title: [Detection of alterations of the DPC4 gene in paraffin-embedded tissues of pancreatic carcinomas].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To examine the alteration and significance of the DPC4 gene in paraffin-embedded tissues of pancreatic carcinomas.
  
  
  METHODS
  Polymerase chain reaction and single-strand conformation polymorphism analysis were used to search for deletions and mutations in the DPC4 gene in 46 cases of pancreatic carcinomas.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Thirteen of forty-six (28.3%) cases were found to have homozygous deletions in exon 1, 2, 3, 4, 8 and 11. One was in exon 11, one in exon 1 and 11, one in exon 2 and 3, one in exon 3 and 8, one in exon 1, 2 and 8, one in exon 2, 4 and 11, one in exon 3, 4 and 11, three in exon 3, 4 and 8, one in exon 2, 3, 4, and 8, one in exon 2, 3, 8 and 11, one in exon 2, 3, 4, 8 and 11. Intragenic mutations were found in 10 of 46 cases (21.7%). One case was in exon 1, one in exon 2, three in exon 8, four in exon 11, and one in exon 4 and 11. The total frequency of intragenic changes of DPC4 in paraffin-embedded tissues was 45.6% (21/46).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Inactivation of tumor-suppressor gene DPC4 may play an important role during the tumorigenesis of pancreatic carcinomas.
authors.affiliation: Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100730, China.
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Gu
authors.forename: Q
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Cui
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Liu
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D004252:DNA Mutational Analysis; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D005260:Female; D020868:Gene Silencing; D016147:Genes, Tumor Suppressor / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010190:Pancreatic Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics* / Q000503:physiopathology; D016612:Paraffin Embedding; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D051901:Smad4 Protein; D015534:Trans-Activators / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; C497796:SMAD4 protein, human; D051901:Smad4 Protein; D015534:Trans-Activators