Germline mutation analysis of the androgen receptor gene in Finnish patients with prostate cancer.

Abstract

Steroid hormones, particularly androgens, are suspected to have a major role in prostate carcinogenesis. Since androgen receptor mediates androgenic effects on cells and recent studies suggest that the androgen receptor gene is a putative prostate cancer susceptibility locus, we screened the coding region of the androgen receptor gene for germline mutations using the genomic DNA of patients with prostate cancer. DNA samples from 38 patients with early onset prostate cancer and 36 from Finnish prostate cancer families showing no male-to-male transmission of prostate cancer were analyzed for mutations in the androgen receptor gene using single strand conformation polymorphism analysis and subsequent sequencing. R726L substitution in the hormone binding region of androgen receptor was found in 1 prostate cancer family but no previously uncharacterized germline mutations were detected. Our results indicate that constitutional androgen receptor mutations explain only a small fraction of familial and early onset prostate cancer cases in Finland.