Mutational Analysis of Proapoptotic Bcl-2 Family Members in Gastric Carcinomas

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: Evidence exists that dysregulation of Bcl-2 family members is involved in the pathogenesis of cancer development. The aim of this study was to explore whether the somatic mutation of proapoptotic Bcl-2 member genes, one of the mechanisms that prolong the survival of cancer cells, is involved in gastric carcinogenesis. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In the current study, to detect somatic mutations of the DNA sequences encoding the Bcl-2 homology 3 (BH3) domain of the human BAD, BIM, BIK, and Bcl-G genes in 60 advanced gastric adenocarcinomas, we used the polymerase chain reaction (PCR), single strand conformation polymorphism (SSCP), and DNA sequencing. RESULTS: The SSCP analysis revealed no mutations in the coding regions of the BH3 domain in the cancers. CONCLUSION: The data presented here indicate that proapoptotic Bcl-2 member genes, BAD, BIM, BIK, and Bcl-G, may not be mutated in human gastric carcinomas and suggest that these genes might be altered by mechanisms other mechanisms somatic mutation.