THE EXPRESSIONS OF HBV X GENE AND ets-2, IGF-Ⅰ, c-myc AND N-ras ONCOGENES IN HUMAN HEPATOCELLULAR CARCINOMA AND TUMOR-ADJACENT TISSUES

The expressions of HBV X gene and ets-2, IGF-I, c-myc and N-ras were studied in 7 pairs of human primary hepatocellular carcinoma (PHC) and tumor-adjacent tissues, using RNA hybridization and im-munoblot methods. The results showed that specific 17 and 28 kD HBV X gene products (HBxAg) were existed in a portion of PHC and tumor-adjacent tissues. The 17 kD HBxAg was detected in the sera of 3 patients who also had 17 kD HBxAg in their liver tissues. Multiple expressions of oncogenes such as ets-2, c-myc and N-ras were observed in PHC and tumor-adjacent tissues that had HBxAg expressed, indicating HBxAg might function as a transactivator in the course of intracellular proto-oncogene activation. It is also observed that in some tumor-adjacnet tissues the expressions of ets-2, c-myc and N-ras were higher than those in corresponding PHC. The relationship of HBxAg to the expression of est-2, IGF-Ⅱ, c-myc and their possible roles in the carcinogenesis of PHC are discussed.

THE EXPRESSION OF C-MYC AND N-RAS ONCOGENES IN HUMAN HEPATOCELLULAR CARCINOMA-AN IN SITU HYBRIDIZATION STUDY ON PARAFFIN EMBEDDED TISSUE SECTIONS

In this research, we investigated the expression of C myc and N-ras mRNAs on 21 cases paraffin- embedded tissue sections of hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC) using insitu hybridization technique with biotinylated labelled cDNA probes. Of 21 cases of hepatoma , C-myc mRNA was positive-expressed in 9 cases(42. 9 % ) and N-ras positive in 4 cases ( 19% ) in hepatoma cells, and C-myc and N-ras positive in 4 and 1 cases respectively in peritumor hepatocytes. C- myc mRNAs were localized within cytoplasms of both hepatoma cells and peritumor hepatocytes. However , the positive intensities of C-myc and N-ros mRNAs in hepatoma cells were much greater than those in peritumor hepatocytes. The results indicated that Cmyc and N-ras oncogenes were overexpressed in HCC, and may play an important role in coordinatively maintaince of the malignant phenotypes in HCC.

Tanshinone ⅡA improves Alzheimer’s disease via RNA nuclearenriched abundant transcript 1/microRNA-291a-3p/member RAS oncogene family Rab22a axis

BACKGROUND Alzheimer’s disease(AD)is a neurodegenerative condition characterized by oxidative stress and neuroinflammation.Tanshinone ⅡA(Tan-ⅡA),a bioactive compound isolated from Salvia miltiorrhiza plants,has shown potential neuroprotective effects;however,the mechanisms underlying such a function remain unclear.AIM To investigate potential Tan-ⅡA neuroprotective effects in AD and to elucidate their underlying mechanisms.METHODS Hematoxylin and eosin staining was utilized to analyze structural brain tissue morphology.To assess changes in oxidative stress and neuroinflammation,we performed enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and western blotting.Additionally,the effect of Tan-ⅡA on AD cell models was evaluated in vitro using the 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide assay.Genetic changes related to the long non-coding RNA(lncRNA)nuclear-enriched abundant transcript 1(NEAT1)/microRNA(miRNA,miR)-291a-3p/member RAS oncogene family Rab22a axis were assessed through reverse transcription quantitative polymerase chain reaction.RESULTS In vivo,Tan-ⅡA treatment improved neuronal morphology and attenuated oxidative stress and neuroinflammation in the brain tissue of AD mice.In vitro experiments showed that Tan-ⅡA dose-dependently ameliorated the amyloid-beta 1-42-induced reduction of neural stem cell viability,apoptosis,oxidative stress,and neuroinflammation.In this process,the lncRNA NEAT1-a potential therapeutic target-is highly expressed in AD mice and downregulated via Tan-ⅡA treatment.Mechanistically,NEAT1 promotes the transcription and translation of Rab22a via miR-291a-3p,which activates nuclear factor kappa-B(NF-κB)signaling,leading to activation of the pro-apoptotic B-cell lymphoma 2-associated X protein and inhibition of the anti-apoptotic B-cell lymphoma 2 protein,which exacerbates AD.Tan-ⅡA intervention effectively blocked this process by inhibiting the NEAT1/miR-291a-3p/Rab22a axis and NF-κB signaling.CONCLUSION This study demonstrates that Tan-ⅡA exerts neuroprotective effects in AD by modulating the NEAT1/miR-291a-3p/Rab22a/NF-κB signaling pathway,serving as a foundation for the development of innovative approaches for AD therapy.

