Absence of RET proto-oncogene abnormalities in sporadic parathyroid tumors
- McGill Univ. and Royal Victoria Hospital, Montreal (Canada); and others
Parathyroid tumors can occur either sporadically or as a part of inherited cancer syndromes such as multiple endocrine neoplasia (MEN) type 2A. Recently, development of this syndrome has been shown to be related to specific mutations in the RET proto-oncogene, a putative receptor tyrosine kinase. Activation of this proto-oncogene has been demonstrated not only in tumors of the MEN 2A syndrome, but also in other neoplasia of neuroectoderm origin, namely papillary thyroid carcinoma where a rearrangement of the RET proto-oncogene has been found. In the present study, a role of the RET proto-oncogene in the development of sporadic parathyroid tumors was investigated by analyzing DNA samples obtained from 13 parathyroid adenomas and 6 parathyroid hyperplasias. Southern blot, using BamHI restricted DNA, did not reveal any gross alteration of the gene. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was then employed to amplify DNA fragments corresponding to exons 10 and 11 in which all MEN 2A mutations have been identified. Amplified DNA fragments were all of expected size (exon 10, 182 bp; exon 11, 233 bp). Since a single point mutation at codon 634 has been found to be associated in close to 90% of cases with development of parathyroid tumors in patients with the MEN 2A syndrome, exon 11, containing this codon, was further examined by direct sequence analysis. Sequences obtained from all tumors tested, however, did not differ from the wild type sequence. Therefore, the mutation of the RET proto-oncogene commonly associated with parathyroid neoplasias in MEN 2A is uncommon in sporadic parathyroid tumors. This suggests that the pathogenesis of parathyroid tumors occurring sporadically may be different from those occurring in patients with the MEN 2A syndrome.
- OSTI ID:
- 133553
- Report Number(s):
- CONF-941009--
- Journal Information:
- American Journal of Human Genetics, Journal Name: American Journal of Human Genetics Journal Issue: Suppl.3 Vol. 55; ISSN AJHGAG; ISSN 0002-9297
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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