Differential expression of the Quox-1 gene in normal human cells, early human embryo, and tumor cells.
Quox-1 is the only gene in the hox family whose expression occurs throughout the developing central nervous system. The differential expression of the Quox-1 gene was studied in normal human tissues and tumor tissues. Marked expression of Quox-1 was detected in early human embryos, LCE cells, and HeLa cells, with weak to zero expression being detected in various normal human tissues. Immunocytochemistry analysis further confirmed that the Quox-1 protein was absent in normal human leukocytes. However, high levels of Quox-1 product were found in leukocytes of acute lymphocyte leukemia patients and in patients with a subtype of acute nonlymphocyte leukemia. In addition, Southern blot analysis showed that the genomic DNA of LCE, HeLa, and normal human leukocyte cells had a DNA rearrangement of the Quox-1 gene, suggesting that the rearrangement of genomic DNA might be the cause of differential expression in normal human tissues and tumor tissues. The data implied that the overexpression of Quox-1 was associated with tumors, and that there may be links between the processes of embryogenesis and carcinogenesis.
Zhu
Fan
F
College of Life Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430072, People's Republic of China.
Li
Wen-Xin
WX
Jiang
Da-He
DH
Gou
De-Ming
DM
D017398:Alternative Splicing; D001345:Autoradiography; D015152:Blotting, Northern; D015139:Blotting, Southern; D002471:Cell Transformation, Neoplastic / Q000235:genetics; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D004247:DNA / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000235:genetics; D004622:Embryo, Mammalian / Q000378:metabolism; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation / Q000502:physiology*; D018507:Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental / Q000502:physiology*; D015972:Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic / Q000502:physiology*; D015321:Gene Rearrangement / Q000235:genetics; D018398:Homeodomain Proteins; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000235:genetics; D009693:Nucleic Acid Hybridization; D014176:Protein Biosynthesis / Q000502:physiology; D014158:Transcription, Genetic / Q000502:physiology; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured
D018398:Homeodomain Proteins; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins; C484061:Quox-1 protein, human; D004247:DNA