Get 20M+ Full-Text Papers For Less Than $1.50/day. Start a 7-Day Trial for You or Your Team.

Learn More →

The polycomb group protein EZH2 is involved in progression of prostate cancer

The polycomb group protein EZH2 is involved in progression of prostate cancer Prostate cancer is a leading cause of cancer-related death in males and is second only to lung cancer. Although effective surgical and radiation treatments exist for clinically localized prostate cancer, metastatic prostate cancer remains essentially incurable. Here we show, through gene expression profiling 1 , that the polycomb group protein enhancer of zeste homolog 2 (EZH2) 2,3 is overexpressed in hormone-refractory, metastatic prostate cancer. Small interfering RNA (siRNA) duplexes 4 targeted against EZH2 reduce the amounts of EZH2 protein present in prostate cells and also inhibit cell proliferation in vitro. Ectopic expression of EZH2 in prostate cells induces transcriptional repression of a specific cohort of genes. Gene silencing mediated by EZH2 requires the SET domain and is attenuated by inhibiting histone deacetylase activity. Amounts of both EZH2 messenger RNA and EZH2 protein are increased in metastatic prostate cancer; in addition, clinically localized prostate cancers that express higher concentrations of EZH2 show a poorer prognosis. Thus, dysregulated expression of EZH2 may be involved in the progression of prostate cancer, as well as being a marker that distinguishes indolent prostate cancer from those at risk of lethal progression. http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png Nature Springer Journals

Loading next page...
 
/lp/springer-journals/the-polycomb-group-protein-ezh2-is-involved-in-progression-of-prostate-wOmrgpbykP

References (51)

Publisher
Springer Journals
Copyright
Copyright © 2002 by Macmillan Magazines Ltd.
Subject
Science, Humanities and Social Sciences, multidisciplinary; Science, Humanities and Social Sciences, multidisciplinary; Science, multidisciplinary
ISSN
0028-0836
eISSN
1476-4687
DOI
10.1038/nature01075
Publisher site
See Article on Publisher Site

Abstract

Prostate cancer is a leading cause of cancer-related death in males and is second only to lung cancer. Although effective surgical and radiation treatments exist for clinically localized prostate cancer, metastatic prostate cancer remains essentially incurable. Here we show, through gene expression profiling 1 , that the polycomb group protein enhancer of zeste homolog 2 (EZH2) 2,3 is overexpressed in hormone-refractory, metastatic prostate cancer. Small interfering RNA (siRNA) duplexes 4 targeted against EZH2 reduce the amounts of EZH2 protein present in prostate cells and also inhibit cell proliferation in vitro. Ectopic expression of EZH2 in prostate cells induces transcriptional repression of a specific cohort of genes. Gene silencing mediated by EZH2 requires the SET domain and is attenuated by inhibiting histone deacetylase activity. Amounts of both EZH2 messenger RNA and EZH2 protein are increased in metastatic prostate cancer; in addition, clinically localized prostate cancers that express higher concentrations of EZH2 show a poorer prognosis. Thus, dysregulated expression of EZH2 may be involved in the progression of prostate cancer, as well as being a marker that distinguishes indolent prostate cancer from those at risk of lethal progression.

Journal

NatureSpringer Journals

Published: Oct 10, 2002

There are no references for this article.