A Novel Human Prostate-Specific, Androgen-Regulated Homeobox Gene (NKX3.1) That Maps to 8p21, a Region Frequently Deleted in Prostate Cancer

• Published in: Genomics (San Diego, Calif.) Vol. 43; no. 1; pp. 69 - 77
• Main Authors: He, Wei Wu, Sciavolino, Peter J., Wing, John, Augustus, Meena, Hudson, Peter, Meissner, P.Scott, Curtis, R.Thomas, Shell, Brenda K., Bostwick, David G., Tindall, Donald J., Gelmann, Edward P., Abate-Shen, Cory, Carter, Kenneth C.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: San Diego, CA Elsevier Inc 01-07-1997; Elsevier
• Subjects: Adult; Amino Acid Sequence; Androgens - metabolism; Androgens - pharmacology; Animals; Base Sequence; Biological and medical sciences; Cell physiology; Cell transformation and carcinogenesis. Action of oncogenes and antioncogenes; Chromosome Deletion; Chromosome Mapping; Chromosomes, Human, Pair 8 - genetics; Cloning, Molecular; DNA - genetics; Drosophila - genetics; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Gene Expression Regulation - drug effects; Genes, Homeobox; Genes, Insect; Homeodomain Proteins - genetics; Humans; In Situ Hybridization, Fluorescence; Male; Mice; Molecular and cellular biology; Molecular Sequence Data; Neoplasms, Hormone-Dependent - genetics; Neoplasms, Hormone-Dependent - metabolism; Prostate - growth & development; Prostate - metabolism; Prostatic Neoplasms - genetics; Prostatic Neoplasms - metabolism; RNA, Messenger - genetics; RNA, Messenger - metabolism; Tissue Distribution; Transcription Factors - genetics; Tumor Cells, Cultured; Genetic mapping; Human; Prostate disease; Androgen; Homeotic gene; Tumor progression; Hormonal regulation; Tumor; Gene expression; Male genital diseases; Chromosome C8; Prostate
• ISSN: 0888-7543; 1089-8646
• DOI: 10.1006/geno.1997.4715

We have isolated a prostate-specific gene (NKX3.1) in humans that is homologous to theDrosophilaNK homeobox gene family. Northern blot analyses indicate that this gene is expressed at high levels in adult prostate and at a much lower level in testis, but is expressed little or not at all in several other tissues. In an androgen-dependent prostate carcinoma line, LNCaP,NKX3.1mRNA is expressed at a basal level that was increased markedly upon androgen stimulation; theNKX3.1mRNA was undetectable in several other human tumor cell lines including two androgen-independent prostate carcinoma lines. TheNKX3.1gene maps to chromosome band 8p21, a region frequently reported to undergo a loss of heterozygosity associated with tissue dedifferentiation and loss of androgen responsiveness during the progression of prostate cancer. Based on these data we propose thatNKX3.1is a candidate gene for playing a role in the opposing processes of androgen-driven differentiation of prostatic tissue and loss of that differentiation during the progression of prostate cancer.