Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 18, 2025
08:49
Murine Prostate Micro-dissection and Surgical Castration
Published on: May 11, 2016
45.8K
WSB1 Involvement in Prostate Cancer Progression.
Laura Boldrini1, Massimo Bardi2
1Department of Surgical, Medical, Molecular Pathology and Critical Area, University of Pisa, 56126 Pisa, Italy.
Genes
|August 26, 2023
Summary
The WSB1 gene plays a key role in prostate cancer (PC) progression. Increased WSB1 expression correlates with higher PC grades and worse patient prognosis, indicating its potential as a therapeutic target.
Area of Science:
- Oncology
- Molecular Biology
- Genetics
Background:
- Prostate cancer (PC) is a polygenic disease influenced by gene-gene interactions.
- The WSB1 gene is a transcriptional target of oncoproteins and its dysregulation can promote tumor progression.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the involvement of WSB1 in prostate cancer progression using The Cancer Genome Atlas data.
- To clarify the association of WSB1 expression with other key genes implicated in PC.
Main Methods:
- Utilized The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) dataset for analysis.
- Applied multi-dimensional scaling (MDS) to model gene-gene associations.
- Examined WSB1 expression in relation to PC grade and prognosis.
Main Results:
- Increased WSB1 expression was significantly associated with higher PC grades and poorer prognosis.
- WSB1 expression positively correlated with key genes including EZH1, EZH2, WNT10a, and WNT10b.
- MDS analysis revealed WSB1's central role in influencing the expression of other target genes.
Conclusions:
- This study is the first to link WSB1 expression to other genes involved in PC progression.
- WSB1 may play a novel role in PC pathogenesis.
- The WSB1-EZH2-WNT/β-catenin network is a potential driver of PC progression, linked to unfavorable outcomes.
Related Concept Videos
02:54Canonical Wnt Signaling Pathway
8.8K
The gene encoding the main signaling molecules of the Wnt signaling pathways (the Wnt proteins) was discovered almost four decades ago by Nüsslein-Volhard and Wieschaus. They identified and originally named the gene "wingless" (wg) after a phenotype discovered during their landmark genetic screen in Drosophila for body pattern defects. At around the same time, another researcher named Harold Varmus found that a murine tumor virus activates the mammalian wg homolog, Int-1, which...
8.8K
01:41Non-Canonical Wnt Signaling Pathways
7.3K
Wnt is a zygotic effect gene that is expressed during very early embryonic development. It regulates various processes in animals starting from early development through the adult stage, such as organogenesis in the embryo and maintenance of neuronal and blood stem cells. Wnt proteins can induce a wide variety of intracellular pathways depending upon the specific abilities of different Wnt ligands to form a complex with shared and cognate receptors in the presence of different co-receptors. The...
7.3K
02:23Abnormal Proliferation
4.6K
Under normal conditions, most adult cells remain in a non-proliferative state unless stimulated by internal or external factors to replace lost cells. Abnormal cell proliferation is a condition in which the cell's growth exceeds and is uncoordinated with normal cells. In such situations, cell division persists in the same excessive manner even after cessation of the stimuli, leading to persistent tumors. The tumor arises from the damaged cells that replicate to pass the damage to the...
4.6K
01:20The Retinoblastoma Gene
4.1K
Tumor suppressor genes are normal genes that can slow down cell division, repair DNA mistakes, or program the cells for apoptosis in case of irreparable damage. Hence, they play an essential role in preventing the proliferation of damaged cells.
The first-ever tumor suppressor gene called Rb was identified in retinoblastoma - a rare eye tumor in children. In inherited forms of the disease, a child inherits one defective copy of the Rb gene, which predisposes them to retinoblastoma. However,...
The first-ever tumor suppressor gene called Rb was identified in retinoblastoma - a rare eye tumor in children. In inherited forms of the disease, a child inherits one defective copy of the Rb gene, which predisposes them to retinoblastoma. However,...
4.1K
01:33Pleiotropy
40.6K
Pleiotropy is the phenomenon in which a single gene impacts multiple, seemingly unrelated phenotypic traits. For example, defects in the SOX10 gene cause Waardenburg Syndrome Type 4, or WS4, which can cause defects in pigmentation, hearing impairments, and an absence of intestinal contractions necessary for elimination. This diversity of phenotypes results from the expression pattern of SOX10 in early embryonic and fetal development. SOX10 is found in neural crest cells that form melanocytes,...
40.6K
02:07Tumor Progression
6.4K
Tumor progression is a phenomenon where the pre-formed tumor acquires successive mutations to become clinically more aggressive and malignant. In the 1950s, Foulds first described the stepwise progression of cancer cells through successive stages.
Colon cancer is one of the best-documented examples of tumor progression. Early mutation in the APC gene in colon cells causes a small growth on the colon wall called a polyp. With time, this polyp grows into a benign, pre-cancerous tumor. Further...
Colon cancer is one of the best-documented examples of tumor progression. Early mutation in the APC gene in colon cells causes a small growth on the colon wall called a polyp. With time, this polyp grows into a benign, pre-cancerous tumor. Further...
6.4K