Reduced PDE4D7 in prostate cancer correlates with genomic downregulation within the upstream PDE4D coding region

AIM: PDE4D7 expression is significantly associated with prostate cancer (PCa) progression, representing an attractive prognostic biomarker. We sought to determine whether other genes in the PDE4D coding region were associated. PATIENTS & METHODS: RNA from biopsy punch samples of resected tumor tissue was analyzed via RNA sequencing. RT-qPCR was used to determine PDE4D7 score. RESULTS: Numerous genomic sequences within the PDE4D coding region on Chr5q12 revealed similar mRNA expression profiles to PDE4D7. PART1 had a significantly similar expression pattern to PDE4D7 across samples, correlating with disease progression. However, many other genes also exhibited matched expression to PDE4D7, including miRNAs and lncRNAs. CONCLUSION: These novel PDE4D7-associated genes, many of which are previously uncharacterized in cancer, represent putative PCa biomarkers and could have mechanistic roles in PCa progression.