ETV4 mediates dosage-dependent prostate tumor initiation and cooperates with p53 loss to generate prostate cancer

Sci Adv. 2023 Apr 5;9(14):eadc9446. doi: 10.1126/sciadv.adc9446. Epub 2023 Apr 5.

Abstract

The mechanisms underlying ETS-driven prostate cancer initiation and progression remain poorly understood due to a lack of model systems that recapitulate this phenotype. We generated a genetically engineered mouse with prostate-specific expression of the ETS factor, ETV4, at lower and higher protein dosage through mutation of its degron. Lower-level expression of ETV4 caused mild luminal cell expansion without histologic abnormalities, and higher-level expression of stabilized ETV4 caused prostatic intraepithelial neoplasia (mPIN) with 100% penetrance within 1 week. Tumor progression was limited by p53-mediated senescence and Trp53 deletion cooperated with stabilized ETV4. The neoplastic cells expressed differentiation markers such as Nkx3.1 recapitulating luminal gene expression features of untreated human prostate cancer. Single-cell and bulk RNA sequencing showed that stabilized ETV4 induced a previously unidentified luminal-derived expression cluster with signatures of cell cycle, senescence, and epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition. These data suggest that ETS overexpression alone, at sufficient dosage, can initiate prostate neoplasia.

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Cell Transformation, Neoplastic / genetics
  • Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Mice
  • Prostate / metabolism
  • Prostate / pathology
  • Prostatic Intraepithelial Neoplasia* / genetics
  • Prostatic Neoplasms* / genetics
  • Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-ets / genetics
  • Transcription Factors / metabolism
  • Tumor Suppressor Protein p53 / metabolism

Substances

  • Tumor Suppressor Protein p53
  • Transcription Factors
  • ETV4 protein, human
  • Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-ets