Personalized genomic landscape of prostate cancer in African American men reveals novel drivers and therapeutic opportunities

African American (AA) men experience disproportionately high prostate cancer incidence and mortality. Despite this disparity, current genomic repositories are predominantly derived from European populations, and studies using archived tissues are often limited by stromal contamination. We sought to characterize the high-resolution somatic mutational landscape of AA prostate cancer using a high-fidelity, patient-matched model system to identify population-specific drivers and therapeutic targets. We performed whole-genome sequencing (WGS) on 10 matched pairs of primary cell cultures derived from prostate tumors and adjacent non-malignant tissues of AA patients. Our analyses revealed a complex, heterogeneous landscape characterized by significant genomic instability, including frequent chromothripsis and kataegis signatures. Mutation hotspots were concentrated on chromosomes 1, 2, 3, and X, with the highest mutation density on chromosome 17. Functionally impactful mutations were identified in critical oncogenic pathways, including chromatin remodeling (CHD1, ARID1A, ATRX, KDM6A) and DNA damage response (ATM, BRCA1/2, RAD51). Additionally, we identified potentially novel candidate mutations unique to this AA cohort, distinct from those in European-centric datasets. This study provides a foundational, patient-specific WGS dataset derived from African American prostate cancer cell models. The identification of high-frequency actionable alterations in epigenetic and DNA repair pathways highlights the utility of this renewable resource for developing tailored therapeutic interventions and addressing racial disparities in prostate cancer outcomes.

Authors

Institutions

Publication Details

Journal
PLoS ONE
Published
2026-10-14
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0360389
Primary Topic
Prostate Cancer Treatment and Research
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
0.00

Funders

Controls
|||
ALL TIME
JAN
FEB
MAR
APR
MAY
JUN
JUL
AUG
SEP
OCT
article

Personalized genomic landscape of prostate cancer in African American men reveals novel drivers and therapeutic opportunities

Gaurav Bandi, Ryan Andrew Hankins, Mira Jung, Anatoly Dritschilo et al.
PLoS ONE
Prostate Cancer Treatment and Research
article

Personalized genomic landscape of prostate cancer in African American men reveals novel drivers and therapeutic opportunities

Gaurav Bandi, Ryan Andrew Hankins, Mira Jung, Anatoly Dritschilo, Keith J. Kowalczyk, James Knight, Shanta Murthy, Katie Fago
article en

Abstract

African American (AA) men experience disproportionately high prostate cancer incidence and mortality. Despite this disparity, current genomic repositories are predominantly derived from European populations, and studies using archived tissues are often limited by stromal contamination. We sought to characterize the high-resolution somatic mutational landscape of AA prostate cancer using a high-fidelity, patient-matched model system to identify population-specific drivers and therapeutic targets. We performed whole-genome sequencing (WGS) on 10 matched pairs of primary cell cultures derived from prostate tumors and adjacent non-malignant tissues of AA patients. Our analyses revealed a complex, heterogeneous landscape characterized by significant genomic instability, including frequent chromothripsis and kataegis signatures. Mutation hotspots were concentrated on chromosomes 1, 2, 3, and X, with the highest mutation density on chromosome 17. Functionally impactful mutations were identified in critical oncogenic pathways, including chromatin remodeling (CHD1, ARID1A, ATRX, KDM6A) and DNA damage response (ATM, BRCA1/2, RAD51). Additionally, we identified potentially novel candidate mutations unique to this AA cohort, distinct from those in European-centric datasets. This study provides a foundational, patient-specific WGS dataset derived from African American prostate cancer cell models. The identification of high-frequency actionable alterations in epigenetic and DNA repair pathways highlights the utility of this renewable resource for developing tailored therapeutic interventions and addressing racial disparities in prostate cancer outcomes.

PLoS ONEVol. 21(10)
Georgetown University (US), Georgetown University Medical Center (US), MedStar Georgetown University Hospital (US), Yale University (US)
Yale University, Georgetown University, National Institutes of Health, Cancer Moonshot
Good health and well-being, Reduced inequalities
Openalex Percentile: Top 13%
Prostate Cancer Treatment and Research
AI Navigator

Ask Laika to Summarize, Analyze, and Connect papers live on the map.

Summarize Papers & Methodologies

Extract key findings, datasets, and comparative methods across publications.

Benchmark Rankings & Visual Analytics

Rank top research institutions, authors, funders, topics, and journals by Field-Weighted Citation Impact (FWCI) and paper volume with instant charts.

Connect Distant Disciplines

Bridge topological clusters on the map to find hidden collaborative intersections.