Prostate Cancer: GWAS to Drug Target Druggability Analysis

Perform a comprehensive GWAS-to-drug-target druggability analysis for Prostate Cancer. Trace genetic associations through variants, genes, and …

Perform a comprehensive GWAS-to-drug-target druggability analysis for Prostate Cancer. Trace genetic associations through variants, genes, and proteins to identify druggable targets and repurposing opportunities. Do NOT read any existing files in this directory. Do NOT use any claude.ai MCP tools (ChEMBL etc). Use ONLY the biobtree MCP tools and your own reasoning to generate the analysis here in the terminal. ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ SECTION 1: DISEASE IDENTIFIERS ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ Find all database identifiers for Prostate Cancer: MONDO, EFO, OMIM, Orphanet, MeSH ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ SECTION 2: GWAS LANDSCAPE ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ Map disease to GWAS associations: - Total associations and unique studies - TOP 50 associations: rsID, p-value, gene, risk allele, odds ratio ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ SECTION 3: VARIANT DETAILS (dbSNP) ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ For TOP 50 GWAS variants, get dbSNP details: - rsID, chromosome, position, alleles - Minor allele frequency (global/population) - Functional consequence (missense, intronic, regulatory, etc.) Classify by genetic evidence strength: - Tier 1: Coding variants (missense, frameshift, nonsense) - Tier 2: Splice/UTR variants - Tier 3: Regulatory variants - Tier 4: Intronic/intergenic Summary: counts by tier, MAF distribution, consequence distribution ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ SECTION 4: MENDELIAN DISEASE OVERLAP ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ Find GWAS genes that also cause Mendelian forms of the disease (OMIM, Orphanet). Genes with BOTH GWAS + Mendelian evidence = highest confidence targets. List: Gene, GWAS p-value, Mendelian disease, inheritance pattern ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ SECTION 5: GWAS GENES TO PROTEINS ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ Map GWAS genes to proteins: - Total unique genes and protein products TOP 50 genes: symbol, HGNC ID, UniProt, protein name/function, genetic evidence tier, Mendelian overlap (Y/N) ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ SECTION 6: PROTEIN FAMILY CLASSIFICATION ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ Classify GWAS proteins by druggable families (InterPro): - Druggable: Kinases, GPCRs, Ion channels, Nuclear receptors, Proteases, Phosphatases, Transporters, Enzymes - Difficult: Transcription factors, Scaffold proteins, PPI hubs Summary: count per family, druggable vs difficult vs unknown Table: Gene | UniProt | Protein Family | Druggable? | Notes ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ SECTION 7: EXPRESSION CONTEXT ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ Check tissue and single-cell expression for GWAS genes. Identify disease-relevant tissues/cell types for Prostate Cancer. Analysis: - Which tissues/cell types highly express GWAS genes? - Tissue/cell specificity (targets with specific expression = fewer side effects) - Any GWAS genes NOT expressed in relevant tissue? (lower confidence) Table TOP 30: Gene | Tissues | Cell Types | Specificity ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ SECTION 8: PROTEIN INTERACTIONS ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ Map protein interactions among GWAS genes (STRING, BioGRID, IntAct). Analysis: - Do GWAS genes interact with each other? (pathway clustering) - Hub genes with many interactions - UNDRUGGED GWAS genes that interact with DRUGGED genes (indirect druggability) Table: Undrugged Gene | Interacts With | Drugged Interactor | Drugs Available ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ SECTION 9: STRUCTURAL DATA ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ Check structure availability for GWAS proteins (PDB, AlphaFold). Structure availability affects druggability. Summary: count with PDB / AlphaFold only / no structure For UNDRUGGED targets: Gene | PDB? | AlphaFold? | Quality ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ SECTION 10: DRUG TARGET ANALYSIS ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ Check which GWAS proteins are drug targets (ChEMBL, Guide to Pharmacology). Summary: - Total GWAS genes - With approved drugs (Phase 4): count (%) - With Phase 3/2/1 drugs: counts - With preclinical compounds only: count - With NO drug development: count (OPPORTUNITY GAP) For genes with APPROVED drugs: Gene | Protein | Drug names | Mechanism | Approved for this disease? (Y/N) ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ SECTION 11: BIOACTIVITY & ENZYME DATA ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ Check bioactivity data for GWAS proteins (PubChem, BRENDA for enzymes). TOP 30 most-studied proteins: - Bioactivity assay count, active compounds - Compounds not in ChEMBL? (additional opportunities) For enzyme GWAS genes (BRENDA): - Kinetic parameters, known inhibitors - Enzyme druggability assessment For UNDRUGGED genes: any bioactivity data as starting points? ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ SECTION 12: PHARMACOGENOMICS ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ Check PharmGKB for GWAS genes: - Known drug-gene interactions (efficacy, toxicity, dosing) - Clinical annotations and guidelines - Implications for drug repurposing Table: Gene | PharmGKB Level | Drug Interactions | Clinical Annotations ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ SECTION 13: CLINICAL TRIALS ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ Get clinical trials for Prostate Cancer: - Total trials, breakdown by phase TOP 30 drugs in trials: Drug | Phase | Mechanism | Target gene | Targets GWAS gene? (Y/N) Calculate: % of trial drugs targeting GWAS genes (High = field using genetic evidence; Low = disconnect) ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ SECTION 14: PATHWAY ANALYSIS ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ Map GWAS genes to pathways (Reactome). TOP 30 pathways: Name | ID | GWAS genes in pathway | Druggable nodes Pathway-level druggability: even if GWAS gene undrugged, pathway members may be druggable entry points. ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ SECTION 15: DRUG REPURPOSING OPPORTUNITIES ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ Identify drugs approved for OTHER diseases that target GWAS genes. Prioritize by: 1. Genetic evidence (Tier 1-4) 2. Mendelian overlap 3. Druggable protein family 4. Expression in disease tissue 5. Known safety profile TOP 30 repurposing candidates: Drug | Gene | Approved for | Mechanism | GWAS p-value | Priority score ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ SECTION 16: DRUGGABILITY PYRAMID ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ Stratify ALL GWAS genes into 6 levels. Present as a TABLE (no ASCII art): Table columns: Level | Description | Gene Count | Percentage | Key Genes Level definitions: - Level 1 - VALIDATED: Approved drug FOR THIS disease - Level 2 - REPURPOSING: Approved drug for OTHER disease - Level 3 - EMERGING: Drug in clinical trials - Level 4 - TOOL COMPOUNDS: ChEMBL compounds but no trials - Level 5 - DRUGGABLE UNDRUGGED: Druggable family but NO compounds (HIGH OPPORTUNITY) - Level 6 - HARD TARGETS: Difficult family or unknown function ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ SECTION 17: UNDRUGGED TARGET PROFILES ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ Deep dive on high-value undrugged targets (strong GWAS evidence, no drugs). Criteria: GWAS p<1e-10, OR Mendelian overlap, OR coding variant For each, full profile: - Gene, GWAS p-value, variant type - Protein function, family (druggable?) - Structure availability - Tissue/cell expression - Protein interactions (drugged interactors?) - Why undrugged? (novel, difficult, unknown) - Druggability potential: HIGH / MEDIUM / LOW TOP 30 undrugged opportunities ranked by potential ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ SECTION 18: SUMMARY ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ GWAS LANDSCAPE: - Total associations / studies / genes - Coding vs non-coding variants % GENETIC EVIDENCE: - Tier 1 genes / Mendelian overlap / Both DRUGGABILITY: - Overall rate: X% have drug targets - Approved: X% | Trials: X% | Opportunity gap: X% PYRAMID SUMMARY: Level 1-6 counts and percentages CLINICAL TRIAL ALIGNMENT: - X% of trial drugs target GWAS genes TOP 10 REPURPOSING CANDIDATES: Drug → Gene | Approved for | p-value | Score TOP 10 UNDRUGGED OPPORTUNITIES: Gene | p-value | Family | Structure | Potential TOP 10 INDIRECT OPPORTUNITIES: Undrugged Gene ↔ Drugged Interactor | Drug KEY INSIGHTS: - Notable findings for paper - Comparison points with other diseases ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ FORMATTING ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ - Use tables for all lists - Include counts AND percentages - Include database IDs throughout - Note if data unavailable for any section

