Abstract
Recent studies have shown that most prostate cancers carry the TMPRSS2-ERG gene fusion. Here we evaluated the TMPRSS2-ERG gene fusion in small cell carcinoma of the prostate (n = 12) in comparison with small cell carcinoma of the urinary bladder (n = 12) and lung (n = 11). Florescence in situ hybridization demonstrated rearrangement of the ERG gene in 8 cases of prostatic small cell carcinoma (67%), and the rearrangement was associated with deletion of the 5′ ERG gene in 7 cases, but rearrangement of the ERG gene was not present in any small cell carcinoma of the urinary blader or lung. Next we evaluated the TMPRSS2-ERG gene fusion in nude mouse xenografts that were derived from 2 prostatic small cell carcinomas carrying the TMPRSS2-ERG gene fusion. Two transcripts encoded by the TMPRSS2-ERG gene fusion were detected by reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction, and DNA sequencing demonstrated that the 2 transcripts were composed of fusions of exon 1 of the TMPRSS2 gene to exon 4 or 5 of the ERG gene. Our study demonstrates the specific presence of TMPRSS2-ERG gene fusion in prostatic small cell carcinoma, which may be helpful in distinguishing small cell carcinoma of prostatic origin from nonprostatic origins. The high prevalence of the TMPRSS2-ERG gene fusion in prostatic small cell carcinoma as well as adenocarcinoma implies that small cell carcinoma may share a common pathogenic pathway with adenocarcinoma in the prostate.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 11-17 |
Number of pages | 7 |
Journal | Human Pathology |
Volume | 42 |
Issue number | 1 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Jan 2011 |
Keywords
- Mouse xenograft
- Prostate cancer
- Small cell carcinoma
- TMPRSS2-ERG gene fusion
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Pathology and Forensic Medicine
MD Anderson CCSG core facilities
- Advanced Technology Genomics Core