Prevalence of estrogen receptor variant messenger RNAs in human breast cancer.
A new approach, based on the competitive amplification of wild-type and exon-deleted estrogen receptor (ER) variant cDNAs, was used to screen 100 human breast tumors for the presence of ER variants. Already described exon 4-deleted ER mRNA was preferentially detected in tumors with lower grades (P < 0.05) or higher progesterone receptor levels (P < 0.01), whereas new ER variants, deleted in exons 2-4 or in regions within exons 3-7 were associated with higher grades (P < 0.025) and higher ERs (P < 0.001). This approach allows investigation of the expression of multiple ER variant mRNAs and may implicate them as new prognostic markers and as possible contributors to tumor progression.
Leygue
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E
Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Manitoba, Faculty of Medicine, Winnipeg, Canada.
Huang
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A
Murphy
L C
LC
Watson
P H
PH
D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics* / Q000473:pathology; D005091:Exons / Q000235:genetics*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D009154:Mutation; D010865:Pilot Projects; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D015995:Prevalence; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000032:analysis*; D012334:RNA, Neoplasm / Q000032:analysis*; D011960:Receptors, Estrogen / Q000235:genetics*; D011980:Receptors, Progesterone / Q000235:genetics; D017384:Sequence Deletion
D012333:RNA, Messenger; D012334:RNA, Neoplasm; D011960:Receptors, Estrogen; D011980:Receptors, Progesterone