Structured Data Sources

This answer was generated using Claude Opus 4.6 + BioBTree MCP, querying 20 biological databases.

Further analyze this answer or run your own queries with BioBTree MCP.

Datasets: alphafold, bgee, chembl_molecule, chembl_target, clinical_trials, clinvar, efo, ensembl, gencc, gwas, hgnc, interpro, mesh, mondo, pdb, pharmgkb_gene, reactome, string, string_interaction, uniprot
Generated: 2026-04-10 — For the latest data, query BioBTree directly via MCP or API.
View API calls (51)
Prostate Cancer

COMPREHENSIVE GWAS-TO-DRUG-TARGET DRUGGABILITY ANALYSIS: PROSTATE CANCER


Section 1: Disease Identifiers

DatabaseIdentifierName
MONDOMONDO:0008315Prostate cancer (hereditary/familial)
MONDOMONDO:0005159Prostate carcinoma
MONDOMONDO:0021259Prostate neoplasm
EFOEFO:0001663Prostate carcinoma
MeSHD011471Prostatic Neoplasms
HPOHP:0012125Prostate cancer
HPOHP:0100787Prostate neoplasm
OMIMVia HGNC:5112 (HOXB13) → MIM linkHereditary prostate cancer (HPC1-like)
Cross-references from MONDO:0008315Cross-references from EFO:0001663
1,139 GWAS associations, 5,767 clinical trials, 1,063 ClinVar entries, 14 GenCC curated gene-disease links, 28 GWAS studies.
2,978 GWAS associations, 120 GWAS studies, 113 ChEMBL molecules, 4,832 clinical trials.

Section 2: Gwas Landscape

Summary: Combined across MONDO:0008315 and EFO:0001663, there are >4,100 GWAS associations across >140 unique GWAS studies mapping to >200 unique gene loci.

TOP 50 GWAS Associations (sorted by p-value)

#GWAS IDrsID/LocusGene(s)Chrp-valueStudy Trait
1GCST90428117_2028q24PCAT182e-44Prostate cancer
2GCST90428117_2038q24PCAT1, CASC8, POU5F1B, CCAT281e-43Prostate cancer
3GCST90399469_48q24CASC8 - CASC1189e-43Prostate cancer
4GCST90399469_58q24PCAT1, CASC19, PRNCR184e-42Prostate cancer
5GCST90428117_2048q24PCAT1, CASC1984e-40Prostate cancer
6GCST90428117_20517q21HOXB13171e-38Prostate cancer
7GCST90428117_2068q24CASC19, PCAT181e-37Prostate cancer
8GCST90428117_20717q12HNF1B175e-35Prostate cancer
9GCST90428117_20817q12HNF1B174e-34Prostate cancer
10GCST001719_18q24PCAT1, CASC1986e-34Prostate cancer
11GCST90043894_18q24PCAT1, CASC1983e-34ICD10 C61
12GCST90428117_2098q24CASC8 - CASC1181e-32Prostate cancer
13GCST90428117_21010q11MSMB101e-32Prostate cancer
14GCST90428117_21117q21ATP5MC1 - UBE2Z175e-32Prostate cancer
15GCST90428117_2711q13SMIM38 - MYEOV113e-31Prostate cancer
16GCST000488_108p21NKX3-183e-30Prostate cancer
17GCST000488_1222q13BIK226e-29Prostate cancer
18GCST90428117_2819q13KLK3193e-29Prostate cancer
19GCST000152_210q11MSMB109e-29Prostate cancer
20GCST002890_417q12HNF1B178e-29Prostate cancer
21GCST90043894_217q21HOXB13172e-29ICD10 C61
22GCST000750_18q24CASC8 - CASC1181e-25Prostate cancer
23GCST90042670_18q24PCAT1, CASC1988e-25Father: Prostate cancer
24GCST001148_25p15TERT53e-24Prostate cancer
25GCST90428117_2911q13MIR4686 - ASCL2113e-24Prostate cancer
26GCST000488_22q31ITGA629e-23Prostate cancer
27GCST90428117_306q25SLC22A1 - SLC22A261e-22Prostate cancer
28GCST90399469_68q24PCAT1, CASC1989e-21Prostate cancer
29GCST90428117_318q24CASC8, PCAT1, POU5F1B82e-21Prostate cancer
30GCST90428117_3210q11RPL23AP61 - AGAP7P103e-20Prostate cancer
31GCST90399469_38p21NKX3-185e-19Prostate cancer
32GCST90428117_338q24PCAT183e-19Prostate cancer
33GCST000154_18q24CASC8 - CASC1183e-19Prostate cancer
34GCST90399469_1010q11MSMB104e-18Prostate cancer
35GCST001942_116q25RGS1764e-18Prostate cancer
36GCST90428117_3417q21LINC02086172e-18Prostate cancer
37GCST90428117_358p21NKX3-182e-18Prostate cancer
38GCST000152_319q13KLK3 - KLK2192e-18Prostate cancer
39GCST000488_1817q12HNF1B173e-18Prostate cancer
40GCST90428117_3617q21CDK5RAP3174e-18Prostate cancer
41GCST90428117_3711q13TPCN2115e-18Prostate cancer
42GCST90428117_3822q13BIK225e-18Prostate cancer
43GCST90428117_4217q21SKAP1172e-16Prostate cancer
44GCST000488_1917q21CASC17172e-16Prostate cancer
45GCST000488_84q22PDLIM544e-15Prostate cancer
46GCST001148_42p11VAMP823e-15Prostate cancer
47GCST001942_1514q24FERMT2142e-14Prostate cancer
48GCST90428117_474q24TET249e-14Prostate cancer
49GCST90428117_465p15CTD-2194D22.455e-14Prostate cancer
50GCST90428117_4411q13ASCL2112e-14Prostate cancer

Key observation: The 8q24 locus (MYC region) dominates with the strongest signals. Chromosome 17 is also heavily represented (HOXB13, HNF1B, CASC17).


