Group leader:
Teuvo Tammela
Contact info: Teuvo Tammela
The Molecular Biology of Prostate Cancer Group (MBPCG)
About Us We study molecular alterations in prostate cancer with emphasis on alterations associated with disease progression. Finding the common genetic alterations is an important step in the development of better diagnostics and therapeutics. Especially, MBPCG is exploring strategies to therapeutically interfere with androgen signaling. Research interests and expertise The goal of the research group is to identify recurrent molecular alterations in prostate cancer using modern omics tools, such as next generation sequencing and large-scale proteomics. Special emphasis is currently placed on non-coding RNAs (ncRNA). In addition, we have a strong interest towards androgen receptor (AR) gene, amplification of which was first described by the group. We study mechanistic consequences of the overexpression of AR using models we have established, as well as clinical samples of castration-resistant disease. We also identify and characterize downstream genes of AR signaling pathway, to screen for candidate drug targets. Achievements We were first to describe AR amplification as a major alteration in progressed prostate cancer (Visakorpi et al. 1995 Nature Genetics), and have since conducted considerable work in understanding molecular biology and downstream effects of AR in prostate cancer. The group has contributed significantly in understanding of genetic, epigenetic and gene expression changes during prostate cancer development and progression. Of candidate drug targets, especially TMPRSS2:ERG fusion gene, as well as our recently discovered microRNA, miR-32, show promise for utility. Infrastructure We work in brand new laboratories in the ARVO building in the University of Tampere Kauppi campus. We belong to Prostate Cancer Research Center (PCRC) which integrates multidisciplinary research on prostate cancer in the University of Tampere and the Pirkanmaa Hospital District, the second biggest Hospital District in Finland. We have a unique collection of population-based clinical materials and models with complementary expertise from molecular mechanisms to clinical practice. This provides an exceptionally strong basis to find answers to the most important questions in treatment of prostate cancer: the etiology of the disease, identification of clinically relevant disease, personalized cancer therapy and novel treatment modalities to combat the disease.
Personnel (not sure if these are here or behind a link)
Funding European union, Academy of Finland, Tekes: Finnish Funding Agency for Innovation, Finnish Cancer Foundation, Sigrid Juselius Foundation, Pirkanmaa Hospital District, Reino Lahtikari Foundation Collaboration and networks Prostate Cancer Research Center (PCRC) EU Horizon 2020 TransPot (The Translational Research Network for Prostate Cancer) ICGC PRAD-UK Prof. Robert Vessella (University of Washington) Prof. Karen Knudsen (Thomas Jefferson University) Prof. Ian Mills (Queen’s University Belfast) Prof. Jorma Palvimo (University of Kuopio)
Dissertations
2012|Sanni Jalava, PhD|The role of 8q amplification and microRNAs in prostate cancer|http://acta.uta.fi/teos.php?id=1000125|Tapio Visakorpi and Kati Porkka|1.6.2012| |jalava_sanni|2012|http://acta.uta.fi/english/teos.php?id=1000125||);”
2012|Saara Lehmusvaara, PhD|Traditional and Novel Treatments for Prostate Cancer – Discoveries at the molecular level|http://acta.uta.fi/teos.php?id=1000143|Tapio Visakorpi and Jarmo Wahlfors|28.6.2012| |lehmusvaara_saara|2012|http://acta.uta.fi/english/teos.php?id=1000143||);”
2012|Alfonso Urbanucci|Overexpression of Androgen Receptor in Prostate Cancer|http://acta.uta.fi/teos.php?id=1000083|Tapio Visakorpi|20.1.2012| |urbanucci_alfonso|2012|http://acta.uta.fi/english/teos.php?id=1000083||);”
2011|Anchit Khanna, MD, PhD|Regulation and Clinical Relevance of Cancerous Inhibitor of Protein Phosphatase 2A (CIP2A) In Human Cancers|http://acta.uta.fi/teos.php?id=1000073|Tapio Visakorpi and Jukka Westermarck|9.12.2011| |khanna_anchit|2011|http://acta.uta.fi/english/teos.php?id=1000073||);”
2011|Teemu Tolonen|Molecular biomarkers and histopathological parameters in prostate cancer diagnostics and prognostics|http://acta.uta.fi/teos.php?id=11449|Tapio Visakorpi and Paula Martikainen|10.6.2011| |tolonen_teemu|2011|http://acta.uta.fi/english/teos.php?id=11449||);”
2010|Kati Waltering|Androgen receptor signaling pathway in prostate cancer |http://acta.uta.fi/teos.php?id=11350|Tapio Visakorpi|10.9.2010| |kati_waltering|2010|http://acta.uta.fi/english/teos.php?id=11350||);”
2009|Hanna Rauhala|DNA hypermethylation in prostate cancer|http://acta.uta.fi/teos.php?id=11270|Tapio Visakorpi|4.12.2009| |rauhala_hanna|2009|http://acta.uta.fi/english/teos.php?id=11270||);”
