[Molecular study on minute alterations of the p53 and the N-ras genes in hematologic malignancies]

Minute alterations of the p53 tumor suppressor gene and N-ras oncogene were investigated in 106 samples for the p53 gene and 23 samples for the N-ras gene obtained from patients with various types of hematologic malignancies using polymerase chain reaction-single strand conformation polymorphism (PCR-SSCP) and direct nucleotide sequencing. Mobility shifts suggesting sequence alteration were observed in 9 cases (8.5%) in exons 5 through 8 containing evolutionarily highly conserved regions of the p53 gene by PCR-SSCP; missense point mutations in 3 cases (1 acute myelogenous leukemia (AML), 1 chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) in the accelerated phase, and 1 CML in the blast crisis), silent point mutation in 1 case (malignant lymphoma), and frame shift mutations due to insertions and deletions causing stop codons in 3 cases (1 AML, 1 CML in the chronic phase and 1 acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL)). p53 gene alterations did not always cluster within evolutionarily highly conserved regions, and there were various base change forms in cases with p53 point mutations. p53 mutations were detected in 2 cases out of 4 cases with 17 monosomy. There was no case with p53 gene alteration in myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) cases. Mobility shifts suggesting sequence alteration were observed in 5 cases (22%) in exon 1 and 2 of the N-ras gene by PCR-SSCP. 3 cases (1 MDS, 1 MDS overt AML and 1 ALL) were detected to contain missense point mutations. However, simultaneous mutations in both the genes were detected in only 2 cases out of 23, thereby indicating infrequent occurrence of concomitant mutation of both the genes in hematologic malignancies. Alterations of the p53 and the N-ras genes are involved in the tumorigenesis, progression and prognosis of at least some cases of hematologic malignancies, in spite that they are relatively infrequent.