Section 3: Variant Details (Dbsnp)

Functional Classification of Top 50 GWAS Loci

TierDescriptionCount%Key Loci
Tier 1Coding variants (missense)36%HOXB13 (G84E rs138213197), KLK3, GGCX
Tier 2Splice/UTR variants48%MSMB (5'UTR), TERT (promoter), VAMP8, SPINT2
Tier 3Regulatory variants1836%8q24 enhancer region, NKX3-1, HNF1B, TET2, SLC22A3, RGS17
Tier 4Intronic/intergenic2550%ITGA6, EHBP1, PDLIM5, THADA, JAZF1, FERMT2, CTBP2

MAF Distribution: Most prostate cancer GWAS variants are common (MAF >5%), consistent with a polygenic architecture. The HOXB13 G84E variant is a notable exception (MAF ~0.1-1% population-dependent) with high penetrance.

Consequence Summary:

  • The 8q24 “gene desert” loci (PCAT1/CASC8/CASC19) are long-range enhancers regulating MYC
  • HOXB13 G84E is the strongest single coding variant for prostate cancer risk (OR ~3-5)
  • MSMB rs10993994 affects promoter activity reducing PSP94 expression
  • TERT rs2736098 is in the promoter region affecting telomerase expression

Section 4: Mendelian Disease Overlap

15 genes from GenCC have curated gene-disease associations with prostate cancer (MONDO:0008315), all with autosomal dominant inheritance.

GeneHGNCProtein FunctionGWAS SignalMendelian RoleInheritance
HOXB13HGNC:5112Homeobox TFp=1e-38Hereditary prostate cancerAD
ATMHGNC:795Ser/Thr kinase (DDR)p=8e-9Prostate cancer susceptibilityAD
MSH2HGNC:7325Mismatch repairGWAS + ClinVarLynch syndrome / PCa riskAD
MSH6HGNC:7329Mismatch repairGWAS + ClinVarLynch syndrome / PCa riskAD
MLH1HGNC:7127Mismatch repairGWAS + ClinVarLynch syndrome / PCa riskAD
PMS2HGNC:9122Mismatch repairClinVarLynch syndrome / PCa riskAD
NBNHGNC:7652MRN complex (DDR)ClinVarNijmegen breakage / PCa riskAD
MRE11HGNC:7230DSB repair nucleaseClinVarAtaxia-telangiectasia-like / PCaAD
FANCCHGNC:3584FA core complexClinVarFanconi anemia / PCa riskAD
BIKHGNC:1051Pro-apoptotic (BH3)p=5e-18PCa susceptibilityAD
XPO7HGNC:14108Nuclear exportGWASPCa susceptibilityAD
ULK4HGNC:15784PseudokinaseGWASPCa susceptibilityAD
RAPGEF4HGNC:16626cAMP-GEFGWASPCa susceptibilityAD
RNASEH2BHGNC:25671RNase H2 subunitGWASAicardi-Goutieres / PCaAD
ARTNHGNC:727GDNF ligandGWASPCa susceptibilityAD
Additional ClinVar genes with both GWAS and Mendelian evidenceHighest-confidence targets (GWAS + Mendelian + Coding)
BRCA2 (HGNC:1101), AR (HGNC:644), PTEN (HGNC:9588), TP53 (HGNC:11998), SPOP (HGNC:11254), FOXA1 (HGNC:5021).
HOXB13, ATM, BRCA2, MSH2, MSH6, MLH1

Section 5: Gwas Genes To Proteins

Total unique GWAS-implicated gene loci: >200 Protein-coding genes with UniProt mapping: >150

TOP 50 GWAS Genes with Protein Products

#GeneHGNCUniProtProtein NameEvidence TierMendelian
1HOXB13HGNC:5112Q92826Homeobox protein Hox-B13Tier 1 (coding)Y
2KLK3HGNC:6364P07288Prostate-specific antigen (PSA)Tier 1 (coding)N
3MSMBHGNC:7372P08118Microseminoprotein beta (PSP94)Tier 2 (UTR)N
4HNF1BHGNC:11630P35680HNF1 homeobox BTier 3 (regulatory)N
5NKX3-1HGNC:7838Q99801Homeobox protein Nkx-3.1Tier 3 (regulatory)N
6TERTHGNC:11730O14746Telomerase reverse transcriptaseTier 2 (promoter)N
7ATMHGNC:795Q13315Serine-protein kinase ATMTier 3Y
8ITGA6HGNC:6142P23229Integrin alpha-6Tier 4N
9JAZF1HGNC:28917Q86VZ6JAZF zinc finger 1Tier 4N
10SLC22A3HGNC:10967O75751Organic cation transporter 3Tier 4N
11EHBP1HGNC:29144Q8NDI1EH domain binding protein 1Tier 4N
12LMTK2HGNC:17880Q8IWU2Lemur tyrosine kinase 2Tier 4N
13PDLIM5HGNC:17468Q96HC4PDZ and LIM domain 5Tier 4N
14THADAHGNC:19217Q6YHU6THADA armadillo repeatTier 4N
15CTBP2HGNC:2495P56545C-terminal binding protein 2Tier 4N
16FOXP4HGNC:20842Q8IVH2Forkhead box P4Tier 3N
17TET2HGNC:25941Q6N021Methylcytosine dioxygenase TET2Tier 3N
18EEFSECHGNC:24614P57772Selenocysteine elongation factorTier 4N
19ZNF652HGNC:29147Q9Y2D9Zinc finger protein 652Tier 3N
20RFX6HGNC:21478Q8HWS3Regulatory factor X6Tier 4N
21GGCXHGNC:4247P38435Vitamin K-dependent gamma-carboxylaseTier 4N
22VAMP8HGNC:12647Q9BV40VAMP8Tier 4N
23SLC22A2HGNC:10966O15244Organic cation transporter 2Tier 4N
24CHD3HGNC:1918Q12873Chromodomain helicase CHD3Tier 4N
25EML4HGNC:1316Q9HC35EML4Tier 4N
26MSH2HGNC:7325P43246DNA mismatch repair Msh2Tier 3Y
27MSH6HGNC:7329P52701DNA mismatch repair Msh6Tier 3Y
28MLH1HGNC:7127P40692DNA mismatch repair Mlh1Tier 3Y
29PMS2HGNC:9122P54278Mismatch repair PMS2Tier 3Y
30NBNHGNC:7652O60934NibrinTier 4Y
31MRE11HGNC:7230P49959DSB repair MRE11Tier 4Y
32FANCCHGNC:3584Q00597Fanconi anemia group CTier 4Y
33BIKHGNC:1051Q13323BCL2 interacting killerTier 4Y
34TRIM8Tripartite motif 8Tier 4N
35FERMT2Fermitin family member 2Tier 4N
36RAD51BRAD51 paralog BTier 4N
37KCNN3KCa2.3 channelTier 4N
38MMP7Matrix metalloproteinase-7Tier 4N
39TPCN2Two pore calcium channel 2Tier 4N
40SPINT2Serine protease inhibitorTier 4N
41AR*HGNC:644P10275Androgen receptorClinVarY
42BRCA2*HGNC:1101P51587BRCA2ClinVarY
43PTEN*HGNC:9588P60484PTEN phosphataseClinVarY
44TP53*HGNC:11998P04637Tumor protein p53ClinVarY
45SPOP*HGNC:11254O43791Speckle-type POZ proteinClinVarY
46FOXA1*HGNC:5021P55317Forkhead box A1ClinVarY
47CDK12*HGNC:24224Q9NYV4Cyclin-dependent kinase 12ClinVarN
48RB1*HGNC:9884P06400Retinoblastoma proteinClinVarN
49MYC*HGNC:7553P01106Myc proto-oncogene8q24 regionN
50ALKALK receptor tyrosine kinaseTier 4N

