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Published on: July 25, 2020
Genetic alterations in SMAD4 and K-ras in Serbian patients with endometrial carcinoma
Aleksandra Nikolic1, Momcilo Ristanovic, Vladimir Perovic
1Institute of Molecular Genetics and Genetic Engineering, Belgrade, Serbia. aleksni@imgge.bg.ac.rs
Objective:
This study was aimed at analyzing alterations in K-ras gene and SMAD4 gene promoter in endometrial carcinoma tissue in Serbian patients.
Methods/Materials:
The study has encompassed 36 patients whose endometrial cancer tissue samples and peripheral blood samples were analyzed for the presence of alterations in the K-ras gene and the SMAD4 gene promoter. The detection of K-ras codon 12 mutation was performed by polymerase chain reaction restriction fragment length polymorphism technique. Analysis of mononucleotide repeat variants at -462T(15) and -4T(12) of the SMAD4 gene promoter was performed by capillary electrophoresis analysis of DNA fragments fluorescently labeled by polymerase chain reaction.
Results:
Mutation in codon 12 of the K-ras gene was detected with relatively high frequency of 75.0% (27 of 36 cases). Analysis of 2 mononucleotide repeats in the SMAD4 gene promoter showed that in most cases, haplotypes -462T(15)/-4T(12) and -462T(16)/-4T(12) were present; whereas in one case, a novel haplotype -462T(15)/-4T(10) was detected.
Conclusions:
Findings on the role and potential significance of the K-ras codon 12 mutation and SMAD4 gene promoter variants in patients with endometrial carcinoma remain controversial, and their occurrence in this type of cancer should be further investigated.
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