Gene fusions between TMPRSS2 and ETS family genes in prostate cancer: frequency and transcript variant analysis by RT-PCR and FISH on paraffin-embedded tissues.
Collectively, these results, together with a parallel overexpression of ETV1, c-Jun, and AR in prostate tumors, imply that c-Jun plays a pivotal role in the pathway that connects ligand-activated AR to elevated ETV1 expression, leading to enhanced expression of matrix metalloproteinases and prostate cancer cell invasion.
Collectively, these results demonstrate that ETV1 expression transitions from androgen-induced to androgen-independent as prostate cancer cells switch from hormone-dependent to hormone-refractory and suggest that this transition may be in part responsible for the elevated levels of ETV1 observed in prostate tumors.