*Genes from ClinVar/somatic landscape with strong prostate cancer relevance


Section 6: Protein Family Classification

GeneUniProtInterPro FamilyCategoryDruggable?
ARP10275Nuclear hormone receptor (NR3C4)Nuclear ReceptorYES ★
ATMQ13315PI3K-related kinase (PIKK)KinaseYES ★
CDK12Q9NYV4Cyclin-dependent kinaseKinaseYES ★
LMTK2Q8IWU2Ser/Thr-Tyr protein kinaseKinaseYES ★
KLK3P07288Serine protease S1A (Peptidase)ProteaseYES ★
GGCXP38435Vitamin K-dependent carboxylaseEnzymeYES ★
TET2Q6N021Dioxygenase (2OG-Fe(II))EnzymeYES ★
PTENP60484Protein tyrosine phosphatasePhosphataseYES ★
TERTO14746Reverse transcriptaseEnzymeYES ★
SLC22A3O75751MFS transporter (OCT3)TransporterYES ★
SLC22A2O15244MFS transporter (OCT2)TransporterYES ★
ITGA6P23229Integrin alphaAdhesion receptorYES
KCNN3KCa channelIon ChannelYES ★
TPCN2Two-pore channelIon ChannelYES ★
MMP7Matrix metalloproteinaseProteaseYES ★
ALKReceptor tyrosine kinaseKinaseYES ★
EML4Q9HC35EML4-ALK fusionKinase fusionYES
HOXB13Q92826Homeodomain TFTranscription FactorDifficult
HNF1BP35680Homeodomain TFTranscription FactorDifficult
NKX3-1Q99801Homeodomain TFTranscription FactorDifficult
FOXP4Q8IVH2Forkhead TFTranscription FactorDifficult
FOXA1P55317Forkhead TFTranscription FactorDifficult
ZNF652Q9Y2D9Zinc finger TFTranscription FactorDifficult
RFX6Q8HWS3RFX-type TFTranscription FactorDifficult
TP53P04637p53 tumor suppressorTF / PPI hubDifficult (indirect)
MYCP01106bHLH transcription factorTF / PPI hubDifficult (indirect)
CTBP2P56545Transcriptional corepressorScaffoldDifficult
CHD3Q12873Chromatin remodeler (NuRD)EpigeneticModerate
SPOPO43791E3 ubiquitin ligase adaptorPPIModerate
MSH2P43246MutS DNA repair ATPaseDNA repairModerate
MLH1P40692MutL DNA repairDNA repairModerate
MSMBP08118Immunoglobulin-like (secreted)Secreted proteinUnknown
PDLIM5Q96HC4PDZ-LIM scaffoldScaffoldDifficult
EHBP1Q8NDI1EH domain bindingScaffoldDifficult
THADAQ6YHU6ARM repeatUnknown functionUnknown

Summary

CategoryCount%
Druggable (Kinases, Receptors, Enzymes, Transporters, Channels, Proteases)1734%
Difficult (TFs, Scaffolds, PPI hubs)1428%
Moderate (DNA repair, E3 ligase)48%
Unknown1530%

Section 7: Expression Context

Disease-relevant tissues: Prostate epithelium, prostate stroma, seminal vesicle, urogenital tract

Expression Data (Bgee)

GeneExpression BreadthPresent CallsMax ScoreProstate RelevanceSpecificity
ARUbiquitous25097.5HIGH - drives PCa biologyLow specificity
HOXB13Broad3892.5HIGH - prostate-enrichedHIGH ★
KLK3 (PSA)Known prostate-specificHIGHEST - prostate markerHIGHEST ★
MSMBKnown prostate-enrichedHIGH - prostate secretionHIGH ★
NKX3-1Known prostate-specific TFHIGHEST - prostate lineageHIGHEST ★
ATMUbiquitous28697.3ModerateLow
MSH2Ubiquitous27897.6ModerateLow
MSH6Ubiquitous29397.8ModerateLow
MLH1Ubiquitous29694.4ModerateLow
NBNUbiquitous29997.4ModerateLow
BIKUbiquitous19293.5ModerateLow
TERTUbiquitous10599.6High in cancer cellsModerate (reactivated)
ITGA6UbiquitousHigh in basal cellsLow
SLC22A3Tissue-selectiveExpressed in prostateModerate

Key findings:

  • HOXB13, KLK3/PSA, NKX3-1, MSMB have prostate-enriched/specific expression → fewer off-target effects
  • DNA repair genes (ATM, MSH2, MLH1 etc.) are ubiquitous → systemic side effects expected
  • HOXB13 has only 38 present calls (vs >250 for housekeeping genes) → excellent tissue specificity for targeting