2008|Sari Laitinen, PhD|Prostate cancer: from molecular genetics to prognostic markers|http://acta.uta.fi/teos.php?id=11050|Tapio Visakorpi|14.3.2008| |laitinen_s|2008|http://acta.uta.fi/english/teos.php?id=11050||);”
2006|Outi Saramäki, PhD|Gene Copy Number Alterations in Prostate Cancer|http://acta.uta.fi/teos.php?id=10868|Tapio Visakorpi|18.8.2006| |saramaki|2006|http://acta.uta.fi/english/teos.php?id=10868||);”
2006|Savinainen Kimmo, PhD|Amplification and Overexpression of ERBB2, uPA, TRPS1, EIF3S3 and MYC Genes in Prostate Cancer |http://acta.uta.fi/teos.php?id=10829|Tapio Visakorpi|11.3.2006| |savinainen|2006|http://acta.uta.fi/english/teos.php?id=10829||);”
2003|Kati Porkka, PhD|Differentially expressed genes in prostate cancer|http://acta.uta.fi/teos.php?id=9017|Tapio Visakorpi|24.10.2003| |porkka|2003|http://acta.uta.fi/english/teos.php?id=9017||);”
2003|Marika Linja, PhD|Alterations in androgen receptor, estrogen receptors and their coregulatory genes in prostate cancer|http://acta.uta.fi/teos.php?id=8893|Tapio Visakorpi|25.9.2003| |linja|2003|http://acta.uta.fi/english/teos.php?id=8893||);”
2000|Christian Palmberg, MD, PhD|Androgen sensitivity of prostate cancer|http://acta.uta.fi/teos.php?id=4386|Teuvo Tammela and Tapio Visakorpi|5.12.2000|, Faculty of Medicine and IMT|palmberg|2000|http://acta.uta.fi/english/teos.php?id=4386||);”
1999|Nina Nupponen, PhD|Amplification of EIF3S3 in breast and prostate cancer|http://acta.uta.fi/teos.php?id=3052|Tapio Visakorpi|10.12.1999| |nupponen|1999|http://acta.uta.fi/english/teos.php?id=3052||);”
1997|Pasi Koivisto, MD, PhD|Androgen receptor gene amplification in hormonerefractory prostate cancer||Olli-Pekka Kallioniemi and Tapio Visakorpi|24.10.1997| |koivisto|1997|||);”
1996|Eija-Riitta Hyytinen, PhD|Molecular cytogenetics of prostate cancer||Olli-Pekka Kallioniemi, Jorma Isola and Tapio Visakorpi|13.9.1996| |hyytinen|1996|||);”
Major Publications 1. Latonen L, Scaravilli M, Gillen A, Zhang F, Ruusuvuori P, Kujala P, Poutanen M, Visakorpi T. In vivo expression of miR-32 induces proliferation in prostate epithelium. Am J Pathol, 187:2546-2557, 2017. 2. Bova GS1, Kallio H1, Annala M1, Kivinummi K, Högnäs G, Häyrynen S, Rantapero T, Kivinen V, Isaacs W, Tolonen T, Nykter M, Visakorpi T. Integrated clinical, whole genome, and transcriptome analysis of multisampled lethal metastatic prostate cancer. 1shared first authors. Cold Spring Harb Mol Case Stud 2:a000752, 2016. 3. Gundem G, Van Loo P, Kremeyer B, Alexandrov L, Tubio J, Papaemmanuil E, Brewer D, Kallio H, Högnäs G, Annala M, Goody V, Latimer C, OMeara S, Dawson K, Isaacs W, Emmert-Buck M, Nykter M, Foster C, Kote-Jarai Z, Easton D, Whitaker H, Neal D, Cooper C, Eeles R, Visakorpi T, Campbell P, McDermott U1, Wedge D1. Bova GS1. The evolutionary history of lethal metastatic prostate cancer. 1shared correspondence.Nature 520:353-357, 2015. 4. Ylipää A1, Kivinummi K1, Kohvakka A, Annala M, Latonen L, Scaravilli M, Kartasalo K, Leppänen SP, Karakurt S, Seppälä J, Yli-Harja O, Tammela TLJ, Zhang W, Visakorpi T2, Nykter M2. Transcriptome sequencing reveals PCAT5 as a novel ERG-regulated long non-coding RNA in prostate cancer. 1shared first authors; 2shared correspondence, Cancer Res, 75:4026-4031, 2015. 5. Khanna A, Rane JK, Kivinummi KK, Urbanucci A, Helenius MA, Tolonen TT, Saramäki OR, Latonen L, Manni V, Pimanda JE, Maitland NJ, Westermarck J, Visakorpi T. CIP2A is a candidate therapeutic target in clinically challenging prostate cancer cell populations. Oncotarget 6:19661-70, 2015. 6. Jalava SE, Urbanucci A, Latonen L, Waltering KK, Sahu B, Jänne OA, Seppälä J, Lähdesmäki H, Tammela TL, Visakorpi T. Androgen-regulated miR-32 targets BTG2 and is overexpressed in castration-resistant prostate cancer. Oncogene 31:4460-71, 2012. 7. Urbanucci A, Sahu B, Seppälä J, Larjo A, Latonen LM, Waltering KK, Tammela TL, Vessella RL, Lähdesmäki H, Jänne OA, Visakorpi T. Overexpression of androgen receptor enhances the binding of the receptor to the chromatin in prostate cancer. Oncogene 31:2153-63 (2012). 8. Waltering KK, Helenius MA, Sahu B, Manni V, Linja MJ, Jänne OA, Visakorpi T. Increased expression of androgen receptor sensitizes prostate cancer cells to low levels of androgens. Cancer Res 69:8141-9, 2009. 9. Liu W, Laitinen S, Khan S, Vihinen M, Kowalski J, Yu G, Chen L, Ewing CM, Eisenberger MA, Carducci MA, Nelson WG, Yegnasubramanian S, Luo J, Wang Y, Xu J, Isaacs WB, Visakorpi T, Bova GS. Copy number analysis indicates monoclonal origin of lethal metastatic prostate cancer. Nat Med 15:559-65, 2009. 10. Visakorpi T, Hyytinen E, Koivisto P, Tanner M, Keinänen R, Palmberg C, Palotie A, Tammela T, Isola J, Kallioniemi OP. In vivo amplification of the androgen receptor gene and progression of human prostate cancer. Nat Genet 9:401-6, 1995. All Publications (link; on another page)
Julkaisut näin: all (or from 1995) on a separate page
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