LOSS OF HIRH MESSENGER-RNA EXPRESSION FROM PREMALIGNANT ADENOMAS AND MALIGNANT-CELL LINES

We recently isolated from differential displays and subsequently clone d a human alpha-intercrine (hIRH) whose mRNA is reduced in human hepat ocellular carcinomas. We now report that on Northern blots its mRNA is absent from premalignant colonic adenomas and from all of 27 human ma lignant cell lints (including breast, cervix, colon, duodenal, gastric , leukemia, liver, lung, melanoma, and pancreatic lines). hIRH mRNA wa s present in most normal human and mouse tissues and fibroblast derive d cell lines but absent from leukocytes and brain. Two mRNA signals, a t similar to 2 Kb and similar to 3.5 Kb, had variation in signal stren gth or size between tissues and species. (C) 1996 Academic Press.