Pathogenic variants reveal candidate genes for prostate cancer germline testing for men of African ancestry

M Melanie Louw D Daniel Burns P Piyushkumar Mundra D Daria Kiriy W Weerachai Jaratlerdsiri R Raymond A. Campbell M Mulalo B. Radzuma M Mukudeni Nenzhelele M Muvhulawa Obida M Martin Obida M Micah O. Oyaro M Massimo Loda D David C. Wedge R Robert G. Bristow D Daniel S. Brewer C Colin S. Cooper G Geraldine Cancel-Tassin O Olivier Cussenot C Chris M. Hovens N Niall M. Cocoran P Phillip D. Stricker T Thorsten Schlomm G Gail S. Prins K Karina Dalsgaard Sørensen G G. Steven S. Bova M Mark N. Brook (Institute of Cancer Research, London) B Benedict Brors A Adam Butler K Kevin C. L. Cheng N Niall M. Corcoran F Francesco Favero C Clarissa Gerhäuser E Etsehiwot G. Girma V Vincent J. Gnanapragasam (Department of Urology, Cambridge University Hospitals National Health Service Foundation Trust) A Andreas J. Gruber A Anis Hamid H Housheng Hansen He E Eddie Luidy Imada G G. Maria Jakobsdottir W Weerachai Jaratlersiri J Jue jiang C Chol-Hee Jung F Francesca Khani P Philippe Lamy G Gregory Leeman L Luigi Marchionni R Ramyar Molania A Anthony T. Papenfuss D Diogo Pellegrina B Bernard Pope L Lucio R. Queiroz T Tobias Rausch J Jüri Reimand B Brain Robinson A Atef Sahli P Pamela X. Y. Soh S Sebastian Uhrig Y Yaobo Xu T Takafumi N. Yamaguchi C Claudio Zanettini P Peter Mungai Ngugi W Winstar M. Ombuki S Sean M. Patrick D Daniel M. Moreira I Ikenna C. Madueke M Maria Argos I Irene E. J. Barnhoorn L Lynn Birch J Jenna Craddock G G. Nicolo’ Fanelli E Eva Ferlev Jensby H Hagen E. A. Förtsch J Jessie Gamxamub K Kazzem Gheybi A Abraham Gihawi T Tingting Gong M Md. Mehedi Hasan V Vivien Holmes R Ruotian Huang M Maphuti Tebogo Lebelo P Pavlo Lutsik U Umuna Maendo T Tumisang M. N. Mbeki R Reginald Menoe M Muriuki Elias Nyaga W Willis Oyieko J Joyce Shirinde G Golda Stellmacher A Avraam Tapinos K Korawich Uthayopas D Douglas I. Walker E Edwin O. O. Walong G Githui Sheila Wanjiku A Allan Yienya K Kangping Zhou J Joachim Weischenfeldt S Shingai B. A. Mutambirwa P Peter M. Ngugi D David M. Thomas Z Zsofia Kote-Jarai (Institute of Cancer Research, London) R Rosalind A. Eeles (Institute of Cancer Research, London) M M. S. Riana Bornman V Vanessa M. Hayes

Abstract

Abstract Prostate cancer (PCa) germline testing, while gaining momentum, is ancestry restrictive and African exclusive. Through whole genome sequencing for 217 African ancestral cases (186 southern African, 31 Pan representative), we identify 172 potentially pathogenic variants in 78 DNA damage repair or PCa related genes. Prevalence for reported (13/217, 5.99%) and cumulative predicted (24/217, 11.06%) variants of significance (11 genes) falls below that reported for non-Africans. Conversely, BRCA1, HOXB13, CDK12, MLH1, MSH2, and BRIP1 remain unimpacted. Through pathogenic ranking based on variant frequency and functionality, clinical presentation and tumour-matched biallelic inactivation, top-ranked candidates include PREX2, POLE, FAT1, BRCA2, POLQ, LRP1B and ATM. Besides notable impact of DNA polymerases, including POLG, Fanconi anaemia genes include FANCD2, FANCA, FANCG, ERCC4, FANCE and FANCI, while DNA mismatch repair genes MSH3 and PMS1 outranked known namesakes MSH6 and PMS2. This study provides insights into the spectrum of African-relevant potentially pathogenic PCa variants, highlighting much-needed gene candidates for ancestry-inclusive germline testing.

