Subsequently, IL-17RA protein levels are increased to enhance IL-17 responsiveness as evidenced by increased NF-κB activation and enhanced expression of IL-17-downstream genes such as Cxcl1, Ccl20, Il-6, and Mmp7. The biological consequence is development of more invasive prostate cancers in obese mice than lean mice, which echoes the observation that obese men are at increased risk of developing aggressive prostate cancer [36]. This evidence concerns the gene MMP7 and prostate cancer.