EXPRESSION OF BFL-1 IN NORMAL AND TUMOR-TISSUES - BFL-1 OVEREXPRESSION IN CANCER IS ATTRIBUTABLE TO ITS PREFERENTIAL EXPRESSION IN INFILTRATING INFLAMMATORY CELLS

Bfl-1, a member of the Bcl-2 gene family, blocks p53-mediated apoptosi s and has oncogenic transforming activity. In normal tissues, the tran script of Bfl-1 is expressed abundantly in bone marrow and at a low le vel in several other tissues. In previous experiments, elevated expres sion of Bfl-1 was observed by Northern analysis of stomach cancer samp les. To study the role of Bfl-1 in normal cell development and in tumo rigenesis, we have analyzed the expression of Bfl-1 in normal and tumo r tissues by the in situ hybridization technique. The Bfl-1 transcript was detected in the white pulp of the spleen and in the germinal cent er of lymphatic tissues. In tumor tissues, its expression was preferen tially detected in infiltrating inflammatory cells rather than in canc er cells, suggesting that Bfl-1 is not involved in tumorigenesis. Copy right (C) 1998 by W.B. Saunders Company.