The role of tazarotene-induced gene 1 in carcinogenesis:is it a tumor suppressor gene or an oncogene?

Tazarotene-induced gene 1(TIG1)is induced by a derivative of vitamin A and is known to regulate many important biological processes and control the development of cancer.TIG1 is widely expressed in various tissues;yet in many cancer tissues,it is not expressed because of the methylation of its promoter.Additionally,the expression of TIG1 in cancer cells inhibits their growth and invasion,suggesting that TIG1 acts as a tumor suppressor gene.However,in some cancers,poor prognosis is associated with TIG1 expression,indicating its protumor growth characteristics,especially in promoting the invasion of inflammatory breast cancer cells.This review comprehensively summarizes the roles of the TIG1 gene in cancer development and details the mechanisms through which TIG1 regulates cancer development,with the aim of understanding its various roles in cancer development.

Concomitant epidermal growth factor receptor mutation/c-ros oncogene 1 rearrangement in non-small cell lung cancer: A case report

BACKGROUND Epidermal growth factor receptor(EGFR)mutation and c-ros oncogene 1(ROS1)rearrangement are key genetic alterations and predictive tumor markers for non-small cell lung cancer(NSCLC)and are typically considered to be mutually exc-lusive.EGFR/ROS1 co-mutation is a rare event,and the standard treatment appr-oach for such cases is still equivocal.CASE SUMMARY Herein,we report the case of a 64-year-old woman diagnosed with lung adenocar-cinoma,with concomitant EGFR L858R mutation and ROS1 rearrangement.The patient received two cycles of chemotherapy after surgery,but the disease prog-ressed.Following 1-month treatment with gefitinib,the disease progressed again.However,after switching to crizotinib,the lesion became stable.Currently,crizotinib has been administered for over 53 months with a remarkable treatment effect.CONCLUSION The efficacy of EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitors and crizotinib was vastly different in this NSCLC patient with EGFR/ROS1 co-mutation.This report will aid future treatment of such patients.

Oncogenes, Oncogenesis, and Oxygen Radicals

The role that free radicals in general and oxygen radicals in particular play in carcinogenesis has attracted considerable attention in recent years. The oxygen radicals are undesirable but inevitable products of aerobic metabolism in the normal living cell. The cellular antioxidant defense system maintains an appropriate balance between necessary oxidative events and those that are excessive. When this critical balance cannot be maintained because of the overloading of the cellularredox system, oxygen radicals can induce cell damage. They can influence carcinogenesis by inducing DN A damage from direct oxidation or indirectly from DNA-binding products of lipid peroxidation. Oxygen radicals can induce conformational changes in the plasma membrane by lipid peroxidation and protein degradation, thus influencing membrane-associated cellular activities. They are capable of affecting membrane-bound protein kinases, growth factors and their receptors, and, therefore, signal transduction and oncogene activation. Thus, the oxygen radicals can have a major influence on oncogenes and oncogenesis. (C)1990 Academic Press.Inc.

