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p53 mutation in human nasopharyngeal carcinomas
1Department of Anatomical and Cellular Pathology, Chinese University of Hong Kong.
Anticancer Research
|November 1, 1992
Summary
p53 mutations are infrequent in nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) tumors, suggesting they do not play a significant role in NPC development. However, p53 mutations were common in NPC cell lines, indicating a potential role in tumor cell establishment.
Area of Science:
- Oncology
- Molecular Biology
- Genetics
Background:
- Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is prevalent in Southern China, with multifactorial causes including Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) and environmental factors.
- The role of p53 mutations, common in other cancers, in NPC pathogenesis was previously unexamined.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the presence and significance of p53 gene mutations in nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC).
- To determine if p53 mutations contribute to the development or progression of NPC.
Main Methods:
- Examined 38 NPC tumor biopsies and 4 NPC cell lines for p53 mutations using PCR-SSCP and DNA sequencing.
- Analyzed for loss of heterozygosity at chromosome region 17p13 using RFLP in 15 informative NPC cases.
Main Results:
- No p53 mutations altering the p53 protein sequence were found in NPC tumor biopsies.
- Loss of heterozygosity at 17p13 was not observed in any informative NPC biopsy cases.
- All three examined NPC cell lines harbored missense p53 mutations.
Conclusions:
- p53 gene mutations appear to be infrequent in primary NPC tumors and unlikely to be a major factor in NPC pathogenesis.
- The high frequency of p53 mutations in NPC cell lines suggests a role in conferring growth advantage for tumor establishment in culture.