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Oncogene expression in small‐cell lung cancer cell lines and a testicular germ‐cell tumor: Activation of the N‐myc gene and decreased RB mRNA
Author(s) -
Saksela Kalle,
Mäkelä Tomi P.,
Alitalo Kari
Publication year - 1989
Publication title -
international journal of cancer
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.475
H-Index - 234
eISSN - 1097-0215
pISSN - 0020-7136
DOI - 10.1002/ijc.2910440132
Subject(s) - seminoma , biology , gene expression , retinoblastoma , oncogene , gene , messenger rna , cancer research , cell , n myc , microbiology and biotechnology , germ cell , cell culture , cell cycle , neuroblastoma , genetics , chemotherapy , ganglioneuroma
N‐myc and L‐myc proto‐oncogenes are expressed in many developing embryonic tissues. In contrast to expression of the closely related c‐myc gene, N‐myc and L‐myc expression is very restricted in adult tissues. We show that small amounts of the L‐myc RNA can be detected in normal adult testicular tissue. A high level of N‐myc expression from a single‐copy N‐myc gene was found in a malignant tumor of the testis, histopathologically defined as a seminoma. This tumor also showed a decrease of mRNA from the retinoblastoma gene (RB), which is ubiquitously expressed in all normal tissues. Strikingly similar results on elevated expression of the L‐myc and N‐myc genes and a lack of RB mRNA have been reported in small‐cell lung cancer cell lines, and are confirmed in our study.