ALLELIC IMBALANCE AT THE BETA-CATENIN GENE (CTNNB1 AT 3P22-21.3) IN VARIOUS HUMAN TUMOR TYPES

beta-catenin is a multifunctional protein: it plays a central role in the cell-cell adhesive junctions, and participates in transduction of the morphogenic Wingless/Wnt-signal. Upon detailed analysis of the hum an beta-catenin gene, an intragenic polymorphic microsatellite marker could be identified. This marker shows 62% heterozygosity and was used in a study of eleven different tumor types. A high level of beta-cate nin allelic imbalance was observed for small cell lung carcinoma, squa mous cell lung carcinoma and cervix carcinoma. Other microsatellite ma rkers on 3p24-21 could demonstrate frequent but not invariable codelet ion of flanking chromosomal loci. This intragenic polymorphic marker w ill allow selection of tumor types and tumor samples possibly bearing recessive mutations in the remaining allele of the beta-catenin gene.