Nuclear oncogene amplification or rearrangement is not involved in human colorectal malignancies.
We have examined 44 cases of human colonic and rectal carcinomas for structural rearrangement and amplification of c-myc, N-myc, L-myc, c-myb and p53 oncogenes. DNA hybridization showed evidence of c-myc amplification in only one of the samples tested. In addition, the same tumour also showed a rearrangement immediately 3' to the c-myc locus. No rearrangement could be found at the c-myc locus in the other 43 cases. Moreover, our molecular analysis of N-myc, L-myc, c-myb and p53 genes indicated no relevant alteration of the copy number and/or genomic structure of these nuclear oncogenes. Thus, at least in human colorectal malignancies, it is unlikely that nuclear oncogene structural alterations and/or amplification plays a major role in tumour induction or progression.
Dolcetti
R
R
Centro di Riferimento Oncologico, Aviano (Pordenone), Italy.
De Re
V
V
Viel
A
A
Pistello
M
M
Tavian
M
M
Boiocchi
M
M
D000230:Adenocarcinoma / Q000235:genetics*; D003110:Colonic Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics*; D004247:DNA; D005784:Gene Amplification; D015321:Gene Rearrangement; D006801:Humans; D009693:Nucleic Acid Hybridization; D009857:Oncogenes; D012004:Rectal Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics*
D004247:DNA