Microsatellite instability in human solid tumors.
A genome-wide instability has been found in almost all analyzed malignant tumors from patients with hereditary non-polyposis colorectal cancer (HNPCC), and in a subgroup of sporadic (non-inherited) cancers of the same type. This mutator phenotype was initially seen as novel alleles at microsatellite loci (a family of repetitive DNA sequences) and was shown to be caused by mutations in the highly conserved mismatch repair genes. Mutations have been found in each of four of these human genes: hMSH2, hMLH1, hPMS1 and hPMS2, in the germline of HNPCC patients and in their tumors, as well as in sporadic tumors. These recent discoveries provide new molecular diagnostic tools for the detection of patients at high risk of developing carcinomas of the large bowel and other HNPCC-related tumors. Ongoing international research is progressively solving many of the unanswered questions at the genotypic and phenotypic levels of this newly identified mechanism in carcinogenesis.
Lothe
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Department of Genetics, Institute for Cancer Research, Norwegian Radium Hospital, Montebello, Oslo, Norway. rlothe@ulrik.uio.no
D048868:Adaptor Proteins, Signal Transducing; D000251:Adenosine Triphosphatases; D001419:Bacteria / Q000235:genetics; D002352:Carrier Proteins; D003123:Colorectal Neoplasms, Hereditary Nonpolyposis / Q000235:genetics*; D004260:DNA Repair / Q000235:genetics*; D045643:DNA Repair Enzymes; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D005656:Fungal Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D006801:Humans; D018895:Microsatellite Repeats / Q000235:genetics*; D000070976:Mismatch Repair Endonuclease PMS2; D000070957:MutL Protein Homolog 1; D000070956:MutL Proteins; D051718:MutS Homolog 2 Protein; D009154:Mutation; D009363:Neoplasm Proteins; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics*; D011506:Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D029701:Saccharomyces cerevisiae Proteins
D048868:Adaptor Proteins, Signal Transducing; D002352:Carrier Proteins; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; D005656:Fungal Proteins; C088859:MLH1 protein, S cerevisiae; D009363:Neoplasm Proteins; C088996:PMS1 protein, human; D011506:Proteins; D029701:Saccharomyces cerevisiae Proteins; D000251:Adenosine Triphosphatases; C094934:PMS2 protein, human; D000070976:Mismatch Repair Endonuclease PMS2; D000070957:MutL Protein Homolog 1; D000070956:MutL Proteins; D051718:MutS Homolog 2 Protein; D045643:DNA Repair Enzymes