The findings were published in the online edition of Nature Genetics on March 6. The Emory research team was led by Jin-Tang Dong, PhD, associate professor in the Winship Cancer Institute. Lead author was postdoctoral fellow Xiaodong Sun, PhD.
Although previous research has suggested that a section of chromosome 16 harbors a tumor suppressor gene in several types of human cancers, the particular gene responsible has not previously been identified. By studying the genes within the section of chromosome 16, the Emory scientists found that ATBF1 was a strong candidate for an important tumor suppressor gene because its function is frequently lost in prostate cancer through gene mutations and/or loss of expression. In addition, ATBF1 was found to inhibit cell growth in culture dishes. A tumor suppressor gene is a gene whose loss of function contributes to the development of cancer.