Transcript map of the 8p23 putative tumor suppressor region

Cancers of the head and neck, prostate, liver, and bladder exhibit minimal regions of deletion within chromosomal band 8p23 that either overlap or map very close to one another. We previously refined a minimal region of delet ion in squamous cell carcinomas to a 112-kb interval within 8p23. There see ms to be only a single gene within this region that is expressed in normal upper aerodigestive tract epithelium. This candidate for the squamous cance r suppressor, CUB and sushi multiple domains-1 (CSMD1), extends into the mi nimal regions of deletions defined for the other types of cancer with 8p23 deletions. RT-PCR and EST data indicate that CSMD1 is also expressed in tho se organs, making this gene a candidate for a suppressor of multiple types of cancer. Both the sequence of the gene and the organization of the protei n are highly conserved in the mouse.