Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: EC:2.7.7.49 (reverse transcriptase)
 31,746 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

To assess the pathophysiological role of the RET protooncogene in sporadic pheochromocytomas, we examined the 2 regions of the gene in which molecular defects are specifically associated with the multiple endocrine neoplasias (MEN) type 2A (the cysteine-rich domain encoded by exons 10 and 11), and type 2B (the tyrosine kinase domain encoded by exon 16). The sequences of both regions were amplified by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (PCR) or PCR from tumor RNA and/or leukocyte DNA. The amplified fragments were analyzed by denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis using chemical clamps. In 28 patients with unilateral sporadic tumors, 6 RET mutations were found, 3 in the MEN 2A region, 3 in the MEN 2B region. Five patients had missense mutations: 2 in the MEN 2A region (C634W and D631Y), and 3 in the MEN 2B region (M918T). Analysis of leukocyte DNA in 3 of these patients confirmed that RET mutations were only present in tumor DNA. The sixth patient had lost exon 10 in the tumor complementary DNA as a result of the deletion of the dinucleotide -AG- at the 3'splice acceptor site of intron 9; this molecular defect was only found in the tumor DNA. Thus RET mutations of the MEN 2A and 2B regions are also found in about 20% of sporadic pheochromocytomas. We describe new types of molecular defects of the RET protooncogene in the MEN 2A region that involve noncysteine residues and loss of exon 10. Further studies should be extended to analyze the entire RET protooncogene. These findings have a profound clinical impact for the management of patients with supposedly sporadic pheochromocytomas.
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PMID:The RET protooncogene in sporadic pheochromocytomas: frequent MEN 2-like mutations and new molecular defects. 855 Jul 89

We investigated mutations of the ret proto-oncogene in Japanese patients with multiple endocrine neoplasia (MEN) type 2A and type 2B. DNAs from pheochromocytomas and/or medullary thyroid carcinomas (MTCs) of five MEN 2A and three MEN 2B patients were amplified by a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and analyzed. Tumors of four MEN 2A patients had missense mutations in Cys 634 in the extracellular domain of the ret proto-oncogene. The same mutations were detected in normal tissues of the patients, indicating that the mutations had arisen in the germ line. Using a reverse transcriptase(RT)-PCR, both normal and mutant transcripts of the ret proto-oncogene were detected in a tumor of one patient with MEN 2A mutation. In addition, three MEN 2B patients examined had the same point mutation (ATG-->ACG) at codon 918 in the tyrosine kinase domain of the ret proto-oncogene. Since all mutations identified in this study generated new restriction enzyme sites or eliminated a restriction site, the mutant alleles of affected family members could be readily detected without sequencing.
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PMID:Germ line mutations of the ret proto-oncogene in Japanese patients with multiple endocrine neoplasia type 2A and type 2B. 796 Nov 13