DELETION OF THE M6P IGF2R GENE IN PRIMARY HEPATOCELLULAR-CARCINOMA/

To evaluate the different alteration patterns of the mannose 6-phospha te/insulin-like growth factor 2 receptor (M6P/IGF2r) gene in hepatocel lular carcinoma (HCC), 41 HCCs were screened for homozygous deletion a nd loss of heterozygosity (LOH) at the M6P/IGF2r gene with a dinucleot ide repeat polymorphic marker. Of these, three (8.8%) were heterozygou s and LOH was observed in two (66.7%) of these informative cases. Five (14.7%) out of 34 informative cases showed homozygous deletions for t he dinucleotide repeat polymorphic marker. The frequent allelic loss a nd homozygous deletion of the M6P/IGF2r gene suggest that the M6P/IGF2 r gene functions as a tumor suppressor gene in the development of HCC. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science Ireland Ltd.