The Role of BRCA1 in Lethal Prostate Cancer
Abstract
BRCA1 is implicated in DNA maintenance and repair, as well as in cell cycle control. We hypothesize that activation of BRCA1 in prostate tumors is a consequence of an increased proliferation rate as a compensatory mechanism of tumor cells to allow DNA repair in highly replicating cells. As such, tumor expression of BRCA1 is a marker of lethal prostate cancer. In the current study, we aim to confirm our results that BRCA1 positive tumors are characterized by a rapidly lethal phenotype and will correlate BRCA1 status in tumors with expression of cell cycle regulators, p27 and p21 in a large cohort of men with prostate cancer from the Health Professionals Follow-up Study. We will generate data on BRCA1 mutations and germline polymorphisms to determine if they are associated with lethal prostate cancer, increased cellular proliferation, and expression of p27, p21, and BRCA1. This project s goals are to identify biomarkers of progression by examining BRCA1 tumor status and cancer mortality, as well as to understand aspects of tumor biology associated with BRCA1.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Aug 01, 2011
- Accession Number
- ADA549757
Entities
People
- Lorelei A. Mucci
Organizations
- Brigham and Women's Hospital