prostate cancer (PCa) 1 with lethal potential is the development of metastases in bone with a bone-forming phenotype (1). This property of PCa bone metastasis suggests that PCa cells have unique interactions with cells in the bone microenvironment. Cells that are known to be present in the bone microenvironment include osteoblasts, osteoclasts, adipocytes, fibroblasts, and endothelial cells. Communication between PCa cells and each of these cells in the microenvironment is known to promote metastatic growth. This communication involves metastatic PCa cells that secrete factors to affect stromal cells in the bone microenvironment. The tumor-modified stromal cells may further alter the properties of the PCa cells to allow them to progress in the bone environment (1). Determining how secretory proteins from the metastatic PCa cells affect the PCa/stromal communication network will lead to the development of strategies to treat bone metastases.Although men with PCa and bone metastasis most frequently present with osteoblastic bone lesions, the commonly-used PCa cell lines to study metastatic properties, for example, PC3 and C4 -2B, induce osteolytic or mixed osteoblastic/osteolytic lesions, respectively, when the cells are implanted into mouse femurs or tibia (2). In contrast, the PCa118b patient-derived xenograft (PDX), generated from an osteoblastic bone lesion of a patient with PCa and bone metastasis, shows phenotypic characteristics similar to the tumor from which it was derived, including induction of a strong osteoblastic response when implanted into femurs (3). Interestingly, PCa-118b cells are also able to induce ectopic bone formation when implanted subcutaneously (3, 4). TheFrom the