Researchers at the National Institutes of Health have found that variations
in a gene for an enzyme involved in cell energy metabolism appear to
increase the risk for prostate cancer.
The genetic variations all impair the enzyme phosphodiesterase 11A (PDE11A),
which helps regulate a cell’s responses to hormones and other signals.
Previous studies by NIH researchers have linked genetic variations that
inactivate PDE11A with increased susceptibility to testicular cancer
( http://www.nichd.nih.gov/news/releases/062909-Testicular-Cancer.cfm )
and adrenal tumors ( http://www.nichd.nih.gov/news/releases/adrenal_hyperplasia.cfm ).
The researchers found that a group of men with prostate cancer were
nearly four times more likely to have variations affecting the activity
of PDE11A than did men who did not have prostate cancer. In 2010, it
is estimated that there will be 217,730 new cases of prostate cancer,
and 32,050 deaths ( http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/types/prostate ).
“Our study indicates that PDE11A one day may have a place in genetic
screening for predisposition to prostate cancer,” said the senior author
of the study, Constantine Stratakis, M.D., D.Sc., acting director of
the Intramural Research program at NIH’s Eunice Kennedy Shriver National
Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD).
Dr. Stratakis’s research team included colleagues at the NICHD, first
author Fabio Rueda Faucz and colleagues from the Pontifical Catholic
University of Parana, Brazil; the Cochin Institute in Paris; and A.C.
Camargo Hospital in Sao Paulo. The investigators also received support
from the Parana State Secretariat of Science, Technology and Higher Education.
The findings were published online in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology
and Metabolism.
The researchers examined tissue from 50 men with prostate cancer and
287 men who did not have prostate cancer. The researchers analyzed the
DNA of the men and found 8 variations in the PDE11A gene that decreased
the production or activity of PDE11A. Of the men with prostate cancer,
30 percent had one or more of these variations, compared with 10 percent
of the men who did not have prostate cancer. Of the variations the researchers
detected, 5 had been detected in previous studies and 3 were previously
unknown.
Dr. Stratakis explained that phosphodiesterase enzymes, of which there
are nearly a dozen, regulate cellular activity in hormone producing organs
such as the testes, prostate gland, adrenal gland and ovaries. PDE11A
regulates cyclic adenosine monophosphate, a compound involved in supplying
cells with energy.
Tadalafil, a drug used to treat erectile dysfunction, also inhibits
PDE11A. The researchers called for future studies to determine if tadalafil
or other drugs that inhibit PDE11A might affect the prostate in men who
have a variant gene for PDE11A.
There is no current clinical evidence to date linking tadalafil to prostate
cancer or to other cancers.
The NICHD sponsors research on development, before and after birth;
maternal, child, and family health; reproductive biology and population
issues; and medical rehabilitation. For more information, visit the Institute’s
Web site at http://www.nichd.nih.gov/ .
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) — The Nation's Medical
Research Agency — includes 27 Institutes and Centers and is
a component of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. It is
the primary federal agency for conducting and supporting basic, clinical
and translational medical research, and it investigates the causes, treatments,
and cures for both common and rare diseases. For more information about
NIH and its programs, visit www.nih.gov .
Researchers at the National Institutes of Health have found that variations in a gene for an enzyme involved in cell energy metabolism appear to increase the risk for prostate cancer.
The genetic variations all impair the enzyme phosphodiesterase 11A (PDE11A), which helps regulate a cell’s responses to hormones and other signals. Previous studies by NIH researchers have linked genetic variations that inactivate PDE11A with increased susceptibility to testicular cancer ( http://www.nichd.nih.gov/news/releases/062909-Testicular-Cancer.cfm ) and adrenal tumors ( http://www.nichd.nih.gov/news/releases/adrenal_hyperplasia.cfm ).
The researchers found that a group of men with prostate cancer were nearly four times more likely to have variations affecting the activity of PDE11A than did men who did not have prostate cancer. In 2010, it is estimated that there will be 217,730 new cases of prostate cancer, and 32,050 deaths ( http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/types/prostate ).
“Our study indicates that PDE11A one day may have a place in genetic screening for predisposition to prostate cancer,” said the senior author of the study, Constantine Stratakis, M.D., D.Sc., acting director of the Intramural Research program at NIH’s Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD).
Dr. Stratakis’s research team included colleagues at the NICHD, first author Fabio Rueda Faucz and colleagues from the Pontifical Catholic University of Parana, Brazil; the Cochin Institute in Paris; and A.C. Camargo Hospital in Sao Paulo. The investigators also received support from the Parana State Secretariat of Science, Technology and Higher Education.
The findings were published online in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism.
The researchers examined tissue from 50 men with prostate cancer and 287 men who did not have prostate cancer. The researchers analyzed the DNA of the men and found 8 variations in the PDE11A gene that decreased the production or activity of PDE11A. Of the men with prostate cancer, 30 percent had one or more of these variations, compared with 10 percent of the men who did not have prostate cancer. Of the variations the researchers detected, 5 had been detected in previous studies and 3 were previously unknown.
Dr. Stratakis explained that phosphodiesterase enzymes, of which there are nearly a dozen, regulate cellular activity in hormone producing organs such as the testes, prostate gland, adrenal gland and ovaries. PDE11A regulates cyclic adenosine monophosphate, a compound involved in supplying cells with energy.
Tadalafil, a drug used to treat erectile dysfunction, also inhibits PDE11A. The researchers called for future studies to determine if tadalafil or other drugs that inhibit PDE11A might affect the prostate in men who have a variant gene for PDE11A.
There is no current clinical evidence to date linking tadalafil to prostate cancer or to other cancers.
The NICHD sponsors research on development, before and after birth; maternal, child, and family health; reproductive biology and population issues; and medical rehabilitation. For more information, visit the Institute’s Web site at http://www.nichd.nih.gov/ .
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) — The Nation's Medical Research Agency — includes 27 Institutes and Centers and is a component of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. It is the primary federal agency for conducting and supporting basic, clinical and translational medical research, and it investigates the causes, treatments, and cures for both common and rare diseases. For more information about NIH and its programs, visit www.nih.gov .