Increased Expression of Early Growth Response-1 Messenger Ribonucleic Acid in Prostatic Adenocarcinoma

PURPOSE: We isolated genes whose expression differs between normal and malignant prostate. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Differential display polymerase chain reactions revealed a messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) with higher expression in prostatic adenocarcinoma versus age matched normal tissue. Deoxyribonucleic acid sequencing identified this mRNA as the product of the early growth response-1 gene. RESULTS: Early growth response-1 mRNA levels were elevated in 12 of 12 intraprostatic adenocarcinomas but not in breast or ovarian cancers, or in rapidly dividing rat ventral prostate cells. Early growth response-1 mRNA was detected in epithelial and stromal cells at tumor margins but not in lymph node metastases. CONCLUSIONS: Early growth response-1, a nuclear transcription factor, is implicated in the growth and invasion of intraprostatic cancers.