Current concepts in ameloblastoma-targeted therapies in B-raf proto-oncogene serine/threonine kinase V600E mutation: Systematic review

BACKGROUND Ameloblastomas are common benign epithelial odontogenic neoplasms that present an aggressive and unpredictable behavior that may modify treatment strategies.Different signaling pathways that participate in the progression of these tumors have been identified.B-raf proto-oncogene serine/threonine kinase(BRAF)is a protein involved in the behavior of ameloblastomas,and it is related to many cell mechanisms.BRAF gene mutations have been identified in ameloblastomas,of which the BRAF V600E(valine substituted by glutamic acid at amino acid 600)mutation has been the most common and can be present concomitantly with other mutations that may be involved in its behavior.Targeted therapies have been used as an alternative in the case of resistance or contraindications to conventional treatments.AIM To document the presence of BRAF V600E and additional mutations,their behavior,and targeted therapies in these tumors.METHODS An electronic literature search was conducted according to PRISMA guidelines in PubMed/MEDLINE,Cochrane,EMBASE,and SpringerLink using the terms“ameloblastomas”,“BRAF V600E”,“additional mutations”,and“targeted therapies”.Ameloblastomas were classified according to WHO guidelines.Inclusion criteria were articles in English,published not more than 10 years ago,and studies with laboratory works related to BRAF V600E.Articles were evaluated by two independent reviewers and retrieved for full-text evaluation.The EBLIP Critical Appraisal Checklist was used to evaluate the quality of the eligible studies.Descriptive statistical analysis was performed.RESULTS Two independent reviewers,with a substantial concordance indicated by a kappa coefficient of k=0.76,evaluated a total of 19 articles that were included in this study.The analysis registered 521 conventional ameloblastomas(AM),81 unicystic ameloblastomas(UA),13 ameloblastic carcinomas(AC),three metastatic ameloblastomas(MA),and six peripheral ameloblastomas(PA),of which the histopathological type,anatomic location,laboratory tests,expression of BRAF mutation,and additional mutations were registered.The BRAF V600E mutation was found in 297 AM(57%),63 UA(77.7%),3 AC(23%),1 MA(50%),and 5 PA(83.3%).Follicular type predominated with a total of 116 cases(40%),followed by plexiform type with 63 cases(22.1%).Furthermore,both types presented additional mutations,in which alterations in JAK3 P132T,SMARCB1,PIK3CA,CTNNB1,SMO,and BRAF G606E genes were found.Four case reports were found with targeted therapy to BRAF V600E.CONCLUSION The identification of BRAF V600E and additional mutations as an aid in targeted therapies has been a breakthrough in alternative treatments of ameloblastomas where surgical treatments are contraindicated.

EXPRESSION OF ONCOGENE AND ANTI-ONCOGENE IN MALE BREAST CARCINOMA

Expression of oncogene and anti-oncogene products in 12 cases of male breast carcinoma was studied.Positive staining was seen in 6 cases for c-myc,6 cases for EGFR.4 cases for c-erbB-2 cases for N-ras,5 cases for Rb and 3 cases for P53.One case was positive and 4 cases were negative for all above mentioned oncogene and antioncogene products.In addition,Cathepsin D(Cath-D),ER.PR,AR.PCNA and AgNOR were also assayed.In all the cases showed c-erbB-2 or P53 positive were Cath-D positive.The significance of expression of c-erbB-2,c-myc,Cath-D,ER and PR in male breast carcinoma was emphatically discussed.

Relationship between the high-risk HPV infection and the expression of oncogenes, anti-oncogenes in cervical dysplasia

Objective:To study the relationship between the infection of high-risk HPV in cervical precancerous lesion and the expression of oncogene, anti-oncogene.Methods:218 cases ofcervical intraepithelial neoplasia patients in our hospital during May 2014–May 2016 were chosed and divided into high-risk HPV group (n=107), low-risk HPV group (n=111) according to cervical tissue HPV test;another 100 cases of patients received cervical biopsy and confirmed as benign lesions were enrolled in the control group. RT-PCR method was used to detect the mRNA expression of proto-oncogene and anti-oncogene in three groups, Western-blot method was used to detect the protein expression of Sox-2 and Wnt/β-catenin signal pathway.Results: mRNA expression of oncogene DEK, Bmi-1, c-fos, K-ras, Prdx4 in high-risk HPV group were higher than low-risk HPV group and control group (P<0.05);mRNA expression of anti-oncogene P27, P16, DAPK, PTEN, eIF4E3 in high-risk HPV group were lower than low-risk HPV group and control group (P<0.05);expression of Sox-2 and Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway protein Sox-2,β-catenin, wnt-1, wnt-3a in high-risk HPV group were higher than low-risk HPV group and control group (P<0.05).Conclusions:High-risk HPV infection can increase the expression of oncogenes and reduce the expression of anti-oncogenes in cervical dysplasia tissues on Sox-2- and Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway manners.

