Study of 5'UTR Mutations in Prostate Cancer

The 5' untranslated region (5' UTR) of mRNA controls the translation of specific transcripts through encoded cis-regulatory elements. Yet exceedingly little is known about the prevalence and function of 5' UTR mutations in cancer. We have uncovered many 5' UTR mutations in our analysis of localized and castration resistant prostate cancer patients, and hypothesize that systematic mutations in critical 5' UTR regulatory regions perturb gene expression to drive prostate cancer progression. To elucidate the functional 5' UTR regulatory landscape of prostate cancer, we have taken a multi-faceted approach including ribosome profiling, in vitro reporter assays and the development of a novel high throughput method to functionally access the impact of recurrent 5' UTR mutations on both transcription and translation.]]> Data for this study was generated from a repository of patients with advanced prostate cancer at the University of Washington, who have signed an Informed Consent, allowing their specimens to be shared for research purposes. The data received have been de-identified.]]> August 2015 - completed exome-UTR sequencing of 5 patient derived xenografts December 2016 - completed UTR sequencing of patient gDNA]]>