Transcriptomic Effects of SSX2 on a Prostate Cancer Cell Line

Prostate cancer is the most commonly diagnosed malignancy in the United States. While the majority of cases are cured with radiation or surgery, about 1/3 of patients will develop metastatic disease which there is no cure, and has a life expectancy of less than 5 years. Identification of antigens associated with this transition to metastatic disease is crucial for future therapies. One such antigen of interest is the SSX gene family, which are cancer/testis antigens that are associated with the epithelial to mesenchymal transition in other cancer types. Prior work has shown that, in prostate cancer, SSX expression was restricted to metastatic tissue and not primary tumor tissue which may indicate a role in disease progression. Some work has been done into the function of the SSX family, which revealed transcriptional regulator activity. But neither the targets of this activity or the function of SSX are known. Through a transcriptomics approach, we are seeking a better understanding of the different genes and pathways SSX regulates in the context of prostate cancer, and to determine if these pathways may contribute to disease progression.

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Bloom JE, McNeel DG