Abstract A058: Evaluation of KLRC2 deletion in a racially diverse cohort of prostate cancer patients

作者：Laila Scroggins, Paula O. Cooper, Stefan DiFazio, Kun L. Ho, Ayesha A. Shafi, Cara C. Schafer · 发表于：Cancer Research · 年份：2026 · DOI：10.1158/1538-7445.prostateca26-a058 · 研究领域：Prostate Cancer Treatment and Research、Cancer Immunotherapy and Biomarkers、Cancer Genomics and Diagnostics

Abstract Background: Natural Killer (NK) cells play a vital role in anti-tumor immunity through direct tumor cell lysis. Recent studies indicate immune microenvironment differences in prostate tumors between African American (AA) and Caucasian American (CA) men; however, the contribution of NK cell-associated genes to these disparities remains incompletely understood. The NK cell receptor gene, KLRC2, is of particular intertest, as prior work from our group demonstrated significantly lower KLRC2 expression in AA prostate tumors compared to CA tumors. Given that germline KLRC2 deletion polymorphisms differ across global populations, including East and West African ancestry groups, investigating its deletion status may provide insight into downstream expression differences and associated immune variation. Purpose: The purpose of this study was to gain a deeper understanding of immunobiological differences between AA and CA men with prostate cancer (PCa) by evaluating an NK cell-relevant gene, KLRC2, in racially diverse genomic datasets. We hypothesized that germline deletion may contribute to its variability in downstream expression and ultimately contribute to observed racial disparities in PCa. Methods: We analyzed germline whole genome sequencing data from a large Center for Prostate Disease Research (CPDR) cohort matched for AA (n=259) and CA (n=272) men. Bioinformatics workflows were applied to accurately infer KLRC2 deletion status, including copy-number calling and quali...