MNX1 is oncogenically upregulated in African-American prostate cancer

Incidence and mortality rates for prostate cancer (PCa) are higher in African-American (AA) men than European American (EA) men, but the biological basis for this disparity is unclear. We carried out a detailed analysis of gene expression changes in PCa compared to their matched benign tissues in a cohort of AA men and compared them to existing data from EA men. In this manner, we identified MNX1 as a novel oncogene upregulated to a relatively greater degree in PCa from AA men. Androgen and AKT signaling play a central role in the pathogenesis of PCa and we found that both of these signaling pathways increased MNX1 expression. MNX1 in turn upregulated lipid synthesis by stimulating expression of SREBP1 and fatty acid synthetase. Our results define MNX1 as a novel targetable oncogene increased in AA PCa that is associated with aggressive disease.