title: p53 gene point mutations in relation to p53 nuclear protein accumulation in colorectal cancers.
abstract: It is known that structural alterations of the p53 tumour suppressor gene cause malignant transformation and tumour progression in colorectal mucosa. In this study, 38 colorectal cancers were analysed for mutations detected in the p53 gene by single-strand conformational polymorphism and DNA sequence analysis, and the results were compared with p53 protein expression detected by immunohistochemistry. A very strict association (P < 0.0001) was found between genetic alterations and protein accumulation, as detected by the PAb 1801 monoclonal antibody. p53 expression and gene mutations were more frequent in rectal than in colonic cancers. No relation was observed with Dukes' stage, even though most of the mutations were at exon 7 in Dukes' A-B cancers and almost all mutations at exon 8 were observed in Dukes' C-D cancers. DNA ploidy was not generally associated with p53 protein expression or gene mutations. However, 83 per cent of cases with exon 5 and 6 mutations were diploid or near-diploid and 71 per cent of cases with mutations at exons 7 and 8 were aneuploid. Tumours with p53 gene mutations at exon 5 had a higher median [3H]thymidine labelling index (17 per cent) than those with mutations at exons 6, 7, and 8 (11.8 per cent).
authors.affiliation: Oncologia Sperimentale C, Istituto Nazionale per lo Studio e la Cura dei Tumori, Milano, Italy.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Costa
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Marasca
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Valentinis
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Savarino
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Faranda
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Silvestrini
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Torelli
mesh_terms: D001483:Base Sequence; D003110:Colonic Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D004252:DNA Mutational Analysis; D015870:Gene Expression; D016158:Genes, p53; D006801:Humans; D007124:Immunoenzyme Techniques; D009363:Neoplasm Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D011003:Ploidies; D017354:Point Mutation; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D018807:Polymorphism, Single-Stranded Conformational; D012004:Rectal Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D016159:Tumor Suppressor Protein p53 / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D009363:Neoplasm Proteins; D016159:Tumor Suppressor Protein p53