Alterations of the p53 tumor suppressor gene and its association with activation of the c-K-ras-2 protooncogene in premalignant and malignant lesions of the human uterine endometrium.
We previously reported (T. Enomoto et al., Cancer Res., 50: 6139-6145, 1990; T. Enomoto et al., Cancer Res., 51: 5308-5314, 1991) a significant frequency of activating point mutations in codon 12 of the c-K-ras-2 protooncogene in endometrial adenocarcinoma and its premalignant precursor lesions (series 1 and 2). To reveal the role of the p53 tumor suppressor gene in the development of endometrial adenocarcinoma and to study the association of p53 alterations with K-ras activation, an additional 28 endometrial adenocarcinomas and an additional 11 premalignant atypical uterine hyperplasias (series 3), as well as 12 cases of endometrial adenocarcinoma (10 having K- or N-ras activation) and 2 cases of atypical hyperplasia from series 1 and 2, were screened for the presence of p53 alterations. Allelic loss, recognized at the polymorphic site in codon 72 of the p53 gene, was detected in 6 of 19 (32%) informative cases of endometrial adenocarcinoma and 1 of 4 (25%) informative cases of endometrial atypical hyperplasia by restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis and by single-strand conformation polymorphism analysis of polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-amplified DNA fragments. Mutations in the highly conserved regions of the p53 gene were detected by single-strand conformation polymorphism analysis of PCR-amplified DNA fragments. Mutations were found in 9 of 40 (23%) endometrial adenocarcinomas and 1 of 13 (8%) atypical hyperplasias that were studied. Mutations in p53 were significantly more frequently found in clinical grade 3 (G3) cancers (6 of 14, 43%) than in G1-G2 cancers (3 of 26, 12%) (P = 0.033). Mutations were subsequently confirmed by direct sequencing. Single missense base substitutions were detected in 6 cases of endometrial carcinoma and in one case of atypical hyperplasia. Deletions of a single base and of 2 bases were each detected in single cases of endometrial carcinoma, and a single base insertion was found in a third case. Point mutations in K-ras were also identified in tumors of series 3 by direct sequencing of PCR-amplified DNA fragments of exons 1 and 2. Point mutations in codons 12 and 13 in K-ras were detected by direct sequencing of PCR-amplified DNA in 7 of 28 adenocarcinomas in series 3, but none were found in exon 2 (codons 59.63. The spectrum of point mutations in p53 in endometrial adenocarcinomas was almost identical to what we found in K-ras in series 1 and 2 and in series 3, suggesting the possible role of a mutagen that might be responsible for mutations in both K-ras and p53.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
Enomoto
T
T
Department of Radiation Biology, Osaka University Faculty of Medicine, Japan.
Fujita
M
M
Inoue
M
M
Rice
J M
JM
Nakajima
R
R
Tanizawa
O
O
Nomura
T
T
D000230:Adenocarcinoma / Q000235:genetics*; D001483:Base Sequence; D002872:Chromosome Deletion; D004279:DNA, Viral / Q000032:analysis; D016889:Endometrial Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics*; D005260:Female; D015972:Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic; D016158:Genes, p53; D011905:Genes, ras; D006579:Heterozygote; D006801:Humans; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D027383:Papillomaviridae / Q000235:genetics; D017354:Point Mutation; D011230:Precancerous Conditions / Q000235:genetics*
D004279:DNA, Viral