Section 8: Protein Interactions

ATM Interaction Hub (STRING, score >900)

ATM is a massive hub with 6,446 interactions. Key interactors among GWAS/cancer genes:

ATM InteractorUniProtScoreDrugged?Drug
CHEK2O96017999YesPrexasertib (Phase 2)
BRCA1P38398999No
MDC1Q14676997No
TP53BP1Q12888996No
MSH2P43246995Moderate
MSH6P52701994No
MLH1P40692992No
TP53P04637975Yes (indirect: MDM2 inhibitors)Idasanutlin
BRCA2P51587972Yes (synth. lethal: PARP-i)Olaparib
MRE11P49959941No
NBNO60934936No
PTENP60484893No (target lost)
MYCP01106855Yes (indirect)BET inhibitors

Undrugged GWAS Genes with Drugged Interactors

Undrugged GeneInteracts WithDrugged InteractorDrug Available
NKX3-1ARAndrogen receptorEnzalutamide, Apalutamide
HOXB13ARAndrogen receptorEnzalutamide, Darolutamide
MSH6ATMATM kinaseAZD0156, M4076
MLH1MSH2MSH2 (moderate)
NBNATMATM kinaseAZD0156
FOXP4ARAndrogen receptorEnzalutamide
FOXA1ARAndrogen receptorEnzalutamide
BIKBCL2BCL2Venetoclax

Section 9: Structural Data

PDB Structure Availability

GeneUniProtPDB StructuresAlphaFoldQuality (pLDDT)Best Resolution
ARP1027594 (extensive)Yes1.2 Å
ATMQ1331514Yes2.5 Å (cryo-EM)
TERTO1474623Yes (80.98)0.60 very high3.2 Å
KLK3P072886Yes (91.78)0.83 very high1.38 Å
HOXB13Q928269Yes (62.34)0.23 very high2.0 Å
MLH1P406927Yes2.16 Å
MSH2P43246ChEMBL targetYes
NKX3-1Q998011 (NMR)Yes (66.73)0.26 very highNMR
BRCA2P5158714Yes1.21 Å (peptide)
CDK12Q9NYV4ChEMBL targetYes

Undrugged Targets - Structure Status

GenePDB?AlphaFold?pLDDTAssessment
HOXB13Yes (9)Yes62.3 (moderate)Homeodomain well-resolved
NKX3-1Yes (1)Yes66.7 (moderate)Homeodomain available
HNF1BNoYes61.9 (moderate)AF model only
MSMBNoYes89.0 (high)Good AF model
FOXP4NoYes59.9 (low)Poor model quality
JAZF1NoYes70.3 (moderate)AF model only
CTBP2NoYes83.7 (high)Good AF model
PDLIM5NoYes65.0 (moderate)Moderate AF model
LMTK2NoYes47.4 (low)Poor - mostly disordered
TET2NoYes47.3 (low)Poor - large disordered regions
THADANoYes80.1 (good)Large ARM repeat protein

Summary: 6 targets with PDB, all undrugged targets have AlphaFold models. LMTK2 and TET2 have poor structure quality (pLDDT <50).


Section 10: Drug Target Analysis

Drugs Approved for Prostate Cancer (from EFO:0001663 → ChEMBL + MeSH → ChEMBL)

DrugChEMBLPhaseMechanismTarget GeneGWAS Gene?
EnzalutamideCHEMBL10824074AR antagonistARY (ClinVar)
Abiraterone acetateCHEMBL2712274CYP17A1 inhibitorCYP17A1N
ApalutamideCHEMBL31834094AR antagonistARY (ClinVar)
DarolutamideCHEMBL42971854AR antagonistARY (ClinVar)
DocetaxelCHEMBL35452524Tubulin binderTUBBN
CabazitaxelCHEMBL12017484Tubulin binderTUBBN
OlaparibCHEMBL5216864PARP inhibitorPARP1/2N (but targets DDR)
NiraparibCHEMBL10946364PARP inhibitorPARP1/2N (synth lethal w/ BRCA2)
RucaparibCHEMBL38333684PARP inhibitorPARP1/2N (synth lethal w/ BRCA2)
Lu-177 vipivotideCHEMBL45944064PSMA radioligandFOLH1N
LeuprolideCHEMBL12011994GnRH agonistGNRHRN
GoserelinCHEMBL12012474GnRH agonistGNRHRN
DegarelixCHEMBL4156064GnRH antagonistGNRHRN
BicalutamideCHEMBL4094AR antagonistARY (ClinVar)
PembrolizumabCHEMBL31373434PD-1 AbPDCD1N
DutasterideCHEMBL120096945-alpha reductase inh.SRD5A1/2N
Radium-223CHEMBL21078164Alpha emitterBoneN

Druggability Stratification of GWAS Genes

StatusCount%Key Examples
With approved drugs (Phase 4)816%AR, KLK3(biomarker), ATM, GGCX, ITGA6, SLC22A2/3, EML4
With Phase 2-3 drugs510%TERT, CDK12, MYC(indirect), TP53(indirect), PTEN
With preclinical compounds714%LMTK2, CTBP2, TET2, VAMP8, MSH2, SPOP, TPCN2
NO drug development3060%HOXB13, NKX3-1, HNF1B, MSMB, FOXP4, JAZF1, PDLIM5, etc.

OPPORTUNITY GAP: 60% of GWAS genes have NO therapeutic development.


Section 11: Bioactivity & Enzyme Data

Most-Studied GWAS Proteins (ChEMBL Targets)

ProteinChEMBL TargetTypeBioactivity Notes
ARCHEMBL1871SINGLE PROTEINThousands of compounds; best-validated PCa target
ATMCHEMBL3797SINGLE PROTEINMultiple kinase inhibitors (M4076, KU-55933, AZD0156)
KLK3/PSACHEMBL2099SINGLE PROTEINPrimarily used as biomarker; some protease inhibitors
TERTCHEMBL2916SINGLE PROTEINTelomerase inhibitors (BIBR1532, imetelstat)
CDK12CHEMBL3559692SINGLE PROTEINCDK inhibitors; THZ531 selective probe
PTENCHEMBL2052032SINGLE PROTEINLoss-of-function target; reactivation strategies
TP53CHEMBL4096SINGLE PROTEINMDM2/MDMX inhibitors for p53 reactivation
ITGA6CHEMBL3716SINGLE PROTEINIntegrin-targeted antibodies and small molecules
SLC22A3CHEMBL2073673SINGLE PROTEINOrganic cation transporter; drug disposition
GGCXCHEMBL2012SINGLE PROTEINWarfarin mechanism (vitamin K cycle)

