Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 27, 2026

Microarray-based Identification of Individual HERV Loci Expression: Application to Biomarker Discovery in Prostate Cancer
13:19

Microarray-based Identification of Individual HERV Loci Expression: Application to Biomarker Discovery in Prostate Cancer

Published on: November 2, 2013

Hormone-sensitive prostate cancer: a case of ETS gene fusion heterogeneity

G Attard1, C Jameson, J Moreira

  • 1The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust, Sutton, UK.

Journal of Clinical Pathology
|December 11, 2008
PubMed

Insights

Prostate cancer often involves gene fusions like TMPRSS2:ERG and ETV1, which can predict prognosis. This study highlights the heterogeneity of these rearrangements and their link to hormone-sensitive prostate cancer.

Area of Science:

  • Oncology
  • Genetics
  • Molecular Biology

Background:

  • TMPRSS2:ERG gene fusions are prevalent in 50-70% of prostate cancers, while ETV1 fusions occur in about 10%, and these events are mutually exclusive.
  • Specific chromosomal rearrangements, such as the 2+Edel subclass with duplicated TMPRSS2:ERG sequences, are associated with a poorer prognosis in prostate cancer patients.

Observation:

  • Significant heterogeneity in ERG and ETV1 rearrangements has been observed within the same prostatectomy specimen, affecting both intraepithelial neoplasia and cancerous tissues.
  • Adjacent cancerous areas can exhibit varying copy numbers of the rearranged locus, ranging from single copies to duplications and triplications.

Findings:

  • The majority of ETS gene fusions are hormone-regulated, suggesting a role in the pathogenesis of hormone-sensitive prostate cancer.
  • A case study demonstrates a patient with long-lasting tumor responses to hormonal treatments, remaining asymptomatic and chemotherapy-naïve since 1991, exemplifying the link between gene fusions and hormone sensitivity.

Implications:

  • Understanding the heterogeneity and specific subclasses of these gene rearrangements is crucial for accurate prognosis and personalized treatment strategies in prostate cancer.
  • The hormone-regulated nature of ETS gene fusions provides a molecular basis for the efficacy of hormonal therapies in a subset of prostate cancer patients.

More Related Videos

A Bioluminescent and Fluorescent Orthotopic Syngeneic Murine Model of Androgen-dependent and Castration-resistant Prostate Cancer07:25

A Bioluminescent and Fluorescent Orthotopic Syngeneic Murine Model of Androgen-dependent and Castration-resistant Prostate Cancer

Published on: March 6, 2018

Sequencing Small Non-coding RNA from Formalin-fixed Tissues and Serum-derived Exosomes from Castration-resistant Prostate Cancer Patients12:13

Sequencing Small Non-coding RNA from Formalin-fixed Tissues and Serum-derived Exosomes from Castration-resistant Prostate Cancer Patients

Published on: November 19, 2019

Related Concept Videos

The Ras Gene02:38

The Ras Gene

The Ras-gene-encoded proteins are regulators of signaling pathways controlling cell proliferation, differentiation, or cell survival. The Ras-gene family in humans constitutes three primary members—the HRas, NRas, and KRas. These genes code for four functionally distinct yet closely related proteins—the HRas, NRas, KRas4A, and KRas4B. The involvement of mutant Ras genes in human cancer was first discovered in 1982 and is among the most common causes of human tumorigenesis.
Ras is a superfamily...
Cancer-Critical Genes I: Proto-oncogenes01:33

Cancer-Critical Genes I: Proto-oncogenes

Genes usually encode proteins necessary for the proper functioning of a healthy cell. Mutations can often cause changes to the gene expression pattern, thereby altering the phenotype.
When the function of certain critical genes, especially those involved in cell cycle regulation and cell growth signaling cascades, gets disrupted, it upsets the cell cycle progression. Such cells with unchecked cell cycles start proliferating uncontrollably and eventually develop into tumors.
Such genes that act...
Mitogens and the Cell Cycle02:38

Mitogens and the Cell Cycle

Mitogens and their receptors play a crucial role in controlling the progression of the cell cycle. However, the loss of mitogenic control over cell division leads to tumor formation. Therefore, mitogens and mitogen receptors play an important role in cancer research. For instance, the epidermal growth factor (EGF) - a type of mitogen and its transmembrane receptor (EGFR), decides the fate of the cell's proliferation. When EGF binds to EGFR, a member of the ErbB family of tyrosine kinase...
Pharmacogenetics of Drug Targets: β₂-Adrenergic Receptors, Apo E, Thymidylate Synthase01:11

Pharmacogenetics of Drug Targets: β₂-Adrenergic Receptors, Apo E, Thymidylate Synthase

Genetic polymorphisms in drug targets have emerged as critical determinants of interindividual variability in drug response and toxicity. Pharmacogenomic investigations increasingly focus on identifying these variations to personalize and optimize therapeutic interventions. A drug target may be a receptor, enzyme, or signaling protein involved in pharmacologic responses or disease-related pathways. While early pharmacogenetic studies focused primarily on drug metabolism, current research...