title: Sequence of a germ-line N-myc gene and amplification as a mechanism of activation.
abstract: Amplification of the N-myc gene has been reported in a number of tumour types including neuroblastoma, retinoblastoma and small cell lung carcinoma. Two amplified human N-myc genes have been sequenced. To determine whether any sequence changes accompany gene amplification and hence to define more precisely the mechanism of activation of the N-myc gene, we have sequenced a germ-line N-myc gene. This sequence differs from the amplified gene sequences by only a single base substitution, which may represent a polymorphic site. This comparison indicates that neither changes in gene structure nor nucleotide sequence accompany gene amplification. Analyses of four small cell lung carcinoma cell lines with amplification of the N-myc gene using restriction endonucleases and Northern blotting reveal no structural aberrations of the majority of the gene copies, substantiating the concept that amplification of the N-myc gene results in high levels of structurally normal N-myc mRNA.
authors.affiliation: Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research, Cambridge, UK.
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Ibson
authors.forename: P H
authors.initials: PH
authors.lastname: Rabbitts
mesh_terms: D001483:Base Sequence; D018288:Carcinoma, Small Cell / Q000235:genetics; D005784:Gene Amplification; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation; D006801:Humans; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics; D009857:Oncogenes; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D016271:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-myc; D011519:Proto-Oncogenes; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000032:analysis
chemical_list: D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins; D016271:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-myc; D012333:RNA, Messenger