[A novel transforming gene from human stomach cancers]

We have identified a novel transforming gene, hst, from a human stomach cancer, and the results of our studies on hst are reviewed. From a total of 26 patients with stomach cancer, DNAs from 21 of their stomach cancers, 16 metastatic lymph node tumors from stomach cancers and 21 non-cancerous stomach mucosae, were assayed for their transforming activity to NIH3T3 cells. Three samples of DNA were positive; one was from a primary stomach cancer, the second from a non-cancerous portion of the same patient's stomach mucosa, and the third from a lymph node metastasis stomach cancer from a different patient. A portion of the transforming gene and near full-length cDNA for this gene was cloned. From the results of cDNA sequence and Southern blot analyses, this transforming gene was shown to have no homology with the oncogene reported previously. We applied the term, hst (human stomach cancer), to this novel transforming gene. The hst gene was found to be responsible for acquisition of transforming activity of all the three different samples of DNAs.