Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

TMPRSS2-ERG and PTEN loss in prostate cancer

Nature Genetics volume 41, pages 509–510 (2009)Cite this article

Two studies show that the common recurrent gene fusion between TMPRSS2 and ERG promotes prostate cancer in both mouse and humans when PTEN is concurrently lost. In human prostate cancer, the presence of both these aberrations may be indicative of poor prognosis, suggesting that preclinical therapeutic research should target both of these pathways.

Recommendations over screening for early diagnosis of prostate cancer have recently gained attention, with increasing concern that the introduction of routine prostate-specific antigen (PSA) blood testing has led to significant overtreatment of prostate cancer1. This debate highlights the need to better understand the primary molecular determinants that drive prostate cancer. Two papers on pages 524 and 619 of this issue2,3 now draw attention to a close collaboration between ETS transcription factors and the PTEN tumor suppressor, which together seem to be pivotal in both human and murine prostate cancer.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Relevant articles

Open Access articles citing this article.

Access options

Rent or buy this article

Get just this article for as long as you need it

$39.95

Learn more

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Figure 1: A path to prostate cancer progression.

References

  1. Lee, T.H., Kantiff, P.W. & McNaughton-Collins, M.F. N. Engl. J. Med. 360, e18 (2009).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  2. King, J.C. et al. Nat. Genet. 41, 524–526 (2009).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  3. Carver, B.S. et al. Nat. Genet. 41, 619–624 (2009

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  4. Seth, A. & Watson, D.K. Eur. J. Cancer 41, 2462–2478 (2005).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  5. Tomlins, S.A. et al. Science 310, 644–648 (2005).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  6. Shappell, S.B. et al. Cancer Res. 64, 2270–2305 (2004).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  7. Carver, B.S. et al. Nature 457, E1 (2009).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  8. Tomlins, S.A. et al. Nature 457, E2–E3 (2009).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  9. Kwabi-Addo, B. et al. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 98, 11563–11568 (2001).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  10. Yoshimoto, M. et al. Cancer Genet. Cytogenet. 169, 128–137 (2006).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  11. Yoshimoto, M. et al. Mod. Pathol. 21, 1451–1460 (2008).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Jeremy A. Squire is in the Department of Pathology and Molecular Medicine and the NCIC Clinical Trials Group at Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario, Canada. squirej@queensu.ca,

    Jeremy A Squire

Authors
  1. Jeremy A Squire
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Rights and permissions

Reprints and Permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Squire, J. TMPRSS2-ERG and PTEN loss in prostate cancer. Nat Genet 41, 509–510 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1038/ng0509-509

Download citation

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/ng0509-509

This article is cited by

Search

Advanced search

Quick links

Nature Briefing

Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing