Disruption of the APC gene by a retrotransposal insertion of L1 sequence in a colon cancer

The APC gene is responsible for familial adenomatous polyposis and is considered to be a tumor suppressor gene associated with development of sporadic colorectal tumors. Here we report the disruption of the APC gene caused by somatic insertion of a long interspersed repetitive element (LINE-1 sequence) into the last exon of the APC gene in a colon cancer. The inserted sequence was composed of a 3' portion of the LINE-1 consensus sequence and nearly 180 base pairs of polyadenylate tract. Furthermore, since an 8-base pair target site duplication was observed, retrotranscriptional insertion of an active LINE-1 sequence is suspected as the cause of this insertion event. This is the first report of the disruption of a tumor suppressor gene caused by somatic insertion of a mobile genetic element.