Absence of oncogenic mutations of RAS family genes in soft tissue sarcomas of 100 Japanese patients.
BACKGROUND
Activating point mutations of genes of the RAS family (KRAS, HRAS and NRAS genes) are frequently found in carcinomas, but their prevalence in sarcomas varies considerably among ethnic groups. No extensive studies in Japanese patients have been performed.


METHODS
Mutation analyses of three RAS genes (KRAS, HRAS and NRAS) were performed using polymerase chain reaction-single strand conformation polymorphism (PCR-SSCP) analyses and PCR direct sequencing in one hundred cases of soft tissue sarcoma (STS) as well as six STS cell lines from Japanese patients.


RESULTS
No mutations were found in two hot spot regions (codon 12-13 and 61) of the three RAS genes.


CONCLUSIONS
Activating mutations of the RAS gene family are uncommon events in soft tissue sarcomas in Japanese patients.
Institute for Frontier Medical Sciences, Kyoto University, 53 Kawahara-cho, Shogoin, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto 606-8507, Japan.
Yonghui
Y
Jin
Yasuko
Y
Shima
Moritoshi
M
Furu
Tomoki
T
Aoyama
Takeharu
T
Nakamata
Tomitaka
T
Nakayama
Takashi
T
Nakamura
Junya
J
Toguchida
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D002648:Child; D004252:DNA Mutational Analysis; D005260:Female; D011905:Genes, ras; D006801:Humans; D007564:Japan; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D018807:Polymorphism, Single-Stranded Conformational; D012509:Sarcoma / Q000235:genetics*; D055815:Young Adult