An Integrated Network of Androgen Receptor, Polycomb, and TMPRSS2-ERG Gene Fusions in Prostate Cancer Progression

Jindan Yu, Jianjun Yu, Ram Shankar Mani, Qi Cao, Chad J. Brenner, Xuhong Cao, Xiaoju Wang, Longtao Wu, James Li, Ming Hu, Yusong Gong, Hong Cheng, Bharathi Laxman, Adaikkalam Vellaichamy, Sunita Shankar, Yong Li, Saravana M. Dhanasekaran, Roger Morey, Terrence Barrette, Robert J. LonigroScott A. Tomlins, Sooryanarayana Varambally, Zhaohui S. Qin, Arul M. Chinnaiyan*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

699 Scopus citations

Abstract

Chromosomal rearrangements fusing the androgen-regulated gene TMPRSS2 to the oncogenic ETS transcription factor ERG occur in approximately 50% of prostate cancers, but how the fusion products regulate prostate cancer remains unclear. Using chromatin immunoprecipitation coupled with massively parallel sequencing, we found that ERG disrupts androgen receptor (AR) signaling by inhibiting AR expression, binding to and inhibiting AR activity at gene-specific loci, and inducing repressive epigenetic programs via direct activation of the H3K27 methyltransferase EZH2, a Polycomb group protein. These findings provide a working model in which TMPRSS2-ERG plays a critical role in cancer progression by disrupting lineage-specific differentiation of the prostate and potentiating the EZH2-mediated dedifferentiation program.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)443-454
Number of pages12
JournalCancer cell
Volume17
Issue number5
DOIs
StatePublished - May 18 2010

Funding

We thank R. Mehra and B. Han for histopathologic assessment of tissue and J. Shen, S. Kalyana-Sundaram, and A. Sreekumar for technical assistance. A.M.C. is supported by a Burroughs Welcome Foundation Award in Clinical Translational Research, a Doris Duke Charitable Foundation Distinguished Clinical Investigator Award, and the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. A.M.C. is an American Cancer Society Research Professor. This work was supported in part by the NIH Prostate Specialized Program of Research Excellence grant P50CA69568, Early Detection Research Network grant UO1 111275 (to A.M.C.), 1R01CA132874-01A1 (to A.M.C.), K99CA129565-01A1 (to J.Y.), 1R01HG005119 (to Z.Q.), P50CA090386, the Prostate Cancer Foundation (to A.M.C.), and the U.S. Department of Defense PC051081 (to A.M.C. and S.V.), and PC080665 (to J.Y.). The University of Michigan has filed for a patent on the detection of ETS gene fusions in prostate cancer, on which S.T. and A.C. are listed as coinventors. The University of Michigan licensed the diagnostic field of use of the gene fusions to Gen-Probe, Inc. S.T. has served as a consultant to Cougar Biotechnology. A.C. has served as a consultant for Gen-Probe. Gen-Probe did not play a role in the design and conduct of this study; in the collection, analysis, or interpretation of the data; or in the preparation, review, or approval of the article.

Keywords

  • CELLCYCLE
  • DNA
  • SIGNALING

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Oncology
  • Cell Biology
  • Cancer Research

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