Systems analysis of the prostate transcriptome in African-American men compared with European-American men

Aim: African-Americans (AA) have increased prostate cancer risk and a greater mortality rate than European-Americans (EA). AA exhibit a high prevalence of vitamin D deficiency. We examined the global prostate transcriptome in AA and EA, and the effect of vitamin D-3 supplementation. Patients & methods: Twenty-seven male subjects (ten AA and 17 EA), slated to undergo prostatectomy were enrolled in the study. Fourteen subjects received vitamin D-3 (4000 IU daily) and 13 subjects received placebo for 2 months prior to surgery. Results: AA show higher expression of genes associated with immune response and inflammation. Conclusion: Systems level analyses support the concept that Inflammatory processes may contribute to disease progression in AA. These transcripts can be modulated by a short course of vitamin D-3 supplementation.