title: Denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis screening of the BRCA1 gene in cells from precancerous cervical lesions.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine the integrity of the BRCA1 gene in archival, paraffin-embedded tissues from precancerous lesions of the uterine cervix.
  
  
  METHODS
  DNA was extracted from histologically documented precancerous cervical lesions (17 cases). Polymerase chain reactions were performed targeting exon 11 of BRCA1 (434-bp), the L1 consensus human papillomavirus (HPV) gene common to > 25 HPV types, as well as the beta-globin gene. The amplified products were analyzed using denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Mutation of the BRCA1 exon 11 gene was detected in > 76% of cases with precancerous lesions of the cervix. The mutations were either complete deletions or deletions of one or more nucleotides, leading to frame shifts. There were no significant differences in frequency of BRCA1 mutations among precancerous cervical tissues positive for the HPV L1 consensus gene (n = 9) when compared with HPV-negative tissues.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The mutated BRCA1 gene was associated with 76% of 17 precancerous lesions of the cervix. The type of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia and the presence or absence of HPV were not related to the mutations. The role of BRCA1 mutation in the genesis of precancerous cervical lesions needs to be explored further.
authors.affiliation: Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Loma Linda University School of Medicine, California 92350, USA.
authors.forename: S J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Park
authors.forename: P J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Chan
authors.forename: I M
authors.initials: IM
authors.lastname: Seraj
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: King
mesh_terms: D004279:DNA, Viral / Q000302:isolation & purification; D004591:Electrophoresis, Polyacrylamide Gel; D005260:Female; D016368:Frameshift Mutation; D019398:Genes, BRCA1 / Q000235:genetics*; D005914:Globins / Q000235:genetics; D006801:Humans; D027383:Papillomaviridae / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification; D017354:Point Mutation; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D011230:Precancerous Conditions / Q000235:genetics*; D011489:Protein Denaturation; D002583:Uterine Cervical Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics*; D002578:Uterine Cervical Dysplasia / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: D004279:DNA, Viral; D005914:Globins