DDPH 对实验性心肌肥厚大鼠左心室 N-ras mRNA 及蛋白质表达的影响

目的：研究１－（２，６－二甲基苯氧基）－２－（３，４－二甲氧基苯乙氨基）－丙烷盐酸盐（ＤＤＰＨ）对心肌肥厚大鼠左室Ｎ－ｒａｓｍＲＮＡ及蛋白质表达的影响。方法：用部分狭窄腹主动脉方法造成大鼠心肌肥厚模型，从术后第４周开始，ｉｇ不同剂量的ＤＤＰＨ（２５和５０ｍｇ·ｋｇ－１·ｄ－１），持续８ｗｋ。用ＲＮＡ狭缝杂交及免疫组化的方法检测Ｎ－ｒａｓｍＲ－ＮＡ及蛋白质表达的变化。结果：术后１２ｗｋ，发现肥厚组心肌组织Ｎ－ｒａｓｍＲＮＡ表达是对照组的３．１倍，蛋白质表达是对照组的２．９倍，而二个给药组ｍＲＮＡ及蛋白质的表达明显低于肥厚组，但仍高于对照组。结论：ＤＤＰＨ对大鼠腹主动脉部分狭窄所致心肌肥厚时Ｎ－ｒａｓｍＲＮＡ及蛋白质表达的增加有一定的逆转作用。

Expressions of oncogenes c-fos and c-myc in skin lesion of cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma

Objective:To explore the expressions of c-fos and c-myc in skin lesion of cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma(CSCC).Methods:Using retrospective analysis.73 cases of CSCC were selected from Department of Dermatology,the Second Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University.which were removed between January 2000 and January 2012.It was considered as experimental group.Meanwhile.11 cases of normal skin specimens of non tumor patients were selected as control group.The expression level of c-fos and c-myc was compared in the two groups.Results:The expressions of c-fos[72.60%(53/73)]and c-myc[83.56%(61/73)]in experimental group were statistically significant(P≤0.05)compared with control group(0%).Expression of c-myc protein was negatively related to differentiation of CSCC.The difference was statistically significant(X^2=7.26.P=0.001<0.05).While expression of c-fos protein was positively related to differentiation of CSCC.which was statistically significant(X^2=7.47,P=0.0012<0.025).Conclusions:The expression level of c-fos and c-myc can be used as an importan indicator of CSCC differentiation,and it has closely connection with the differentiated degree,which can guide clinical prognosis.

Study of differential polymerase chain reaction of C-erbB-2 oncogene amplification in gastric cancer

AIM To study the significance of C-erbB-2 oncogene amplification in gastric cancer.METHODS C-erbB-2 oncogene amplification was examined by using differential polymerase chain reaction (dPCR) in surgical and endoscopic specimens of 83 cases of gastric cancer and 101 metastatic lymph nodes.RESULTS C-erbB-2 amplification was found in 28.9% (24/ 83) surgical specimens and 20.5% (17/ 83) endoscopic ones of gastric cancer patients. The amplification was significant in both types of specimens of advanced cancer cases (P＜0.05) and surgical specimens with lymph node metastasis (P＜0.01). The incidence of C-erbB-2 amplification in lymph nodes with metastasis was higher than in primary sites (surgical specimens, P＜0.05). The patients with amplification tumors had poorer 5-year survival rates than those with unamplification ones in the early cancers and well to moderately differentiated adenocarcinomas (P＜0.05). The same surgical samples were tested again by Southern blot hybridization to ascertain C-erbB-2 amplification, and the positive rate of C-erbB-2 amplification (15.7%) was lower than that of dPCR (28.9%, P＜0.05).CONCLUSION Examining C-erbB-2 amplification by dPCR is a quick, simple, reliable and independent method, and is helpful in predicting prognosis and metastatic potential of gastric cancer.