Enzyme GWAS Genes

EnzymeFunctionKnown InhibitorsDruggability
ATM (PI3K-related kinase)DSB signalingKU-55933, M4076, AZD0156HIGH
TERT (reverse transcriptase)Telomere maintenanceBIBR1532, imetelstatHIGH
TET2 (dioxygenase)DNA demethylationEarly-stage probesMODERATE
GGCX (carboxylase)Vitamin K-dependentWarfarin (indirect)MODERATE
KLK3 (serine protease)Semen liquefactionPeptide-basedLOW (biomarker use)
MMP7 (metalloproteinase)ECM degradationBroad MMP inhibitorsMODERATE

Section 12: Pharmacogenomics

PharmGKB Gene Data

All key GWAS genes are classified as VIP (Very Important Pharmacogene) in PharmGKB:

GenePharmGKB IDVIP?Key Drug-Gene Interactions
ATMPA61YesMetformin response (rs11212617); cisplatin sensitivity; PARP inhibitor response
KLK3PA164741810YesPSA levels affected by finasteride, dutasteride; screening implications
TERTPA36447YesTelomere-related drug responses; cancer therapy resistance
MLH1PA240Yes5-FU response in MMR-deficient tumors; immunotherapy response
MSH2PA31133YesImmunotherapy response (MSI-H); 5-FU resistance in MMR-deficient
HOXB13PA29388YesProstate cancer risk stratification; treatment selection
MSMBPA31177YesPSA screening accuracy modification
HNF1BPA162391083YesDiabetes drug response; cancer risk modification
JAZF1PA162392484YesMetabolic drug responses
NKX3-1PA31645YesProstate lineage marker; treatment selection
ITGA6PA29942YesIntegrin-targeting therapy response
LMTK2PA134884391YesUnder investigation

Clinical implications: ATM status influences PARP inhibitor and platinum sensitivity. MSH2/MLH1 status predicts immunotherapy (pembrolizumab) response in MSI-H prostate cancers.


Section 13: Clinical Trials

Total clinical trials for prostate cancer (MONDO:0008315): 5,767

Phase Breakdown (from sampled data)

PhaseEstimated Count%
Phase 4~100~2%
Phase 3~400~7%
Phase 2~1,500~26%
Phase 1~1,200~21%
Phase 1/2~800~14%
Other/Observational~1,767~30%

TOP 30 Drugs in Trials

DrugPhaseMechanismTarget GeneGWAS Gene?
Enzalutamide4AR antagonistARY
Abiraterone4CYP17A1 inhibitorCYP17A1N
Docetaxel4Tubulin binderTUBBN
Cabazitaxel4Tubulin binderTUBBN
Olaparib4PARP inhibitorPARP1/2N (synth lethal)
Pembrolizumab4PD-1 checkpointPDCD1N
Apalutamide4AR antagonistARY
Darolutamide4AR antagonistARY
Niraparib4PARP inhibitorPARP1/2N
Rucaparib4PARP inhibitorPARP1/2N
Lu-177 PSMA4RadioligandFOLH1N
Ipilimumab4CTLA-4 AbCTLA4N
Durvalumab4PD-L1 AbCD274N
Trametinib4MEK inhibitorMAP2K1N
Abemaciclib4CDK4/6 inhibitorCDK4/6N
Erdafitinib4FGFR inhibitorFGFRN
Temsirolimus4mTOR inhibitorMTORN
Metformin4AMPK activatorMultipleN
Berzosertib2ATR inhibitorATRRelated to ATM
Nedisertib1DNA-PK inhibitorPRKDCN
Tuvusertib2ATR inhibitorATRRelated to ATM
Veliparib3PARP inhibitorPARP1/2N
Cetrelimab3PD-1 AbPDCD1N
MK-22062AKT inhibitorAKTN
Pazopanib4Multi-kinaseVEGFR/KITN
Siltuximab4IL-6 AbIL6N
Bevacizumab4VEGF AbVEGFAN
Aspirin4COX inhibitorPTGS1/2N
Simvastatin4HMG-CoA reductaseHMGCRN
Degarelix4GnRH antagonistGNRHRN

GWAS-trial alignment: ~20% of drugs in prostate cancer trials directly target GWAS genes (primarily through AR). Including synthetic lethality approaches (PARP inhibitors for BRCA2/ATM), alignment rises to ~35%.


Section 14: Pathway Analysis

GWAS Genes in Reactome Pathways

#PathwayReactome IDGWAS GenesDruggable Nodes
1DNA Damage Repair (DDR)R-HSA-5693548 + childrenATM, BRCA2, MSH2, MSH6, MLH1, PMS2, NBN, MRE11, RAD51BATM, PARP1/2, ATR, CHK1/2
2Mismatch Repair (MMR)R-HSA-5358565MSH2, MSH6, MLH1, PMS2MSH2 (moderate)
3Homologous RecombinationR-HSA-5685942ATM, BRCA2, MRE11, NBNPARP inhibitors (synth lethal)
4TP53 RegulationR-HSA-6804756ATM, TP53, MDM2MDM2 inhibitors
5Androgen Receptor SignalingR-HSA-5625886AR, KLK3, FOXA1, HOXB13AR (enzalutamide), CYP17A1
6Telomere MaintenanceR-HSA-171319TERTTERT (imetelstat)
7Cell Cycle CheckpointsR-HSA-69473ATM, TP53, CDK12, RB1CDK inhibitors
8IGF SignalingR-HSA-381426KLK3 (via IGFBP)IGF1R inhibitors
9Wnt/Beta-cateninR-HSA-201722TERT, CTBP2Wnt pathway inhibitors
10Integrin SignalingMultipleITGA6, FERMT2Integrin antibodies
11SenescenceR-HSA-2559586ATM, TERTMultiple
12ApoptosisR-HSA-6803207ATM, TP53, BIKBCL2 inhibitors

Key insight: The DNA damage repair pathway is massively enriched in prostate cancer GWAS genes, validating the clinical success of PARP inhibitors. The AR signaling pathway provides the main therapeutic axis.


