title: Molecular characterization of RET/PTC3; a novel rearranged version of the RETproto-oncogene in a human thyroid papillary carcinoma.
abstract: The RET proto-oncogene encodes a transmembrane receptor of the tyrosine kinase family and has frequently been found activated in human thyroid carcinomas of the papillary subtype. In most cases the activation consisted of the fusion of its tyrosine-kinase domain with the 5'-terminal region of a gene designated H4 or D10S170. We have named the resulting H4/RET chimeric oncogene RET/PTC. Another activated form of the RET oncogene has subsequently been found in a thyroid carcinoma and is now referred to as RET/PTC2. Here we report the identification and cloning of a novel rearranged version of the RET oncogene in a human thyroid papillary carcinoma. In this case the tyrosine-kinase domain of RET was fused to a sequence 790 bp long belonging to a new gene that we have named RFG (RET Fused Gene). This novel chimeric oncogene has been designated RET/PTC3. In order to have more insights into the function of RFG we have completely cloned and sequenced its cDNA. RFG predicted amino-acid sequence does not have any significant homology to any already known genes and is ubiquitously expressed in human and mouse tissues. Finally we provide evidence indicating that the rearrangement leading to the generation of RET/PTC3 occurred in vivo in the original tumor DNA.
authors.affiliation: Centro di Endocrinologia ed Oncologia Sperimentale del C.N.R., Università degli Studi di Napoli, Italy.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Santoro
authors.forename: N A
authors.initials: NA
authors.lastname: Dathan
authors.forename: M T
authors.initials: MT
authors.lastname: Berlingieri
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Bongarzone
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Paulin
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Grieco
authors.forename: M A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Pierotti
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Vecchio
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Fusco
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D001483:Base Sequence; D015152:Blotting, Northern; D015139:Blotting, Southern; D002291:Carcinoma, Papillary / Q000235:genetics*; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D004273:DNA, Neoplasm / Q000235:genetics*; D029721:Drosophila Proteins; D015321:Gene Rearrangement; D006801:Humans; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D000090063:Proto-Oncogene Mas; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D051096:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-ret; D011519:Proto-Oncogenes / Q000235:genetics*; D020794:Receptor Protein-Tyrosine Kinases / Q000235:genetics*; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid; D013964:Thyroid Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics*; D014162:Transfection
chemical_list: D004273:DNA, Neoplasm; D029721:Drosophila Proteins; C000715470:MAS1 protein, human; D000090063:Proto-Oncogene Mas; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins; D051096:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-ret; D020794:Receptor Protein-Tyrosine Kinases; C416649:Ret protein, Drosophila