Superimposed histologic and genetic mapping of chromosome 9 in progression of human urinary bladder neoplasia: implications for a genetic model of multistep urothelial carcinogenesis and early detection of urinary bladder cancer.
(1/8354)
The evolution of alterations on chromosome 9, including the putative tumor suppressor genes mapped to the 9p21-22 region (the MTS genes), was studied in relation to the progression of human urinary bladder neoplasia by using whole organ superimposed histologic and genetic mapping in cystectomy specimens and was verified in urinary bladder tumors of various pathogenetic subsets with longterm follow-up. The applicability of chromosome 9 allelic losses as non-invasive markers of urothelial neoplasia was tested on voided urine and/or bladder washings of patients with urinary bladder cancer. Although sequential multiple hits in the MTS locus were documented in the development of intraurothelial precursor lesions, the MTS genes do not seem to represent a major target for p21-23 deletions in bladder cancer. Two additional tumor suppressor genes involved in bladder neoplasia located distally and proximally to the MTS locus within p22-23 and p11-13 regions respectively were identified. Several distinct putative tumor suppressor gene loci within the q12-13, q21-22, and q34 regions were identified on the q arm. In particular, the pericentromeric q12-13 area may contain the critical tumor suppressor gene or genes for the development of early urothelial neoplasia. Allelic losses of chromosome 9 were associated with expansion of the abnormal urothelial clone which frequently involved large areas of urinary bladder mucosa. These losses could be found in a high proportion of urothelial tumors and in voided urine or bladder washing samples of nearly all patients with urinary bladder carcinoma. (+info)
Level of retinoblastoma protein expression correlates with p16 (MTS-1/INK4A/CDKN2) status in bladder cancer.
(2/8354)
Recent studies have shown that patients whose bladder cancer exhibit overexpression of RB protein as measured by immunohistochemical analysis do equally poorly as those with loss of RB function. We hypothesized that loss of p16 protein function could be related to RB overexpression, since p16 can induce transcriptional downregulation of RB and its loss may lead to aberrant RB regulation. Conversely, loss of RB function has been associated with high p16 protein expression in several other tumor types. In the present study RB negative bladder tumors also exhibited strong nuclear p16 staining while each tumor with strong, homogeneous RB nuclear staining were p16 negative, supporting our hypothesis. To expand on these immunohistochemical studies additional cases were selected in which the status of the p16 encoding gene had been determined at the molecular level. Absent p16 and high RB protein expression was found in the tumors having loss of heterozygosity within 9p21 and a structural change (mutation or deletion) of the remaining p16 encoding gene allele, confirming the staining results. These results strongly support the hypothesis that the RB nuclear overexpression recently associated with poor prognosis in bladder cancer is also associated with loss of p16 function and implies that loss of p16 function could be equally deleterious as RB loss in bladder and likely other cancers. (+info)
Multiple target sites of allelic imbalance on chromosome 17 in Barrett's oesophageal cancer.
(3/8354)
Twelve Barrett's adenocarcinomas have been analysed for the occurrence of allelic imbalance (LOH) on chromosome 17 using 41 microsatellite markers. This study provides evidence for 13 minimal regions of LOH, six on 17p and seven on 17q. Four of these centre in the vicinity of the known tumour suppressor genes (TSGs) TP53 (17p13.1), NFI (17q11.2), BRCA1 (17q21.1), and a putative TSG (17p13.3). The tumours all displayed relatively small regions of LOH (1-10 cM), and in several tumours extensive regions of LOH were detected. One tumour displayed only two very small regions of LOH; 17p11.2 and 17p13.1. The frequency of allelic imbalance has been calculated based on the LOH encompassing only one minimal region, and based on all the LOH observations. By both evaluations the highest LOH frequencies were found for regions II (p53), III (17p13.1 centromeric to p53), IV (17p12), V (17p11.2) and VII (NF1, 17q11.2). Our data supports the existence of multiple TSGs on chromosome 17 and challenges the view that p53 is the sole target of LOH on 17p in Barrett's adenocarcinoma. (+info)
p73 at chromosome 1p36.3 is lost in advanced stage neuroblastoma but its mutation is infrequent.
(4/8354)
p73, a novel p53 family member, is a recently identified candidate neuroblastoma (NBL) suppressor gene mapped at chromosome 1p36.33 and was found to inhibit growth and induce apoptosis in cell lines. To test the hypothesis that p73 is a NBL suppressor gene, we analysed the p73 gene in primary human NBLs. Loss of heterozygosity (LOH) for p73 was observed in 19% (28/151) of informative cases which included 92 mass-screening (MS) tumors. The high frequency of p73 LOH was significantly associated with sporadic NBLs (9% vs 34%, P<0.001), N-myc amplification (10% vs 71%, P<0.001), and advanced stage (14% vs 28%, P<0.05). Both p73alpha and p73beta transcripts were detectable in only 46 of 134 (34%) NBLs at low levels by RT-PCR methods, while they were easily detectable in most breast cancers and colorectal cancers under the same conditions. They found no correlation between p73 LOH and its expression levels (P>0.1). We found two mutations out of 140 NBLs, one somatic and one germline, which result in amino acid substitutions in the C-terminal region of p73 which may affect transactivation functions, though, in the same tumor samples, no mutation of the p53 gene was observed as reported previously. These results suggest that allelic loss of the p73 gene may be a later event in NBL tumorigenesis. However, p73 is infrequently mutated in primary NBLs and may hardly function as a tumor suppressor in a classic Knudson's manner. (+info)
Genomic organization of the KCNQ1 K+ channel gene and identification of C-terminal mutations in the long-QT syndrome.
