BioScientifica, Endocrine-Related Cancer, 10(23), p. 797-812, 2016
DOI: 10.1530/erc-16-0287
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Due to increased sensitivity, the expression of circulating nucleotides is rapidly gaining popularity in cancer diagnosis. Whole blood mRNA has been used in studies on a number of cancers, most notably two separate studies that used whole blood mRNA to define non-overlapping signatures of prostate cancer that has become castration independent. Prostate cancer is known to rely on androgens for initial growth, and there is increasing evidence on the importance of the androgen axis in advanced disease. Using whole blood mRNA samples from patients with prostate cancer, we have identified the four-gene panel ofFAM129A,MME,KRT7andSOD2in circulating mRNA that are differentially expressed in a discovery cohort of metastatic samples. Validation of these genes at the mRNA and protein level was undertaken in additional cohorts defined by risk of relapse following surgery and hormone status. All the four genes were downregulated at the mRNA level in the circulation and in primary tissue, but this was not always reflected in tissue protein expression.MMEdemonstrated significant differences in the hormone cohorts, whereasFAM129Ais downregulated at the mRNA level but is raised at the protein level in tumours. Using published ChIP-seq data, we have demonstrated that this may be due to AR binding at theFAM129AandMMEloci in multiple cell lines. These data suggest that whole blood mRNA of androgen-regulated genes has the potential to be used for diagnosis and monitoring of prostate cancer.