title: High frequency of rearrangement of the RET protooncogene (RET/PTC) in Chinese papillary thyroid carcinomas.
abstract: The activation of RET protooncogene, through chromosomal translocation, is unique to papillary thyroid carcinomas. Rearrangement of the RET kinase domain to 3 partner genes has been described, of which the RET/PTC1 is the most common. To investigate the frequency of RET rearrangement in Chinese papillary thyroid carcinomas, we have performed RT-PCR to amplify specific RET/PTC transcripts. Among the papillary thyroid carcinomas of 11 patients examined, we have identified 2 containing RET/PTC1, 3 containing RET/PTC2, and 1 containing RET/PTC3 oncogenes. Although the cause of the high frequency of RET/PTC oncogenes in Chinese papillary thyroid carcinomas is unknown, our study suggests that RET rearrangement is an important genetic lesion underlying the development of thyroid papillary carcinoma in Taiwan.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan, Republic of China.
authors.forename: C H
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: L S
authors.initials: LS
authors.lastname: Hsu
authors.forename: C W
authors.initials: CW
authors.lastname: Chi
authors.forename: G D
authors.initials: GD
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: A H
authors.initials: AH
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: J Y
authors.initials: JY
authors.lastname: Chen
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001483:Base Sequence; D002291:Carcinoma, Papillary / Q000235:genetics*; D004273:DNA, Neoplasm / Q000032:analysis / Q000737:chemistry; D029721:Drosophila Proteins; D015321:Gene Rearrangement; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D051096:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-ret; D012194:RNA-Directed DNA Polymerase; D020794:Receptor Protein-Tyrosine Kinases / Q000235:genetics*; D013624:Taiwan; D013964:Thyroid Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: D004273:DNA, Neoplasm; D029721:Drosophila Proteins; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins; D051096:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-ret; D020794:Receptor Protein-Tyrosine Kinases; C416649:Ret protein, Drosophila; D012194:RNA-Directed DNA Polymerase