Dual fluorescence in situ hybridization in detection of HER-2 oncogene amplification in primary hepatocellular carcinoma

BACKGROUND: Molecular cytogenetics of oncogene HER-2 amplification in primary hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is still unknown. The aim of this study was to in vestigate the frequency of HER-2 oncogene amplification in primary HCC and its relations to clinicopathological pa rameters and prognosis. METHODS: Forty-two surgical samples from patients with primary HCC were detected for their HER-2 oncogene am plification. The number of chromosome 17 and their ratio were tested by dual fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) technique, and then the correlations between HER-2 amplification, clinicopathological characteristics and prog nosis were analyzed statistically. RESULTS: HER-2 oncogene amplification was detected in 9 (21.4%) of the 42 primary HCCs, including 4 patient with high copy (HC) (9.5%) and 5 patients with low copy (LC) (11.9%). HER-2 amplification was associated signifi cantly with tumor size and postoperative survival time o HCC patients (P<0.05), and the presence of HER-2 gene amplification was correlated with postoperative relapse (P— 0.257), but not related to sex, age, AFP level, HBV infec tion, histopathological grading and clinical staging of HCC patients (P>0.05). The HER-2 oncogene copy was exa mined in 31 (73.8%) of the 42 primary HCCs, consisting of 9 patients with HER-2 amplification (21.4%) and 22 pa tients with aneuploidy (52.4%). No significant relation were observed between the HER-2 oncogene copy, patien sex, tumor size, histopathological grading, clinical stag ing, postoperative relapse and survival time (P >0.05); bu the HER-2 oncogene copy was correlated significantly to age, AFP level and HBV infection (P <0.05). CONCLUSIONS: There are a lower frequency of HER-2 oncogene amplification and a higher frequency of chromo- some 17 aneuploidy in primary HCC. HER-2 oncogene amplification may be involved in the development and pro- gression of large HCC in some patients, and seems to be a valuably independent prognostic factor predicting the re- currence and poor survival in patients with large HCC.

Oncogene GAEC1 regulates CAPN10 expression which predicts survival in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma

AIM: To identify the downstream regulated genes of GAEC1 oncogene in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma and their clinicopathological significance. METHODS: The anti-proliferative effect of knocking down the expression of GAEC1 oncogene was stud-ied by using the RNA interference (RNAi) approach through transfecting the GAEC1 -overexpressed esophageal carcinoma cell line KYSE150 with the pSilencer vector cloned with a GAEC1 -targeted sequence, followed by MTS cell proliferation assay and cell cycle analysis using flow cytometry. RNA was then extracted from the parental, pSilencer-GAEC1 -targeted sequence transfected and pSilencer negative control vector transfected KYSE150 cells for further analysis of different patterns in gene expression. Genes differentially expressed with suppressed GAEC1 expression were then determined using Human Genome U133 Plus 2.0 cDNA microarray analysis by comparing with the parental cells and normalized with the pSilencer negative control vector transfected cells. The most prominently regulated genes were then studied by immunohistochemical staining using tissue microarrays to determine their clinicopathological correlations in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma by statistical analyses. RESULTS: The RNAi approach of knocking down gene expression showed the effective suppression of GAEC1 expression in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma cell line KYSE150 that resulted in the inhibition of cell proliferation and increase of apoptotic population. cDNA microarray analysis for identifying differentially expressed genes detected the greatest levels of downregulation of calpain 10 (CAPN10 ) and upregulation of trinucleotide repeat containing 6C (TNRC6C ) transcripts when GAEC1 expression was suppressed. At the tissue level, the high level expression of calpain 10 protein was significantly associated with longer patient survival (month) of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma compared to the patients with low level of calpain 10 expression (37.73 ± 16.33 vs 12.62 ± 12.44, P = 0.032). No significant correction was observed among the TNRC6C protein expression level and the clinocopathologcial features of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma. CONCLUSION: GAEC1 regulates the expression of CAPN10 and TNRC6C downstream. Calpain 10 expression is a potential prognostic marker in patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma.

