Figure 1. Coordinate regulation of target genes by androgen receptor and ERG.
AR binding at enhancers of AR target gene causes looping and gene activation. The “GGAA” ETS motif is highly enriched at AR binding sites raising the possibility that an unidentified ETS protein (not ERG) may coordinately regulate transcription in normal prostate cells (top). In ERG+ prostate cancer, ERG now localizes at these sites, perhaps displacing an “endogenous” ETS factor, as well as gene promoters and inhibits AR mediates transcriptional activation.