Expression of the E2F family in human gastrointestinal carcinomas

✍ Scribed by Tetsuo Suzuki; Wataru Yasui; Hiroshi Yokozaki; Kazuhito Naka; Takenori Ishikawa; Eiichi Tahara

• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 1999
• Tongue: French
• Weight: 62 KB
• Volume: 81
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0020-7136
• DOI: 10.1002/(sici)1097-0215(19990517)81:4<535::aid-ijc5>3.0.co;2-4

✦ Synopsis

The E2F family of transcription factors plays a key role in the control of cell-cycle progression. Some family members may act as oncogenes, others as tumor-suppressor genes. The genetic changes and the expression of E2F-1 and -3 were examined in human gastric and colorectal carcinomas by Southern, Northern and Western blots. Gene amplification of E2F-1 was detected in 4% (1/23) of gastric carcinomas and 25% (3/12) of the colorectal carcinomas. Increased expression of E2F-1 mRNA was observed in 40% (12/30) of the gastric carcinomas and in 60% (3/5) of the colorectal carcinomas in comparison with the corresponding non-neoplastic mucosa. Over-expression of E2F-1 protein was confirmed in many of the gastric carcinomas. In contrast, expression levels of E2F-3 mRNA were lower in 70% (21/30) of the gastric carcinomas and in 20% (1/5) of the colorectal carcinomas than in their corresponding normal conterparts, while gross alteration of the E2F-3 gene was not detected. These results suggest that gene amplification and anomalous expression of the E2F gene may permit development of gastrointestinal carcinomas. Int.