[Identification of down-regulated expressed sequence tag at chromosome 3p21 in nasopharyngeal carcinoma].
OBJECTIVE
It was reported that a locus of high frequency loss of heterozygosity was found at 3p14-25 of nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) cells. This study was designed to identify the expressed sequence tags (ESTs) associated with NPC at chromosome 3p21 in order to clone new candidate NPC-associated genes at the locus.


METHODS
The expression of relative ESTs at 3p21 was determined in nasopharyngeal carcinoma tissues and normal nasopharyngeal epithelia using ESTs homology analysis with bioinformatics in computer network combined with reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). The expression of EST was detected in other normal tissues and tumor cell lines using Northern blot analysis.


RESULTS
Comparing with expression of normal nasopharyngeal epithelia, EST (N31985) was down-regulated in 60.00% (3/5) nasopharyngeal carcinoma cell lines and 47.06% (16/34) nasopharyngeal carcinoma tissues (P < 0.05).


CONCLUSIONS
N31985 is down-regulated in NPC, suggesting it may play a role in NPC carcinogenesis.
He
Xiu-Sheng
XS
Cancer Research Institute, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, 410078, P. R. China.
Chen
Zhu-Chu
ZC
Tian
Fang
F
Xiao
Zhi-Qiang
ZQ
He
Zhi-Min
ZM
Guan
Yong-Jun
YJ
Li
Feng
F
He
Chun-Mei
CM
Yuan
Jian-Hui
JH
D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D002893:Chromosomes, Human, Pair 3; D015536:Down-Regulation; D020224:Expressed Sequence Tags / Q000378:metabolism*; D015972:Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic; D016147:Genes, Tumor Suppressor; D006801:Humans; D019656:Loss of Heterozygosity; D009303:Nasopharyngeal Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D009305:Nasopharynx / Q000378:metabolism; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction