Zq. Yang et al., Identification of a novel gene, GASC1, within an amplicon at 9p23-24 frequently detected in esophageal cancer cell lines, CANCER RES, 60(17), 2000, pp. 4735-4739
In a recent study, we identified frequent amplification of DNA copy number
at chromosome 9p23-24 in cell lines derived from esophageal squamous cell c
arcinomas (ESCs), using comparative genomic hybridization, Because amplifie
d regions often harbor oncogenes and/or other tumor-associated genes, and b
ecause 9p23-24 amplification had been reported in various other types of ca
ncers, we used fluorescence in situ hybridization and Southern blot analysi
s to map the 9p23-24 amplicon, We then screened target genes/transcripts pr
esent within this amplicon by Northern blotting. With this strategy, we suc
cessfully cloned a novel gene, designated gene amplified in squamous cell c
arcinoma 1 (GASC1), that was amplified and overexpressed in several ESC cel
l lines. The deduced amino acid sequence of GASC1 contains two PHD-finger m
otifs and a PX domain. PHD-finger motifs are found in nuclear proteins that
participate in chromatin-mediated transcriptional regulation and are prese
nt in a number of proto-oncogenes, Our findings suggest that overexpressed
GASC1 may play an important role in the development and/or progression of v
arious types of cancer including ESC.