title: Clinical significance of ERG rearrangement subtype and its association with increased p53 expression in Japanese and German prostate cancer.
abstract: This study investigated differences in prevalence of the androgen-regulated transmembrane protease serine 2 (TMPRSS2) and ETS transcription factor family member, v-ets erythroblastosis virus E26 oncogene homolog (ERG) fusion gene (TMPRSS2-ERG fusions) in clinically localized prostate cancer Japanese and German patients. A total of 105 specimens, including 69 Japanese and 36 German patients, were collected. The status of TMPRSS2-ERG fusion was determined by fluorescence in situ hybridization, and correlations of the TMPRSS2-ERG fusion with clinicopathological characteristics and immunohistochemistry were studied. Gene fusions were identified in 20% (14/69) of Japanese and 53% (19/36) of German patients (P < 0.001). The difference in the type of gene fusion between the two ethnic groups was statistically significant (P=0.024). Overexpression of ERG protein was significantly associated with gene fusion. Biochemical recurrence was significantly higher in patients with ERG overexpression than in those without, and not related to TMPRSS2-ERG fusion status. Interestingly, two types of gene fusions (deletion and increase of copy number) were significantly associated with increased p53 expression (P = 0.005). Association of specific gene fusions harboring higher genomic alterations with p53 expression levels suggests that p53 mutation might drive more aggressive arrangements of TMPRSS2-ERG fusion in prostate cancer.
  
  
  BACKGROUND
  ERG, p53, prostate cancer, TMPRSS2-ERG fusion.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Nishijima
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authors.lastname: Hara
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authors.lastname: Ikemoto
authors.forename: A
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authors.lastname: Oga
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authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kobayashi
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Kawai
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Matsumoto
authors.forename: K
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authors.lastname: Nagao
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authors.lastname: Sasaki
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Gkoleizakis
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Fichtner
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Matsuyama