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Title: Molecular cloning of the akt oncogene and its human homologues AKT1 and AKT2: amplification of AKT1 in a primary human gastric adenocarcinoma

Journal Article · · Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.; (United States)

A previous report described the isolation of a directly transforming retrovirus, AKT8, from a spontaneous thymoma of an AKR mouse. The AKT8 provirus has now been molecularly cloned from a transformed, nonproducer cell line. The virus genome contains both viral and nonviral, cell-related sequences; the nonviral sequence has been designated v-akt, the presumed viral oncogene of the AKT8 virus. This gene lacks homology to the 16 other oncogenes tested. The cloned provirus has undergone a partial deletion, during cell passage in vitro, that prevents direct demonstration of the transforming ability of this molecular clone. Two human homologues of the v-akt oncogene, AKT1 and AKT2, were cloned. A survey of 225 human tumors for changes involving ATK1 led to the discovery of a 20-fold amplification of this gene in one of the five gastric adenocarcinomas tested. The results demonstrate that AKT8 has the characteristic structure of a directly transforming retrovirus and that it contains a gene derived from highly conserved cellular sequences that may be involved in the pathogenesis of some human malignancies.

Research Organization:
Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD (USA)
OSTI ID:
5297700
Journal Information:
Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.; (United States), Vol. 84:14
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English