(5/8354)
The voltage-gated K+ channel KVLQT1 is essential for the repolarization phase of the cardiac action potential and for K+ homeostasis in the inner ear. Mutations in the human KCNQ1 gene encoding the alpha subunit of the KVLQT1 channel cause the long-QT syndrome (LQTS). The autosomal dominant form of this cardiac disease, the Romano-Ward syndrome, is characterized by a prolongation of the QT interval, ventricular arrhythmias, and sudden death. The autosomal recessive form, the Jervell and Lange-Nielsen syndrome, also includes bilateral deafness. In the present study, we report the entire genomic structure of KCNQ1, which consists of 19 exons spanning 400 kb on chromosome 11p15.5. We describe the sequences of exon-intron boundaries and oligonucleotide primers that allow polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification of exons from genomic DNA. Two new (CA)n repeat microsatellites were found in introns 10 and 14. The present study provides helpful tools for the linkage analysis and mutation screening of the complete KCNQ1 gene. By use of these tools, five novel mutations were identified in LQTS patients by PCR-single-strand conformational polymorphism (SSCP) analysis in the C-terminal part of KCNQ1: two missense mutations, a 20-bp and 1-bp deletions, and a 1-bp insertion. Such mutations in the C-terminal domain of the gene may be more frequent than previously expected, because this region has not been analyzed so far. This could explain the low percentage of mutations found in large LQTS cohorts. (+info)
Genomic structure and alterations of homeobox gene CDX2 in colorectal carcinomas.
(6/8354)
Expression of CDX2, a caudal-related homeobox gene, was found to be decreased in colorectal carcinomas. Heterozygous null mutant mice as to Cdx2 develop multiple intestinal adenomatous polyps. To clarify the role of CDX2 in colorectal carcinogenesis, we determined its genomic structure, and searched for mutations of CDX2 in 49 sporadic colorectal carcinomas and ten hereditary non-polyposis colorectal cancers (HNPCC) without microsatellite instability. None of them exhibited a mutation. We further examined 19 HNPCC carcinomas with microsatellite instability for mutations in a (G)7 repeat site within CDX2. One of them (5.3%) exhibited one G insertion. Loss of heterozygosity was observed in 2 of the 20 (10%) informative sporadic carcinomas, and in one of the three (33.3%) informative HNPCC cancers. These data indicate that CDX2 may play only a minor role in colorectal carcinogenesis. (+info)
Microsatellite instability, Epstein-Barr virus, mutation of type II transforming growth factor beta receptor and BAX in gastric carcinomas in Hong Kong Chinese.
(7/8354)
Microsatellite instability (MI), the phenotypic manifestation of mismatch repair failure, is found in a proportion of gastric carcinomas. Little is known of the links between MI and Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) status and clinicopathological elements. Examination of genes mutated through the MI mechanism could also be expected to reveal important information on the carcinogenic pathway. Seventy-nine gastric carcinomas (61 EBV negative, 18 EBV positive) from local Hong Kong Chinese population, an intermediate-incidence area, were examined. Eight microsatellite loci, inclusive of the A10 tract of type II transforming growth factor beta receptor (TbetaR-II), were used to evaluate the MI status. MI in the BAX and insulin-like growth factor II receptor (IGF-IIR) genes were also examined. High-level MI (>40% unstable loci) was detected in ten cases (12.7%) and low-level MI (1-40% unstable loci) in three (3.8%). High-level MI was detected in two EBV-associated cases (11%) and the incidence was similar for the EBV-negative cases (13%). The high-level MIs were significantly associated with intestinal-type tumours (P = 0.03) and a more prominent lymphoid infiltrate (P = 0.04). Similar associations were noted in the EBV-positive carcinomas. The high-level MIs were more commonly located in the antrum, whereas the EBV-associated carcinomas were mostly located in body. Thirteen cardia cases were negative for both high-level MI and EBV. All patients aged below 55 were MI negative (P = 0.049). Of the high-level MIs, 80% had mutation in TbetaR-II, 40% in BAX and 0% in IGF-IIR. Of low-level MIs, 33% also had TbetaR-II mutation. These mutations were absent in the MI-negative cases. Of three lymphoepithelioma-like carcinomas, two cases were EBV positive and MI negative, one case was EBV negative but with high-level MI. In conclusion, high-level MIs were present regardless of the EBV status, and were found in a particular clinicopathological subset of gastric carcinoma patient. Inactivation of important growth regulatory genes observed in these carcinomas confirms the importance of MI in carcinogenesis. (+info)
Characterization of a CACAG pentanucleotide repeat in Pasteurella haemolytica and its possible role in modulation of a novel type III restriction-modification system.
(8/8354)
In a previous study, a recombinant plasmid that contains a CACAG pentanucleotide repeat was isolated from a Pasteurella haemolytica A1 library. Southern hybridization analysis using a (CACAG)5probe indicated the presence of two loci that contain the pentanucleotide repeats on the genome of P.haemolytica A1. Additional hybridization analyses against genomic DNA from related microorganisms indicated that the repeats are only present in P.haemolytica and Pasteurella trehalosi T3. The various serotypes of P.haemolytica werefound to have either one or two of the CACAG repeat-containing loci. Examination of the locus designated Rpt2 by PCR and sequence analysis indicated that the number of CACAG repeats could change upon serial subculture which most likely occurs as a result of DNA slipped-strand mispairing. A plasmid carrying the Rpt2 locus was isolated and characterized. Sequenceanalysis indicated that the CACAG repeats are contained within the 5'-end of a gene that showed homology to mod genes of type III restriction-modification systems. A second open reading frame downstream was identified which showed homology to res genes of type III restriction-modification systems. Both the modification and restriction proteins could be expressed and polypeptides of the expected sizes were detected by SDS-PAGE. Restriction activity could also be detected in crude cytoplasmic extracts of Escherichia coli strains carrying the mod and res genes on recombinant plasmids. (+info)