Immunohistochemical analysis of p53,cyclinD1,RB1,c-fos and N-ras gene expression in hepatocellular carcinoma in Iran

AIM： TO study the effect of some genes especially those involved in cell cycle regulation on hepatocellular carcinoma. METHODS： Paraffin-embedded tissue samples of 25 patients （18 males and 7 females） with hepatocellular carcinoma were collected from 22 pathology centers in Tehran during 2000-2001, and stained using immunohistochemistry method （avidin-biotin-peroxidase） for detection of p53, cyclinD1, RB1, c-los and N-ras proteins. RESULTS： Six （24%）, 5 （20%）, 12 （48%） and 2 samples （8%） were positive for p53, cyclinDl, C-los and N-ras expression, respectively. Twenty-two （88%） samples had alterations in the （31 cell-cycle checkpoint protein expression （RBI or cyclinD1）. P53 positive samples showed a higher （9 times） risk of being positive for RBI protein than p53 negative samples. Loss of expression of RBI in association with p53 over-expression was observed in 4 （66.7%） of 6 samples. Loss of expression of RBI was seen in all cyclinD1 positive, 20 （90.9%） N-ras negative, and ii （50%） C-fos positive samples, respectively. CyclinD1 positive samples showed a higher （2.85 and 4.75 times） risk of being positive for c-los and N-ras expression than cyclinD1 negative samples. CONCLUSION： The expression of p53, RB1 and c-los genes appears to have a key role in the pathogenesis of hepatocellular carcinoma in Iran. Simultaneous overexpression of these genes is significantly associated with their loss of expression during development of hepatocellular carcinoma.

Studies on Hepatocyte Apoptosis, Proliferation and Oncogene c-fos Expression in Carbon Tetrachloride-induced Cirrhotic Rat Liver

Summary: To investigate the significance of hepatocyte apoptosis, proliferation and oncogene c fos expression in carbon tetrachloride (CCl 4) induced cirrhotic rat liver. Rat cirrhosis was induced by subcutaneous injection of 50 % (v∶v 1∶1) CCl 4. Hepatocyte apoptosis, proliferation and oncogene c fos expression were examined with TUNEL, PCNA and c fos immunohistochemical methods in control group and treatment group 72 h, 5, 7, 11 and 15 weeks after CCl 4 induction. Hepatocyte apoptosis was rarely seen in control rat liver. The hepatocyte apoptosis was obviously increased 72 h after treatment. Fifteen weeks after treatment, the apoptosis was still more obvious in treatment group than that in controls. PCNA was constantly expressed in CCl 4 group, with highest level at middle phase. C fos was positive 7 and 11 weeks after CCl 4 treatment. The results suggest that: 1) apoptosis is involved in rat liver damage at the early phase in CCl 4 induced injury, and the process can alleviate nodule reconstruction or eradicate potentially mutational hepatocytes at the later phase; 2) hepatocytes constantly proliferate in CCl 4 induced rat liver cirrhosis, especially at the middle phase; 3) c fos might modulate hepatocyte proliferation in CCl 4 induced rat liver cirrhosis.

The relationship between point mutation and abnormal expression of c-fms oncogene in hepatocellular carcinoma

BACKGROUND: Recent research found abnormal expres- sion of the c-fms oncogene, which encodes the macro- phage colony-stimulating factor receptor (CSF-1R), in several human carcinomas including hepatocellular carcino- ma (HCC). But the relationship between the point muta- tion and abnormal expressing of c-fms oncogene in HCC was not clear. This study is to investigate the relationship between point mutation and abnormal expression of c-fms oncogene in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and to clari- fy the mechanism of HCC. METHODS: The expression of c-fms oncogene at different levels of cell, protein and transcription was observed using immune histological ABC, Western blot and Northern blot. PCR-single strand conformation polymorphism and gene sequencing were used to detect the mutation of c-fms in HCC tissues and their surrounding tissues of 30 patients. RESULTS: The expression of c-fms was significantly higher in HCC tissues than in their surrounding tissues (P <0.01). Point mutation of Leu (TTG)—>Ser (TCG) at codon 301 of c-fms amino acids was observed in 21.4% (3/14) HCC tissues. No mutation of c-fms oncogene was detected in the surrounding cancerous tissues. CONCLUSION: Point mutation at codon 301 of c-fms on- cogene is one of the mechanisms of abnormal over-expres- sion in HCC.

