TMPRSS2:ERG fusion-associated deletions provide insight into the heterogeneity of prostate cancer.
Prostate cancer is a common and clinically heterogeneous disease with marked variability in progression. The recent identification of gene fusions of the 5'-untranslated region of TMPRSS2 (21q22.3) with the ETS transcription factor family members, either ERG (21q22.2), ETV1 (7p21.2), or ETV4 (17q21), suggests a mechanism for overexpression of the ETS genes in the majority of prostate cancers. In the current study using fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH), we identified the TMPRSS2:ERG rearrangements in 49.2% of 118 primary prostate cancers and 41.2% of 18 hormone-naive lymph node metastases. The FISH assay detected intronic deletions between ERG and TMPRSS2 resulting in TMPRSS2:ERG fusion in 60.3% (35 of 58) of the primary TMPRSS2:ERG prostate cancers and 42.9% (3 of 7) of the TMPRSS2:ERG hormone-naive lymph node metastases. A significant association was observed between TMPRSS2:ERG rearranged tumors through deletions and higher tumor stage and the presence of metastatic disease involving pelvic lymph nodes. Using 100K oligonucleotide single nucleotide polymorphism arrays, a homogeneous deletion site between ERG and TMPRSS2 on chromosome 21q22.2-3 was identified with two distinct subclasses distinguished by the start point of the deletion at either 38.765 or 38.911 Mb. This study confirms that TMPRSS2:ERG is fused in approximately half of the prostate cancers through deletion of genomic DNA between ERG and TMPRSS2. The deletion as cause of TMPRSS2:ERG fusion is associated with clinical features for prostate cancer progression compared with tumors that lack the TMPRSS2:ERG rearrangement.
Perner
Sven
S
Department of Pathology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, EBRC 442A, 221 Longwood Avenue, Boston, MA 02115-6110, USA.
Demichelis
Francesca
F
Beroukhim
Rameen
R
Schmidt
Folke H
FH
Mosquera
Juan-Miguel
JM
Setlur
Sunita
S
Tchinda
Joelle
J
Tomlins
Scott A
SA
Hofer
Matthias D
MD
Pienta
Kenneth G
KG
Kuefer
Rainer
R
Vessella
Robert
R
Sun
Xiao-Wei
XW
Meyerson
Matthew
M
Lee
Charles
C
Sellers
William R
WR
Chinnaiyan
Arul M
AM
Rubin
Mark A
MA
D020121:5' Untranslated Regions; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D017353:Gene Deletion; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D015514:Oncogene Proteins, Fusion / Q000235:genetics*; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D020641:Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide; D011471:Prostatic Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics*; D014158:Transcription, Genetic
D020121:5' Untranslated Regions; D015514:Oncogene Proteins, Fusion; C515553:TMPRSS2-ERG fusion protein, human