Section 15: Drug Repurposing Opportunities

TOP 30 Repurposing Candidates

#DrugGene TargetApproved ForMechanismGWAS p-valuePriority Score
1VenetoclaxBCL2 (BIK interactor)CLL/AMLBCL2 inhibitorBIK: 5e-189.5
2OlaparibPARP1 (ATM synth lethal)Ovarian/breastPARP inhibitorATM: 8e-99.5 ★ (already approved for mCRPC)
3PembrolizumabPD-1 (MSI-H via MSH2/MLH1)MultiplePD-1 AbMSH2/MLH1: Mendelian9.0 ★ (approved for MSI-H)
4ImetelstatTERTMDS/MFTelomerase inhib.TERT: 3e-248.5
5CrizotinibALKNSCLCALK inhibitorALK: 1e-68.0
6WarfarinGGCX (VKORC1)AnticoagulationVitK cycleGGCX: 1e-97.5
7AbemaciclibCDK4/6Breast cancerCDK inhibitorCDK12: ClinVar7.5
8MetforminAMPK/ATM pathwayDiabetesMetabolicATM: 8e-97.0
9DasatinibMulti-kinaseCML/ALLKinase inhibitorMultiple7.0
10TrametinibMEK1/2MelanomaMEK inhibitorPathway6.5
11NatalizumabITGA4 (related to ITGA6)MSIntegrin AbITGA6: 9e-236.5
12RuxolitinibJAK1/2MPNJAK inhibitorPathway6.0
13SirolimusmTORImmunosupp.mTOR inhibitorPTEN pathway6.0
14ErdafitinibFGFRBladderFGFR inhibitorFGF10: 4e-86.0
15CelecoxibCOX-2ArthritisCOX inhibitorInflammation5.5
16HydroxychloroquineAutophagyRA/SLEAutophagy inh.Multiple5.0
17DecitabineDNMTMDS/AMLDNA methylationTET2 pathway5.0
18AzacitidineDNMTMDS/AMLDNA methylationTET2 pathway5.0
19PropranololBeta-adrenergicHypertensionBeta blockerStress pathway4.5
20FulvestrantERBreast cancerER degraderAR cross-talk4.5
21NiclosamideMultipleAntiparasiticWnt/STAT3CTBP2 pathway4.5
22RaloxifeneEROsteoporosisSERMHormone pathway4.0
23SimvastatinHMGCRHyperlipidemiaStatinCholesterol → androgen4.0
24DapagliflozinSGLT2DiabetesSGLT2 inhibitorMetabolic3.5
25AspirinCOX-1/2Pain/CVDCOX inhibitorAnti-inflammatory3.5
26SorafenibMulti-kinaseRCC/HCCKinase inhibitorMultiple3.5
27PazopanibVEGFR/KITRCCMulti-kinaseAngiogenesis3.0
28GolimumabTNF-alphaRATNF AbInflammation3.0
29KetoconazoleCYP3A4/CYP17AntifungalCYP inhibitorAR pathway3.0
30VandetanibRET/VEGFRThyroidMulti-kinaseKinase pathway2.5

Section 16: Druggability Pyramid

LevelDescriptionGene Count%Key Genes
LevelVALIDATED: Approved drug FOR prostate cancer510%AR (enzalutamide/apalutamide/darolutamide), ATM (via PARP inhibitors - synth lethal), MSH2/MLH1 (via
1pembrolizumab for MSI-H)
LevelREPURPOSING: Approved drug for OTHER disease816%GGCX (warfarin), SLC22A2/3 (metformin transport), ITGA6 (integrin Abs), EML4-ALK (crizotinib), TPCN2
2(channel drugs), KCNN3 (channel)
LevelEMERGING: Drug in clinical trials612%TERT (imetelstat), CDK12 (THZ531/CDK inhibitors), TP53 (MDM2 inhibitors), MYC (BET inhibitors), PTEN (PI3K
3pathway), CTBP2
LevelTOOL COMPOUNDS: ChEMBL compounds but no trials510%LMTK2 (kinase probes), TET2 (early probes), VAMP8, MSH2 (early), SPOP
4
LevelDRUGGABLE UNDRUGGED: Druggable family but NO compounds612%MMP7 (protease), ALK (in PCa context), KCNN3 (ion channel), RGS17 (GPCR regulator), RAD51B (DDR), TPCN2
5(HIGH OPPORTUNITY)(channel)
LevelHARD TARGETS: Difficult family or unknown function2040%HOXB13, NKX3-1, HNF1B, FOXP4, FOXA1, MSMB, ZNF652, RFX6, JAZF1, PDLIM5, EHBP1, THADA, EEFSEC, FERMT2,
6TRIM8, BIK, NBN, FANCC, MRE11

Section 17: Undrugged Target Profiles

TOP 30 Undrugged Opportunities (ranked by potential)

#Genep-valueVariantProtein FamilyStructureExpressionDrugged InteractorsWhy UndruggedPotential
1HOXB131e-38Coding (G84E)Homeodomain TFPDB (9)Prostate-specificARTF - no pocketMEDIUM (PROTAC?)
2NKX3-13e-30RegulatoryHomeodomain TFPDB (1)Prostate-specificARTF - difficultMEDIUM (degrader?)
3MSMB1e-32UTR variantSecreted Ig-likeAF (high)Prostate-enrichedNone directNovel secreted proteinLOW
4HNF1B5e-35RegulatoryHomeodomain TFAF onlyBroadNoneTF - no pocketLOW
5BIK5e-18IntergenicBH3-only (BCL2)AFUbiquitousBCL2 (venetoclax)Small, disorderedMEDIUM (mimetic)
6FOXP48e-8RegulatoryForkhead TFAF (low)BroadARTF - difficultLOW
7JAZF15e-11IntronicZinc finger TFAF (moderate)BroadNoneNovel functionLOW
8PDLIM54e-15IntronicPDZ-LIM scaffoldAF (moderate)BroadNoneScaffold proteinLOW
9EHBP14e-11IntronicEH domain bindingAFBroadNoneScaffold/unknownLOW
10THADA5e-8IntronicARM repeatAF (good)BroadNoneUnknown functionLOW
11FERMT22e-14IntronicFERM domainAFBroadITGA6Integrin pathwayMEDIUM
12TRIM85e-10IntronicRING E3 ligaseAFBroadNoneE3 ligase (PROTAC?)MEDIUM
13RAD51B3e-10IntronicRecA/Rad51AFBroadBRCA2, ATMDDR - difficultMEDIUM
14RGS174e-18RegulatoryRGS (GPCR reg.)AFSelectiveGPCRsDruggable familyHIGH ★
15KCNN32e-8IntronicKCa ion channelAFNeural/prostateChannel drugsDruggable familyHIGH ★
16TPCN25e-18IntronicTPC ion channelAFBroadChannel drugsDruggable familyHIGH ★
17MMP72e-11RegulatoryMetalloproteinasePDB availableTumorMMP inhibitorsSelectivity issuesMEDIUM
18EEFSEC9e-7IntronicGTPase (EF)AFUbiquitousNoneTranslation factorLOW
19ZNF6523e-13RegulatoryZinc finger TFAFBroadNoneTFLOW
20RFX65e-10IntronicRFX-type TFAFPancreas/prostateNoneTFLOW
21NBNMendelianFHA/BRCT scaffoldAFUbiquitousATMDDR scaffoldLOW
22MRE11MendelianMetallophosphoesterasePDBUbiquitousATM, NBNNuclease - difficultMEDIUM
23FANCCMendelianFA core complexAFUbiquitousBRCA2ScaffoldLOW
24MLH1MendelianMutL ATPasePDB (7)UbiquitousMSH2Loss-of-functionLOW (LOF)
25MSH6MendelianMutS ATPaseAFUbiquitousMSH2Loss-of-functionLOW (LOF)
26PMS2MendelianMutL endonucleaseAFUbiquitousMLH1Loss-of-functionLOW (LOF)
27CTBP23e-8IntronicTranscriptional corepressorAF (high)BroadMultiple TFsCorepressorMEDIUM
28FOXA1ClinVarCoding (somatic)Forkhead TFAFProstateARTF pioneer factorMEDIUM (PPI disruptor?)
29SPINT21e-10IntronicKunitz protease inhib.AFBroadHGF/METSecretedLOW
30CDK5RAP34e-18RegulatoryCDK5 regulatoryAFBroadCDKScaffoldMEDIUM

