Alternative splicing of fibronectin transcripts in osteochondrogenic tumors
Matsui, Y.; Nakata, K.; Araki, N.; Ozono, K.; Fujita, Y.; Tsumaki, N.; Kawabata, H.; Yasui, N.; Sekiguchi, K.; Yoshikawa, H.
Anticancer Research 21(2a): 1103-1106
2001
ISSN/ISBN: 0250-7005 PMID: 11396146 Document Number: 536442
Background: Fibronectin (FN) acts in many fundamental biological processes including cell adhesion, migration, proliferation and apoptosis. Although FN shows an ubiquitous expression pattern, alternative mRNA splicing modulates tissue-specific molecular heterogeneity at three regions: extra domain-B, extra domain-A and variable region. Materials and Methods: In the present study, we analyzed the FN mRNA splicing in osteochondrogenic tumors as well as in various normal tissues using the RT-PCR method. Results: Normal cartilage almost exclusively contained short mRNA lacking alternative exons in all regions. However, 14 osteochondrogenic tumors including osteochondroma, enchondroma, chondroblastoma, chondrosarcoma and osteosarcoma uniformly contained long mRNA with various patterns of alternative exons in the three regions. Conclusion: These results indicated that the lack of regulation excluding the alternative exons may be associated with tumorigenesis in chondrocytes.