title: Overexpression and amplification of STK15 in human gliomas.
abstract: The serine/threonine kinase 15 (STK15) at chromosome 20q13.2 is frequently shown to be amplified and overexpressed in several human cancers. STK15 has been reported to act as a cell cycle regulator and its overexpression induces centrosome amplification and aneuploidy. Recently we showed that STK15 even plays a role in human malignant brain tumours and we described an amplification of the gene in 31% of the investigated gliomas. In this study we scrutinized the correlation of increased STK15 on DNA and mRNA levels in gliomas of different histological grades. Southern blotting confirmed the amplification frequency of the STK15 gene, which had been previously detected by comparative PCR. In total, DNA gains were found in 26% of the investigated gliomas. Interestingly, we detected overexpression of STK15 mRNA in 60% of the analyzed brain tumours. The elevated expression does not strongly correlate with gains on DNA level, but all cases with an amplification of the STK15 gene display overexpression. Gains of the STK15 gene seem to occur irrespectively of the histological grades of the tumours, so that STK15 probably is not a progression associated factor. Amplification and overexpression of the kinase rather represent a primary alteration in human gliomas, which could play an important role as an early event in all glioma subtypes.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Human Genetics, Saarland University, Building 60, D-66421 Homburg/Saar, Germany.
authors.forename: Alexandra
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Klein
authors.forename: Wilfried
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Reichardt
authors.forename: Volker
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Jung
authors.forename: Klaus D
authors.initials: KD
authors.lastname: Zang
authors.forename: Eckart
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Meese
authors.forename: Steffi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Urbschat
mesh_terms: D064096:Aurora Kinase A; D064127:Aurora Kinases; D015139:Blotting, Southern; D001932:Brain Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics* / Q000473:pathology*; D004247:DNA / Q000032:analysis; D018450:Disease Progression; D005784:Gene Amplification; D005910:Glioma / Q000235:genetics* / Q000473:pathology*; D006801:Humans; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D017346:Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000032:analysis; D015854:Up-Regulation
chemical_list: D012333:RNA, Messenger; D004247:DNA; C576917:AURKA protein, human; D064096:Aurora Kinase A; D064127:Aurora Kinases; D017346:Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases