title: Nucleotide variants within the IQGAP1 gene in diffuse-type gastric cancers.
abstract: IQGAP1 is recognized as a negative regulator of cell-cell adhesion at adherens junctions in several cell types, including gastric mucosal cells. The histopathologic appearance of diffuse gastric carcinoma is defined by non- or poorly cohesive tumor cells, indicating abnormal intercellular adhesion. Hence, we screened 38 gastric cancers for activating point mutations in IQGAP1. In 2 of the 33 diffuse gastric cancers, there was a missense nucleotide change predicted to alter the amino acid sequence in the GAP-related domain, which includes part of the binding site for the activated small G proteins Cdc42 and Rac1. Many intronic IQGAP1 gene changes were observed, and several occurred more frequently in diffuse-type gastric cancers than in intestinal-type gastric cancers. A highly variable pentanucleotide repeat was identified in the final intron of IQGAP1. The most expanded six-repeat sequence was present exclusively in diffuse-type gastric cancers. Additionally, 19 diffuse cases and two intestinal cases exhibited silent coding region nucleotide alterations. Taken together, our results suggest that IQGAP1 coding sequence mutations are not a frequent event in gastric cancer, but do occur in a subset of diffuse-type gastric carcinomas. Additional studies analyzing other proteins involved in cell adhesion may lead to a better molecular understanding of the histopathologic appearance of diffuse gastric cancers.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia 22908-0708, USA.
authors.forename: Leah E
authors.initials: LE
authors.lastname: Morris
authors.forename: George S
authors.initials: GS
authors.lastname: Bloom
authors.forename: Henry F
authors.initials: HF
authors.lastname: Frierson
authors.forename: Steven M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Powell
mesh_terms: D000230:Adenocarcinoma / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D000818:Animals; D005753:Gastric Mucosa / Q000378:metabolism; D014644:Genetic Variation; D006801:Humans; D007414:Intestinal Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D007438:Introns / Q000235:genetics; D051379:Mice; D016513:Mice, SCID; D009154:Mutation / Q000235:genetics*; D013270:Stomach / Q000473:pathology; D013274:Stomach Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D014183:Transplantation, Heterologous; D020703:ras GTPase-Activating Proteins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: C101203:IQ motif containing GTPase activating protein 1; D020703:ras GTPase-Activating Proteins