Deletion mapping of chromosome 3p in human uterine cervical cancer

Deletion mapping of chromosome 3p was performed on 47 cases of human uterine cervical cancer using 24 polymorphic DNA markers including five inter-Alu DNA markers and two NotI-boundary cosmid markers obtained in our laboratory. The most likely order of these 24 polymorphic DNA markers was determined as being cen-[D3S4, H8]-D3S693-D3S659-D3S30-D3S687-[D3S2, UR9, UR47]-J36-J17-GNAI2B-D3F15S2-D3S643- D3S32-D3S23-D3S686-H35-UR189-D3S685-D3S 11 - D3S12-THRB-D3S22-pter, based on the data from radiation hybrid mapping genetic linkage analysis and in situ hybridization. Loss of heterozygosity (LOH) at one or more loci on chromosome 3p was detected in 21 of 47 cases (45%). Four tumors showed partial or interstitial deletions, and the common region of LOH in these tumors was 3p13-p21.1 between the D3S30 marker and the D3S2 marker. Candidates for tumor-suppressor genes, APEH, D8, GNA12B, ZNF35, RARB, THRB and RAFI, were all mapped outside of the common region in uterine cervical cancer. However, this region is commonly deleted in carcinoma of the lung, breast and kidney, and encompasses the breakpoint of the (3;8) translocation in hereditary renal cell carcinoma. This result indicates the presence of a novel tumor-suppressor gene in the region of 3p13-p21.1, which is involved in the development of several human cancers.