Homing in on prostate cancer gene
Pennisi, E.
Science 274(5291): 1301
1996
ISSN/ISBN: 0036-8075 PMID: 8966598 Document Number: 462812
In this issue of Science, researchers report that somewhere in a small region of chromosome 1's long arm is a gene that, when altered, significantly increases the risk of hereditary prostate cancer. The gene, HPC1, has not yet been cloned, and so its function is unknown; nonetheless, there are indications that the gene could be a cancer-promoting oncogene and not a tumor suppressor. According to the researchers, once it has been pinpointed, the gene should lead to a test for prostate-cancer risk in men with a family history of the disease and help researchers learn more about prostate cancer in general.