Characterization of C4-2 as a tumor-suppressor gene in human brain tumors.

BACKGROUND

Brain tumors claimed the lives of 13,300 people in 1995. Our objective was to isolate and characterize unique tumor-suppressor genes from human brain tumors derived from patients in the United States.

METHODS

Differential display-polymerase chain reaction was used to isolate tumor suppressor genes.

RESULTS

Clone C4-2 was isolated and is expressed in normal adult human brain, but not in brain tissue from glioblastoma multiforme tumors. C4-2 has 66% homology to the previously isolated ARPP-16 (cAMP-regulated phosphoprotein of Mr = 16,000) based on limited sequencing. C4-2 is expressed at high levels in normal brain and is not expressed or expressed at low levels in several brain tumor cell lines. Expression of C4-2 was also either not expressed or expressed at low levels in meningioma, B-cell lymphoma, recurrent glioma, LNCAP (prostate tumor cell line), breast tumor, or prostate tumor tissue.

CONCLUSION

We conclude that C4-2 may function as a potential tumor-suppressor gene.