A somatic mutation of the p21(Waf1/Cip1) gene in a human adrenocortical adenoma.
The p21(Waf1/Cip1) protein, an inhibitory protein of cellular growth and DNA replication, is induced by the p53 tumour suppressor protein. Any mutations or deletions inactivating the protein may result in unregulated cellular growth. In one aldosterone secreting adrenocortical adenoma, we found a heterozygous deletion of a 111-base-pair (bp) fragment of the p21 cDNA. This deletion resulted in a truncated p21 protein lacking 37 amino acids from codon 65 to 101. The deletion was a somatic mutation, because it was not detected in the DNA of cultured fibroblasts obtained from the same patient. The results suggest that an alteration of the p21 protein may be relevant in inducing an adrenocortical adenoma, a well differentiated and slowly growing benign tumour.
Iida
S
S
Minami-Wakayama National Hospital, Japan.
Fujii
H
H
Moriwaki
K
K
D000236:Adenoma / Q000235:genetics*; D000306:Adrenal Cortex Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics*; D050759:Cyclin-Dependent Kinase Inhibitor p21; D016213:Cyclins / Q000235:genetics*; D006801:Humans; D009154:Mutation / Q000235:genetics*; D009363:Neoplasm Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D017384:Sequence Deletion
C493956:CDKN1A protein, human; D050759:Cyclin-Dependent Kinase Inhibitor p21; D016213:Cyclins; D009363:Neoplasm Proteins