title: [Identification of down-regulated expressed sequence tag at chromosome 3p21 in nasopharyngeal carcinoma].
abstract: 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.
authors.affiliation: Cancer Research Institute, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, 410078, P. R. China.
authors.forename: Xiu-Sheng
authors.initials: XS
authors.lastname: He
authors.forename: Zhu-Chu
authors.initials: ZC
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Fang
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Tian
authors.forename: Zhi-Qiang
authors.initials: ZQ
authors.lastname: Xiao
authors.forename: Zhi-Min
authors.initials: ZM
authors.lastname: He
authors.forename: Yong-Jun
authors.initials: YJ
authors.lastname: Guan
authors.forename: Feng
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Chun-Mei
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: He
authors.forename: Jian-Hui
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Yuan
mesh_terms: 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