Gabriela M. Mimendi-Aguilar, Doctorado en Genética Humana, Centro Universitario de Ciencias de la Salud, Universidad de Guadalajara, Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico
Mónica A. Rosales-Reynoso, División de Medicina Molecular, Centro de Investigación Biomédica de Occidente, Instituto Mexicano del Seguro Social, Guadalajara, Jalisco, México
Jesús A. Juárez-Ozuna, Doctorado en Genética Humana, Centro Universitario de Ciencias de la Salud, Universidad de Guadalajara, Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico
Ingrid P. Dávalos-Rodríguez, División de Genética, Centro de Investigación Biomédica de Occidente, Instituto Mexicano del Seguro Social, Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico
Erick Sierra-Díaz, División de Epidemiología, UMAE Hospital de Especialidades, Centro Médico Nacional de Occidente, Instituto Mexicano del Seguro Social. Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico
Maria C. Morán-Moguel, epartamento de Disciplinas Filosófico Metodológicas e Instrumentales, Centro Universitario de Ciencias de la Salud, Universidad de Guadalajara, Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico
Prostate cancer is the most common cancer diagnosed in men and the third leading cause of cancer-related death in men worldwide. Most cancers originate from tissue-specific stem cells that express characteristic markers that identify them. Prostate cancer stem cell markers include CD44, CD133, integrins α and β, and the ABCG2 transporter protein, which is involved in the efflux of androgens such as dihydroxy-testosterone. ABCG2 transporter has been implicated in resistance to several antineoplastic drugs in different types of cancer, including prostate cancer, and its involvement in the genomics of neoplastic processes is therefore recognized. The analysis of constitutive gene variants (polymorphisms or mutations) in genomic DNA of patients with prostate cancer and their possible biological significance could potentially be of clinical use, since it has also been documented that tumor stem cells in this tissue maintain their phenotype mainly by the overexpression of ABCG2, which in turn could be due to changes in the gene sequence. The current knowledge of the structure, function and molecular mechanisms of chemoresistance mediated by the ABCG2 transporter highlights the important role of this protein in prostate cancer genomics.
Keywords: Prostate cancer. ABCG2. Genomics. ABC proteins.