RESUMO
The paper reviews the data on the molecular structure of the protooncogene RET encoding for receptor-type protein kinase, on the mechanism of transformation of the normal protooncogene RET to a dominant transforming oncogene, and on RET mutations detected in patients with the MEN-2 syndrome. Moreover, it presents the authors' own findings. The familial medullary thyroid carcinoma burdened genealogy shows a new point mutation TCG(Ser)-->GCG(Ala) in codon 891, in the exon 15 of the protooncogene RET. This mutation was not detected in the chromosomes of healthy individuals. Analyzing the linkage with two known and two new polymorphic markers showed that there was a cisaggregation of informative polymorphic markers, phenotypic manifestation of the disease, and mutations in the genealogy in question. In the protooncogene RET, there were two new polymorphisms: G/A at position 24 in intron 14 and C/T in codon 836 (exon 14). The rate of the polymorphism encountered in codon 836 proved to be similar for the Russians and the Germans (0.96%), which was also seen for two earlier described polymorphisms in codon 691 (0.80 and 0.81, respectively) and in codon 904 (0.21 and 0.22). At the same time, there were statistically significant differences in the rates of intron 14 polymorphism (0.87 and 0.77, respectively). In a family having MEN 2, a proband displayed TGC-->CGC mutation in codon 634 of the gene RET in the heterozygous state. The mutation results in substitution of cysteine amino acid residue in the cysteine-rich extracellular domain of protein kinase encoded by the gene RET for arginine. The results of molecular analysis were used to confirm its clinical diagnosis and to indicate that effective care should be delivered in MEN 2a.
