INVOLVEMENT OF RET ONCOGENE IN HUMAN TUMORS - SPECIFICITY OF RET ACTIVATION TO THYROID-TUMORS

Non-thyroid neoplasis were analysed by Southern blot of genomic DNA an d DNA prepared by reverse transcription and amplification by polymeras e chain reaction (RT/PCR) for the activation of the RET oncogene. It i s known that the rearrangement of RET occurs in about 10%-20% of human thyroid papillary carcinomas. None of 528 non-thyroid tumours showed rearrangement of the RET proto-oncogene, whereas three out of 30 thyro id papillary carcinomas were positive for RET activation. Therefore th e activation of RET seems to be a somatic cell mutation specific to hu man thyroid carcinomas.