Incidence of activating ras oncogene mutations associated with primary and metastatic human breast cancer
Rochlitz, C.F.; Scott, G.K.; Dodson, J.M.; Liu, E.; Dollbaum, C.; Smith, H.S.; Benz, C.C.
Cancer Research 49(2): 357-360
1989
ISSN/ISBN: 0008-5472 PMID: 2642738 Document Number: 331511
To test the hypothesis that ras activation is involved in the final stages of breast cancer progression, we analyzed tumor DNA derived from 60 different patients and extracted from 40 invasive primary breast tumors, seven lymph node and skin metastases, nine metastatic effusions, and five established breast cancer cell lines. The polymerase chain reaction technique was used to amplify DNA fragments containing Kirsten-(Ki-), Harvey-(Ha-), and N-ras condons 12, 13, and 61 which were then probed on slot-blots with labeled synthetic oligomers to detect nonconservative single-base mutations. Activating mutations were found in one of 40 primary tumors (Ki-ras condon 13), zero of seven lymph node and skin metastases, one of nine metastatic effusions (Ki-ras condon 12), and two of five cell lines (Ki-ras condons 12 and 13). These results indicate that activating ras mutations are rarely involved in either the initiation or metastatic progression of human breast cancer.