The tumor-associated gene HMGIC is expressed in normal and osteoarthritis-affected synovia

Chromosomal rearrangements involving chromosome bands 12q13-15 are very frequent findings in benign solid tumors, and recently, the primary molecular target for these aberrations was identified as the gene HMGIC. However, mutations in this gene have also been observed in nonneoplastic tissues. In a previous study, we reported breakpoints within HMGIC of synovia affected by osteoarthritis (OA) in two cases with 12q15 aberrations. To analyze further the role of HMGIC in this disease, we have performed cytogenetic, fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH), RNA, and protein expression analyses on synovial samples from patients with OA and individuals without signs of the disorder. Cytogenetic analysis of short-term cultured cells revealed clonal 12q13-15 aberrations in 2/36 cases of OA synovia and no rearrangement in any of the five controls. With FISH analysis, it was shown that the chromosomal breakpoints in the two aberrant cases were located outside the HMGIC locus. In contrast, at RNA and protein expression analyses, OA-affected as well as normal synovia displayed transcription and translation of the gene. We also analyzed whether immunoreactivity for HMGIC was associated with the proliferation-specific antigen Ki-67, but no correlation between the staining patterns of these proteins was observed. From the results of the present study, it is evident that expression of HMGIC cannot simply be considered a sign of neoplasia or an effect of proliferation.