ABSENCE OF MUTATINS IN THE ANALYSIS OF CODING SEQUENCES OF THE ENTIRETRANSFORMING-GROWTH-FACTOR-BETA TYPE-II RECEPTOR GENE IN SPORADIC HUMAN GASTRIC-CANCER USING GENOMIC DNA AND INTRON PRIMERS

Mutations in the transforming growth factor beta type II receptor (TGF beta RTII) gene have been detected in several human cancers that repr esent the phenotype of genomic instability. To establish a basis for d iagnosis of cancer patients, we previously determined the exon-intron organization of the TGF beta RII gene. The results indicated that TGF beta RII protein is encoded by 567 codons in 7 exons. In this study, w e further determined the nucleotide sequences surrounding these 7 exon s and designed 8 sets of intron-based primers to examine the entire co ding region of the TGF beta RII gene. By using these primers, we scree ned for mutations of the TGF beta RII gene in DNAs of 32 sporadic gast ric cancer patients in whom one case showed MI+ (3.1%) at two loci. We found no mutations, and these data support other recent evidence that TGF beta RII mutations rarely occur except in colon and gastric tumor s with MI.