title: PCR-SSCP analysis of human adrenocortical adenomas: absence of K-ras gene mutations.
abstract: Little is known about the pathogenesis and etiology of benign tumors of the adrenal cortex. A variety of cellular oncogenes and tumor suppressor genes has been studied so far. The role of K-ras in this process is not yet clearly understood. Recent findings suggest a strong influence of mutated K-ras in the pathogenesis of adrenal adenomas (Lin et al., 1998). Therefore we studied 40 human adrenal tumors for mutations in the coding region of the cellular proto-oncogene K-ras by PCR-SSCP (Single-strand conformation polymorphism) analysis. We did not identify any activating mutation in the coding region of the K-ras gene. We conclude that activating mutations of the K-ras gene are not a major cause for the development of adrenal adenomas, if at all.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine 1, Friedrich-Alexander-University Erlangen-Nürnberg, Germany.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ocker
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Sachse
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Rico
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Hensen
mesh_terms: D000306:Adrenal Cortex Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics*; D018246:Adrenocortical Adenoma / Q000235:genetics*; D011905:Genes, ras; D006801:Humans; D009154:Mutation; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D018807:Polymorphism, Single-Stranded Conformational; D000090063:Proto-Oncogene Mas