title: Oncogene expression in small-cell lung cancer cell lines and a testicular germ-cell tumor: activation of the N-myc gene and decreased RB mRNA.
abstract: N-myc and L-myc proto-oncogenes are expressed in many developing embryonic tissues. In contrast to expression of the closely related c-myc gene, N-myc and L-myc expression is very restricted in adult tissues. We show that small amounts of the L-myc RNA can be detected in normal adult testicular tissue. A high level of N-myc expression from a single-copy N-myc gene was found in a malignant tumor of the testis, histopathologically defined as a seminoma. This tumor also showed a decrease of mRNA from the retinoblastoma gene (RB), which is ubiquitously expressed in all normal tissues. Strikingly similar results on elevated expression of the L-myc and N-myc genes and a lack of RB mRNA have been reported in small-cell lung cancer cell lines, and are confirmed in our study.
authors.affiliation: Department of Virology, University of Helsinki, Finland.
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Saksela
authors.forename: T P
authors.initials: TP
authors.lastname: Mäkelä
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Alitalo
mesh_terms: D018288:Carcinoma, Small Cell / Q000235:genetics*; D005784:Gene Amplification; D006801:Humans; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics*; D008297:Male; D009373:Neoplasms, Germ Cell and Embryonal / Q000235:genetics*; D011519:Proto-Oncogenes; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000032:analysis*; D012334:RNA, Neoplasm / Q000032:analysis; D013736:Testicular Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics*; D013737:Testis / Q000032:analysis; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured
chemical_list: D012333:RNA, Messenger; D012334:RNA, Neoplasm