title: Specific expression of the ret proto-oncogene in human neuroblastoma cell lines.
abstract: The expression of the ret proto-oncogene (proto-ret), which possibly encodes two isoforms of a receptor-type tyrosine kinase, was examined in human tumor cell lines. Expression of the proto-ret mRNA was detected in all 11 neuroblastoma cell lines examined. The level of mRNA varied more than 100-fold in these neuroblastoma cell lines and was particularly high in three of them. On the other hand, 19 non-neuroblastoma tumor cell lines derived from solid tumors and a human diploid fibroblast cell line did not express any detectable levels of proto-ret mRNA. No remarkable amplification of the proto-ret or gross structural changes in the coding region were found in these neuroblastoma cell lines. The specific expression of the proto-ret in neuroblastomas suggests that the proto-ret product may have a role in cellular functions specific to neuroblastoma cells.
authors.affiliation: Carcinogenesis Division, National Cancer Center Research Institute, Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Ikeda
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Ishizaka
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Tahira
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Suzuki
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Onda
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Sugimura
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Nagao
mesh_terms: D015152:Blotting, Northern; D015139:Blotting, Southern; D015342:DNA Probes; D029721:Drosophila Proteins; D005784:Gene Amplification; D015972:Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic; D016259:Genes, myc; D006801:Humans; D009447:Neuroblastoma / Q000235:genetics*; D010751:Phosphopyruvate Hydratase / Q000235:genetics; D011505:Protein-Tyrosine Kinases / Q000235:genetics; D000090063:Proto-Oncogene Mas; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D051096:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-ret; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000032:analysis*; D012334:RNA, Neoplasm / Q000032:analysis*; D020794:Receptor Protein-Tyrosine Kinases; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured
chemical_list: D015342:DNA Probes; D029721:Drosophila Proteins; C000715470:MAS1 protein, human; D000090063:Proto-Oncogene Mas; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D012334:RNA, Neoplasm; D011505:Protein-Tyrosine Kinases; D051096:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-ret; D020794:Receptor Protein-Tyrosine Kinases; C416649:Ret protein, Drosophila; D010751:Phosphopyruvate Hydratase