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Updated: Jan 17, 2026

Discovery of Driver Genes in Colorectal HT29-derived Cancer Stem-Like Tumorspheres
Published on: July 22, 2020
A bioinformatics screen identifies TCF19 as an aggressiveness-sustaining gene in prostate cancer
Amaia Ercilla1,2,3, Jana R Crespo1, Saioa Garcia-Longarte1
1Center for Cooperative Research in Biosciences (CIC bioGUNE), Basque Research and Technology Alliance (BRTA), Derio, Spain.
None:
Prostate cancer is a prevalent tumor type that, despite being highly curable, progresses to metastatic disease in a fraction of patients, thus accounting for more than 350 000 annual deaths worldwide. In turn, uncovering the molecular insights of metastatic disease is instrumental in improving the survival rate of prostate cancer patients. By means of gene expression meta-analysis in multiple prostate cancer patient cohorts, we identified a set of genes that are differentially expressed in aggressive prostate cancer. Transcription factor 19 (TCF19) stood out as an unprecedented epithelial gene upregulated in metastatic disease, with prognostic potential and negatively associated with the activity of the androgen receptor. By combining computational and empirical approaches, our data revealed that TCF19 is required for full metastatic capacity, and its depletion influences core cancer-related processes, such as tumor growth and vascular permeability, supporting the role of this gene in the dissemination of prostate tumor cells.
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