[Amplification, rearrangement and over-expression of c-fos gene in human primary brain tumors]

The c-fos gene was used as a probe to detect the Bam HI-digested brain DNA and total RNA isolated from 2 cases of normal human brain and 11 cases of human brain tumor by Southern blot analysis and RNA dot hybridization technique. The result showed an amplification and over-expression of c-fos gene in one case of glioblastoma multiforme. These data suggest that the c-fos gene may take an important role in the carcinogenesis of human primary brain tumor, and the level of c-fos expression may be correlated with the degree of differentiation of brain tumor cells. We also found that there was a rearrangement of c-fos gene in one case of ependymoma. This suggests that, in ependymoma, the c-fos gene may be activated in a way different from that in the brain tumors of astroglia origin.