FREQUENT ABNORMALITIES OF THE PUTATIVE TUMOR-SUPPRESSOR GENE FHIT AT 3P14.2 IN PANCREATIC-CARCINOMA CELL-LINES

The FRIT gene is localized on chromosome 3p14, a region including a tu mor cen-specific, commonly deleted region. To determine the role of th e FHIT gene in pancreatic carcinogenesis, 14 pancreatic carcinoma cell lines were analyzed by reverse transcription-PCR and exon-specific PC R amplification of genomic DNA. The full-length FHIT transcript was lo st in 70% of the pancreatic carcinoma cell lines analyzed, while 66% a lso revealed intragenic homozygous deletions of exons 3, 4, and 5. Tru ncated FHIT transcripts lacking a variable number of exons most likely represented alternative splicing products. Fhit protein expression wa s dependent on a full-length FHIT transcript, The results suggest that the FRIT gene may be a target tumor suppressor gene involved in pancr eatic carcinogenesis.