Deletion Mutation Linked to Prostate Cancer

Investigators have found that a deletion mutation on the MSR1 (macrophage scavenger receptor 1) gene is linked to the likelihood of men of both African-American and European ancestry to develop prostate cancer. The finding was reported in the September 16, 2002, issue of Nature Genetics.

In a collaborative effort, researchers from Johns Hopkins University (Baltimore, MD, USA) and Wake Forest University (Winston-Salem, NC, www.wfu.edu) evaluated the role of MSR1 in a large number of subjects from multiple populations. Initially, eight mutations in MSR1 were found in 159 patients from families that averaged five or more men with prostate cancer. Ultimately they found mutations in 4.4% of Caucasians who had prostate cancer, compared to 0.8% of those found negative in prostate cancer screening. A different mutation of the gene was found in 12.5% of African-American men with prostate cancer, compared to 1.82% of unaffected men.

Both differences were statistically highly significant. "One of the mutations leads to prostate cancer that has rapid metastasis,” said the study's first author, Dr. Jianfeng Xu, associate professor at Wake Forest University. "We provide novel genetic evidence that MSR1 may play an important role in prostate cancer susceptibility.”

Just as there are a number of breast cancer genes, the MSR1 gene probably will turn out to be one of a number of genes linked to prostate cancer. However, the authors suggest that MSR1 shows the strongest gene linkage to inherited prostate cancer risk thus far.




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