MUTATION AND CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE OF C-FMS ONCOGENE IN HEPATOCELLULAR CARCINOMA

Objective: To study the clinical significance and relationship between c-fms oncogene and hepatocellular carcinogenesis, to further clarify the occurring mechanism of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Methods: PCR-SSCP technique was used to analyse mutation of c-fms oncogene in 30 cases of HCC tissues. Sequencing the PCR products after cloning to prove the mutations, meanwhile the relationship between c-fms mutations and clinical pathology of HCC was investigated. Results: Two abnormal single strands were observed in 10% (3/30) HCC tissues from c-fms DNA corresponding to 301st codon of c-fms amino acids. PCR products of abnormal single strands were sequenced after cloning, it demonstrated that there was transition of T→C at nucleic acid 14855 of c-fms DNA, which corresponded to transition of Leu (TTG)→Ser (TCG) at 301st codon of c-fms amino acids. The mutation was related to malignant degree and type of HCC tissues as well as patient’s age. Conclusion: Mutation of c-fms codon at site 301 implied a molecular mechanism contributing to hepatocellular carcinogenesis.

Expression and distribution of c-fos oncogene within central nervous system of the rat following halothane anesthesia

Objective: To study the distribution of c fos oncogene expression within central nervous system (CNS) of the rat during halothane anesthesia. Methods: c-fos oncogene immunohistochemical technique (ABC method) was employed. Results: When halothane concentration was 0.75%,1.5%or2.0%, most of the Fos-like immunore- active neurons (FLNs) appeared in telencephalon, diencephalon and brain stem, including cerebral cortex, amygaloid nucleus, accumbens nucleus, lateral keptal nucleus. bed nucleus of the stria terminalis, field CA1 of Ammon’s horn, islands of Calleja, paraventricular thalamic nucleus, central medial thalamic nucleus, reuniens thalamic nucleus, rhomboid thalamic nucleus. ventral posterolateral thalamic nucleus, paraventricular hypothalamic nucleus(ventral part). periventricular hypothalamic nucleus, median preoptic nucleus, supraoptic nucleus, suprachiasmatic nucleus. medial and lateral habenular nucleus. midbrain periaqueductal gray and Edinger-Westphal nucleus.In the present stude. we have also found that the number of FLN registered stable increase along with the increaseof the concentration of halothane. Conclusion: It has been indicated that FLNs participate in the process ofhalothane anesthesia. which should necessitate and pave the way for a further study of the patterns of linkage andthe mechanism of interaction between functional nuclei.

EXPRESSION OF CELLULAR ONCOGENES IN PRIMARY CELLS FROM HUMAN LEUKEMIAS

The expression of three protooncogenes (c-myc, c-fos, N-ras) in.the primary cells from 53 cases of leukemia as well as peripheral WBC from 8 normal individuals was studied. Semiquantitative analysis of mRNA levels of the protooncogenes was carried out by Quick-blot. The results showed that (1) c-myc oncogene was slightly expressed and Nras was marginally expressed, whereas the expression of the c-fos was undetectable in the peripheral leucocytes of 8 normal individuals; (2) the c-myc was obviously expressed in almost all leukemic cells irrespective of the cell types, while N-ras and c-fos were variable expressed; (3) the c-fos was expressed in all 4 cases of M4; (4) the c-myc transcript was detected but the N-ras and c-fos were not in 4 chronic leukemic cases; (5) the relationship between protooncogene expression and state of leukemia or after chemotherapy was also analysed.