Germline mutations in the VHL tumor suppresssor gene are similar to somatic VHL aberrations in sporadic renal cell carcinoma
- Bristol-Myers Squibb Pharmaceutical Research Institute, Princeton, NJ (United States); and others
A candidate gene for von Hippel Lindau disease was recently identified that led to the isolation of a partial cDNA clone with extended open reading frame without significant homology to known genes or obvious functional motifs, except for an acidic pentamer repeat domain. To further characterize the functional domains of the VHL gene and assess its involvement in hereditary and non-hereditary tumors, we performed mutation analyses and studied its expresssion in normal and tumor tissue. We identified germline mutations in 39% of VHL disease families. Moreover, 33% of sporadic RCCs, and all (6/6) sporadic RCC cell lines analyzed, showed mutations within the VHL gene. Both germline and somatic mutations included deletions, insertions, splice site mutations, missense and nonsense mutations, all of which clustered at the 3{prime} end of the corresponding partial VHL cDNA open reading frame including an alternatively-spliced exon of 123 nucleotides in length, suggesting functionally important domains encoded by the VHL gene in this region. Over 180 sporadic tumors of other types have shown no detectable base changes within the presumed coding sequence of the VHL gene to date. We conclude that the gene causing VHL has an important and specific role in the etiology of sporadic renal cell carcinomas, acts as a recessive tumor suppressor gene, and appears to encode important functional domains within the 3{prime} end of the known open reading frame.
- OSTI ID:
- 133600
- Report Number(s):
- CONF-941009-; ISSN 0002-9297; TRN: 95:005313-0329
- Journal Information:
- American Journal of Human Genetics, Vol. 55, Issue Suppl.3; Conference: 44. annual meeting of the American Society of Human Genetics, Montreal (Canada), 18-22 Oct 1994; Other Information: PBD: Sep 1994
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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