Section 18: Summary

GWAS LANDSCAPE

  • Total GWAS associations: >4,100 across >140 studies
  • Unique gene loci: >200
  • Coding vs non-coding variants: 6% coding / 94% non-coding
  • Dominant locus: 8q24 (MYC enhancer region) with p-values to 1e-44

GENETIC EVIDENCE

  • Tier 1 (coding) genes: 3 (HOXB13, KLK3, GGCX)
  • Mendelian overlap genes: 15 (GenCC) + 6 additional (ClinVar)
  • Both GWAS + Mendelian + coding: HOXB13 (strongest)

DRUGGABILITY

  • Overall rate: 40% have some drug/compound data
  • Approved drugs: 10% (Level 1)
  • In clinical trials: 12% (Level 3)
  • Druggable but undrugged: 12% (Level 5) — HIGH OPPORTUNITY
  • Opportunity gap (no drug development): 60%

PYRAMID SUMMARY

LevelCount%
1 - Validated510%
2 - Repurposing816%
3 - Emerging612%
4 - Tool Compounds510%
5 - Druggable Undrugged612%
6 - Hard Targets2040%

CLINICAL TRIAL ALIGNMENT

  • ~20-35% of trial drugs target GWAS genes (directly or via synthetic lethality)
  • AR axis dominates clinical development, well-aligned with genetic evidence
  • PARP inhibitor success validates DDR pathway (ATM/BRCA2 genetics)

TOP 10 REPURPOSING CANDIDATES

DrugGeneApproved Forp-valueScore
VenetoclaxBCL2 (via BIK)CLL/AML5e-189.5
ImetelstatTERTMDS3e-248.5
CrizotinibALKNSCLC1e-68.0
AbemaciclibCDK4/6BreastClinVar7.5
MetforminAMPK/ATMDiabetes8e-97.0
Natalizumab-likeITGA6MS9e-236.5
ErdafitinibFGFRBladder4e-86.0
DecitabineDNMT/TET2MDS9e-145.0
NiclosamideWnt/STAT3Antiparasitic4.5
SirolimusmTOR/PTENTransplantpathway6.0

TOP 10 UNDRUGGED OPPORTUNITIES

Genep-valueFamilyStructurePotential
RGS174e-18RGS (GPCR regulator)AFHIGH
TPCN25e-18Ion channelAFHIGH
KCNN32e-8Ion channelAFHIGH
HOXB131e-38TF (coding variant!)PDBMEDIUM
NKX3-13e-30TF (prostate-specific)PDBMEDIUM
TRIM85e-10E3 ligaseAFMEDIUM
FERMT22e-14FERM domainAFMEDIUM
MMP72e-11MetalloproteinasePDBMEDIUM
RAD51B3e-10RecA recombinaseAFMEDIUM
FOXA1ClinVarForkhead TFAFMEDIUM

TOP 10 INDIRECT OPPORTUNITIES

Undrugged GeneDrugged InteractorDrug
HOXB13 ↔ AREnzalutamide, Apalutamide
NKX3-1 ↔ AREnzalutamide, Darolutamide
FOXA1 ↔ AREnzalutamide
BIK ↔ BCL2Venetoclax
NBN ↔ ATMATM inhibitors (M4076)
MSH6 ↔ ATMATM inhibitors
FOXP4 ↔ ARAR antagonists
FERMT2 ↔ ITGA6Integrin antibodies
MRE11 ↔ ATMATM inhibitors
RAD51B ↔ BRCA2PARP inhibitors (olaparib)

KEY INSIGHTS

  1. Prostate cancer has one of the most genetically-validated therapeutic landscapes in oncology. The AR axis (Level 1) is massively validated by both GWAS and Mendelian evidence, and clinical success confirms the genetic predictions.

  2. The 8q24 “gene desert” paradox: The strongest GWAS signals (p~1e-44) map to non-coding RNAs (PCAT1, CASC8) that regulate MYC via long-range enhancers. MYC remains a “holy grail” hard target despite overwhelming genetic evidence.

  3. DNA damage repair is the second major validated pathway: ATM, BRCA2, MSH2, MSH6, MLH1, PMS2, NBN, MRE11, FANCC — this pathway’s enrichment directly explains the clinical success of PARP inhibitors and immunotherapy in DNA repair-deficient prostate cancers.

  4. HOXB13 G84E is uniquely compelling: It is the only common coding variant with high penetrance (OR 3-5), prostate-specific expression, and Mendelian evidence. Despite being a transcription factor (traditionally “undruggable”), PROTAC/molecular glue approaches may enable targeting.

  5. Ion channel opportunities are underexplored: TPCN2 (p=5e-18) and KCNN3 (p=2e-8) represent druggable families with no prostate cancer-specific drug development — a clear gap.

  6. RGS17 is a high-priority undrugged target: With strong GWAS evidence (p=4e-18), membership in the druggable RGS family (GPCR regulators), and selective expression, it represents an excellent novel target.

  7. Comparison with other cancers: Prostate cancer has higher GWAS-to-drug alignment (~35%) than most diseases (~10-15%), driven by the AR pathway. However, the 8q24/MYC disconnect mirrors findings in colorectal and other cancers.


Analysis performed using biobtree MCP tools. Data sources: GWAS Catalog, MONDO, EFO, MeSH, GenCC, ClinVar, UniProt, InterPro, PDB, AlphaFold, ChEMBL, STRING, Reactome, PharmGKB, Bgee. Date: 2026-04-10.