Expression of the bcl-2 proto-oncogene on chromosome 18 is deregulated by the 14; 18 chromosomal translocation, an abnormality that is consistently associated with follicular non-Hodgkin's lymphomas (NHL). Because bcl-2 is believed to function by prolonging cell survival rather than by increasing proliferation, the presence of t(14; 18) in Hodgkin's disease (HD) would have profound implications...

I NSIGHT into normal and abnormal cell growth and differentiation may be obtained by identifying and analyzing the activity of highly specific genes, called oncogenes, whose coding sequences contain the information necessary to initiate and maintain neoplastic transformation. The identification of oncogenes and the characterization of the structure and function of these genes have progressed ra...

Several mutations of cardiac beta-myosin heavy chain (beta-MHC) gene were reported in patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM). Involvement of proto-oncogenes has been shown in the mechanism of experimental cardiac hypertrophy. This study sought to examine the effects of c-H-ras and c-myc expression in the steady-state myocardium on hypertrophic changes and to evaluate the possible inter...

BACKGROUND & AIMS Bcl-xL, an anti-apoptotic Bcl-2 family protein, is overexpressed in 90% of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) cases. However, Bcl-xL expression in pancreatic intraepithelial neoplasias (PanINs) and its significance in PDAC carcinogenesis remain unclear. The aim of this study was to elucidate the significance of Bcl-xL expression in PanINs. METHODS We investigated the ex...

Follicular lymphomas comprise almost two thirds of the US adult non-Hodgkin's lymphomas (NHL) and are the most common malignancy of B-lineage lymphocytes. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) protocols have been developed to detect the t(14;18) translocation, which juxtaposes the bcl-2 proto-oncogene to the Ig heavy-chain (IgH) gene in 85% of follicular lymphomas and monoclonal rearrangements of the...

The RET proto-oncogene encodes a receptor tyrosine kinase for transforming growth factor-beta-related neurotrophic factors, which include GDNF and neurturin. The expression of RET proto-oncogene was detected in several tissues, such as spleen, thymus, lymph nodes, salivary gland, and spinal cord, and in several neural crest-derived cell lines. RET expression in the thyroid gland was reported to...

The p53 tumor suppressor protein can induce both apoptosis and cell cycle arrest. Moreover, we and others have shown previously that p53 is a potent mediator of differentiation. For example, expression of ptsp53, a temperature-inducible form of p53, induces differentiation of leukemic monoblastic U-937 cells. The functions of p53 have for long been believed to be dependent on the transactivatin...

Two splice variants derived from the Bcl-x gene via alternative 5' splice site selection (5'SS) are proapoptotic Bcl-x(s) and antiapoptotic Bcl-x(L). Previously, our laboratory showed that apoptotic signaling pathways regulated the alternative 5'SS selection via protein phosphatase-1 and de novo ceramide. In this study, we examined the elusive prosurvival signaling pathways that regulate the 5'...

Alveolar macrophages from normal individuals and patients with interstitial lung diseases spontaneously expressed a 4.2-kilobase mRNA complementary to the c-sis gene, a proto-oncogene coding for one of the chains of platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF). Concomitantly, these cells released a mediator with the properties of PDGF, including: chemotactic factor for smooth muscle cells whose activi...

Two splice variants derived from the Bcl-x gene via alternative 50 splice site selection (50SS) are proapoptotic Bcl-x(s) and antiapoptotic Bcl-x(L). Previously, our laboratory showed that apoptotic signaling pathways regulated the alternative 50SS selection via protein phosphatase-1 and de novo ceramide. In this study, we examined the elusive prosurvival signaling pathways that regulate the 50...