Deletions in the short arm of chromosome 3 have been found in various human cancers, including breast cancer. Recently, the FHIT (fragile histidine triad) gene was identified at 3p14.2 as a candidate tumor suppressor gene. We examined the abnormal transcripts of the FHIT gene in 61 Japanese primary breast cancer specimens and found that 23 (38%) of them exhibited abnormalities, about half of wh...

The first committed step in the biosynthesis of L-ascorbate from D-glucose in plants requires conversion of GDP-L-galactose to L-galactose 1-phosphate by a previously unidentified enzyme. Here we show that the protein encoded by VTC2, a gene mutated in vitamin C-deficient Arabidopsis thaliana strains, is a member of the GalT/Apa1 branch of the histidine triad protein superfamily that catalyzes ...

Organophosphorus (OP) nerve agents are potent suicide inhibitors of the essential neurotransmitter-regulating enzyme acetylcholinesterase. Due to their acute toxicity, there is significant interest in developing effective countermeasures to OP poisoning. Here we impart nerve agent hydrolysis activity into the human drug metabolism enzyme carboxylesterase 1. Using crystal structures of the targe...

UNLABELLED In many cancers, including lung carcinomas, Fragile histidine triad (Fhit) is frequently decreased or lost. Fhit status has recently been shown to be associated with elevated in vitro and in vivo invasiveness in lung cancer. Tumor cell invasion is facilitated by epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), a process by which tumor cells lose their epithelial features to acquire a mesench...

S A N D I E G O — Smokingrelated cell damage may leave molecular footprints in saliva and oral epithelial cells, offering the potential for noninvasive early diagnosis of lung cancer and of head and neck cancers, researchers reported in separate studies at the annual meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research. “When people smoke cigarettes, the whole field is exposed to carcinogens...

Loss of hetcro/ygosity involving the short arm of chromosome 3 has been reported in gastric and other human tumors. We have cloned and mapped a candidate tumor suppressor gene, /•'///'/' (fragile histidine tri ad), to this chromosomal region (3pl4.2). To investigate the role of FHIT gene alterations in the development of gastric carcinoma, we examined 8 gastric carcinoma-derived cell lines an...

Malignant tumors of the vulva, most of them squamous cell carcinomas, account for only 5% of cancers of the female genital tract. Though little is known about the genetic features of these tumors, the Fragile Histidine Triad (FHIT) and High Mobility Group AT-hook 2 (HMGA2) genes were found deregulated. We wanted to gain more knowledge about the expression of HMGA2-related miRNAs such as miR-30c...

The fragile histidine triad (FHIT) gene, located at 3p14.2, has been shown to be altered in numerous epithelial cancers. Because previous studies have shown a loss of heterozygosity and cytogenetic abnormalities at the 3p region in ovarian, endometrial, and cervical carcinomas, we examined the status of the FHIT gene in 14 ovarian, 8 cervical, and 4 endometrial human cancer cell lines. RNA was ...

BACKGROUND Although the addition of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) antibodies to various platinum-based chemotherapy regimens for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is being actively pursued in the clinic, rationale for the prioritization of specific regimens is lacking. MATERIALS AND METHODS We evaluated the antitumor effects of necitumumab, a recombinant human IgG1 antibody targeti...

Transcripts of the human tumor susceptibility gene 101 (TSG101) are aberrantly spliced in many cancers. A major aberrant splicing event on the TSG101 pre-mRNA involves joining of distant alternative 5' and 3' splice sites within exon 2 and exon 9, respectively, resulting in the extensive elimination of the mRNA. The estimated strengths of the alternative splice sites are much lower than those o...