A gene expression signature of epithelial tubulogenesis and a role for ASPM in pancreatic tumor progression.

Background & Aims: Many patients with pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) develop recurrent or metastatic diseases after surgery, so it is important to identify those most likely to benefit from aggressive therapy. Disruption of tissue microarchitecture is an early step in pancreatic tumorigenesis and a parameter used in pathology grading of glandular tumors. We investigated whether changes in gene expression during pancreatic epithelial morphogenesis were associated with outcomes of patients with PDAC after surgery.

Molecular profiling of prostatic acinar morphogenesis identifies PDCD4 and KLF6 as tissue architecture-specific prognostic markers in prostate cancer.

Histopathological classification of human prostate cancer (PCA) relies on the morphological assessment of tissue specimens but has limited prognostic value. To address this deficiency, we performed comparative transcriptome analysis of human prostatic acini generated in a three-dimensional basement membrane that recapitulates the differentiated morphological characteristics and gene expression profile of a human prostate glandular epithelial tissue. We then applied an acinar morphogenesis-specific gene profile to two independent cohorts of patients with PCA (total n = 79) and found that those with tumors expressing this profile, which we designated acini-like tumors, had a significantly lower risk of postoperative relapse compared with those tumors with a lower correlation (hazard ratio, 0.