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Updated: Aug 19, 2026

Focus Formation: A Cell-based Assay to Determine the Oncogenic Potential of a Gene
Published on: December 31, 2014
NKX-3.1 interacts with prostate-derived Ets factor and regulates the activity of the PSA promoter
Hui Chen1, Asit K Nandi, Xiang Li
1Department of Biological Sciences, University of Maryland, Baltimore County, Baltimore, Maryland 21250, USA.
Abstract:
The NKX-3.1 homeobox gene maps to human chromosome 8p21, a region that undergoes frequent loss of heterozygosity in prostate tumors. Loss of Nkx-3.1 function in mice leads to epithelial overgrowth. To further elucidate the molecular basis of NKX-3.1 function, a genetic screen for proteins that interact with NKX-3.1 was performed. Prostate-derived Ets factor (PDEF) was identified as a potential partner of NKX-3.1. Coimmunoprecipitation analyses demonstrated that NKX-3.1 and PDEF are physically associated in prostate epithelial cells. Cotransfection analyses demonstrated that NKX-3.1 can abolish the transcriptional activation function of PDEF on the prostate-specific antigen (PSA) promoter. These data identify PSA as a target gene for NKX-3.1 and provide new insights into the function of this candidate tumor suppressor.
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