Article Details

Volume / Issue Vol. 16, Issue 1
Published October 02, 2025
ISSN 2041-1723
Publisher Nature Portfolio

Journal Info

Nature Communications

Nature Portfolio

ISSN: 2041-1723 Open Access Life Sciences

Authors (103)

M

Melanie Louw

D

Daniel Burns

P

Piyushkumar Mundra

D

Daria Kiriy

W

Weerachai Jaratlerdsiri

R

Raymond A. Campbell

M

Mulalo B. Radzuma

M

Mukudeni Nenzhelele

M

Muvhulawa Obida

M

Martin Obida

M

Micah O. Oyaro

M

Massimo Loda

D

David C. Wedge

R

Robert G. Bristow

D

Daniel S. Brewer

C

Colin S. Cooper

G

Geraldine Cancel-Tassin

O

Olivier Cussenot

C

Chris M. Hovens

N

Niall M. Cocoran

P

Phillip D. Stricker

T

Thorsten Schlomm

G

Gail S. Prins

K

Karina Dalsgaard Sørensen

G

G. Steven S. Bova

M

Mark N. Brook

Institute of Cancer Research, London

B

Benedict Brors

A

Adam Butler

K

Kevin C. L. Cheng

N

Niall M. Corcoran

F

Francesco Favero

C

Clarissa Gerhäuser

E

Etsehiwot G. Girma

V

Vincent J. Gnanapragasam

Department of Urology, Cambridge University Hospitals National Health Service Foundation Trust

A

Andreas J. Gruber

A

Anis Hamid

H

Housheng Hansen He

E

Eddie Luidy Imada

G

G. Maria Jakobsdottir

W

Weerachai Jaratlersiri

J

Jue jiang

C

Chol-Hee Jung

F

Francesca Khani

P

Philippe Lamy

G

Gregory Leeman

L

Luigi Marchionni

R

Ramyar Molania

A

Anthony T. Papenfuss

D

Diogo Pellegrina

B

Bernard Pope

L

Lucio R. Queiroz

T

Tobias Rausch

J

Jüri Reimand

B

Brain Robinson

A

Atef Sahli

P

Pamela X. Y. Soh

S

Sebastian Uhrig

Y

Yaobo Xu

T

Takafumi N. Yamaguchi

C

Claudio Zanettini

P

Peter Mungai Ngugi

W

Winstar M. Ombuki

S

Sean M. Patrick

D

Daniel M. Moreira

I

Ikenna C. Madueke

M

Maria Argos

I

Irene E. J. Barnhoorn

L

Lynn Birch

J

Jenna Craddock

G

G. Nicolo’ Fanelli

E

Eva Ferlev Jensby

H

Hagen E. A. Förtsch

J

Jessie Gamxamub

K

Kazzem Gheybi

A

Abraham Gihawi

T

Tingting Gong

M

Md. Mehedi Hasan

V

Vivien Holmes

R

Ruotian Huang

M

Maphuti Tebogo Lebelo

P

Pavlo Lutsik

U

Umuna Maendo

T

Tumisang M. N. Mbeki

R

Reginald Menoe

M

Muriuki Elias Nyaga

W

Willis Oyieko

J

Joyce Shirinde

G

Golda Stellmacher

A

Avraam Tapinos

K

Korawich Uthayopas

D

Douglas I. Walker

E

Edwin O. O. Walong

G

Githui Sheila Wanjiku

A

Allan Yienya

K

Kangping Zhou

J

Joachim Weischenfeldt

S

Shingai B. A. Mutambirwa

P

Peter M. Ngugi

D

David M. Thomas

Z

Zsofia Kote-Jarai

Institute of Cancer Research, London

R

Rosalind A. Eeles

Institute of Cancer Research, London

M

M. S. Riana Bornman

V

Vanessa M. Hayes