Periodic Updates

Human Prostate Cancer Gene (HPC1) Identified
02/01/2002  

For five years researchers have known that a familial prostate cancer gene is located on chromosome 1q 24-25, but have struggled to identify the individual gene(s) in this region associated with increased prostate cancer risk.  In this week's issue of the journal Nature Genetics, a broad international team of researchers, headed by Dr Jeffery Trent from the NIH have reported that "mutations in the gene encoding 2'-5'-oligoadenylate(2-5A)-dependent RNase L (RNASEL) segregate in prostate cancer families that show linkage to the HPC1." RNASEL functions to regulate cell growth and division and has been suspected to function as a tumor suppressor gene, encoding for a protein whose loss of function allows cells to transform into cancer.

While hereditary prostate cancer accounts for a relatively small percentage (less than 5%) of all cases, researchers have long suspected that the genetic alterations in familial forms of the disease might also be present in the much more common sporadic cases of prostate cancer. Providing evidence for the loss of RNASEL in sporadic prostate cancer will be an important next step.

The investigators conclude that these findings may indeed lead to new therapeutic approaches for prostate cancer. Some therapies work by inhibiting functions that cause disease by becoming overactive. In this case, the scientific finding is the opposite: the loss of function of tumor suppressor genes represent a loss of function that is difficult to restore. However, a broader understanding into the role of RNASEL in prostate cancer may lead to other related proteins which can be effectively inhibited to restore the function of this suddenly interesting gene in prostate cancer biology.

Reference

Carpten J et al. Germline mutations in the ribonuclease L gene in families showing linkage with HPC1.