Absence of APOBEC-1 mediated mRNA editing in human carcinomas

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J Greeve1, H Lellek, F Apostel

  • 1Medizinische Kernklinik und Poliklinik, Universitäts-Krankenhaus Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany.

Oncogene
|December 22, 1999
PubMed

Insights

Aberrant mRNA editing by APOBEC-1 does not cause human carcinomas. Researchers found no evidence of APOBEC-1-mediated editing in 28 tumor types, suggesting it

Area of Science:

  • Oncology
  • Molecular Biology
  • Biochemistry

Background:

  • Transgene expression of APOBEC-1 can induce hepatocellular carcinoma in animal models.
  • Aberrant mRNA editing has been proposed as a novel oncogenic mechanism.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the occurrence of APOBEC-1-mediated aberrant mRNA hyperediting in human carcinomas.
  • To determine if APOBEC-1 or its auxiliary components are involved in human cancer development.

Main Methods:

  • Analysis of 28 human carcinoma specimens for mRNA editing and APOBEC-1 expression.
  • Detection of editing and hyperediting of apo B, NAT1, and NF1 mRNA.
  • Quantification of full-length APOBEC-1 mRNA and assessment of auxiliary component expression.

Main Results:

  • No evidence of apo B, NAT1, or NF1 mRNA editing or hyperediting was found in any of the 28 human carcinoma types.
  • Full-length APOBEC-1 mRNA was largely undetectable in most carcinomas.
  • Low APOBEC-1 expression in some tumors showed inactivation by alternative splicing, and essential auxiliary components were often missing.

Conclusions:

  • APOBEC-1 or its auxiliary components, or both, are absent or non-functional in human carcinomas, preventing mRNA editing.
  • There is currently no evidence supporting a role for APOBEC-1-mediated aberrant editing in the tumorigenesis of natural human carcinomas.

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