p53 mutations in hairy cell leukemia.

We have studied the frequency of p53 mutations in genomic DNA extracted from peripheral blood or the spleen of 61 patients with hairy cell leukemia using PCR-SSCP and automated cycle sequencing. We identified exon 5-8 mutations in 17 cases, corresponding to a frequency of 28%. In four cases, mutations were localized in exon 5; one patient with atypical HCL had a mutation in exon 6 at the 3' boundary; five cases showed mutations in exon 7, while exon 8 was found to be mutated in seven cases. The mutations found could be divided into three major categories: structural (n=9), inactivating (n= 6), and neutral (n= 2) mutations. None of the three transitions found occurred at CpG dinucleotides. The rate of p53 mutations found in this large cohort of HCL patients is unexpectedly high as in other non-Hodgkin lymphomas p53 mutations predict for poor treatment outcome. The character of the mutations we have found is entirely different from that described in other hematologic malignancies.

p53 mutations in human bladder cancer.

Mutations in the tumor suppressor gene p53 play an important role in carcinogenesis and tumor progression. To assess the status of p53 from genomic DNA from bladder cancer samples a two stage polymerase chain reaction was employed. The technique provided material for subsequent detection of mutations by Single Strand Conformation Polymorphism (SSCP) analysis followed by DNA sequence analysis. SSCP analysis of exons 5 to 9 of p53 was performed using fragments from PCR end-labeled with 32P followed by autoradiography using an electrophoresis system with temperature control. This SSCP method improved resolution of mutations in exons 5, 7, and 8 and the sharpness of bands in exons 6 and 9. Bands with altered migration patterns were excised from the dried SSCP gels, reamplified by PCR, and sequenced. Mutations in conserved exons 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9 of the p53 gene were analyzed from bladder tumor biopsies. Our results are consistent with the literature in that mutations in p53 are predominantly found in high grade bladder cancer (Odds Ratio = 4.05, Fisher Exact P = 0.104); however, the results were not statistically significant due to small numbers. Eight of 35 (23%) tumor samples examined showed mutations in p53 (including two double mutations). Six of 13 (46%) grade III and IV tumors had p53 mutations vs. 2 of 17 (12%) grade I and II tumors. Normal individuals carried no p53 mutations. We found no correlation between pack years of smoking and mutation in p53. The spectrum of mutations confirmed a high proportion of G:C C:G transversions as well as the occurrence of double mutations.

Alterations of K-ras and p53 mutations in colorectal cancer patients in Central Europe.

Many molecular investigations of colorectal cancer (CRC) have suggested that the accumulation of specific mutations in proto-oncogenes and tumor suppressor genes regulating cell growth via signal transduction trigger the stagewise progression to malignancy. In this study, the frequency, location, and type of mutations of the K-ras proto-oncogene exon I and p53 tumor suppressor gene exons 5-8 were analyzed in colorectal carcinomas of 65 patients from Central Europe, using polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-cold single-strand conformation polymorphism (SSCP) screening and direct sequencing. The incidence of K-ras activating mutations in these Central European samples was lower (25%) compared to that obtained in American and western European populations (40-50% at least), while the incidence of p53 inactivating mutations was similar (58%). These results suggest that some other genetically linked mechanisms may play a role in CRC development and progression, and hence K-ras and p53 mutations cannot be considered to be universal genetic markers for CRC.

Effects of aminoglycosides and spectinomycin on the synthesis and release of lipopolysaccharide by Escherichia coli.

The effects of aminoglycosides and spectinomycin on lipopolysaccharide (LPS) synthesis and release by Escherichia coli were studied. LPS synthesis was previously reported to be regulated by the stringent control mechanism. In agreement with this, the control of LPS synthesis in amino acid-deprived relA+ cells was relaxed by spectinomycin, a proven stringent control antagonist, but not by kanamycin, an agent which is ineffective as a stringent control antagonist. The other stringent control antagonists tested (gentamicin, tobramycin, and, to a lesser extent, amikacin) unexpectedly failed to relax the control of LPS synthesis, and this was subsequently shown to be due to their inhibitory action on LPS synthesis. The release of LPS by nongrowing (amino acid-deprived and antibiotic-treated) bacteria was stimulated only under conditions in which the control of LPS synthesis was relaxed.

Sensitive two-stage PCR of p53 genomic DNA exons 5-9.

To assess the status of the tumor suppressor gene p53 from samples with low levels (sub-nanogram amounts) of genomic DNA (e.g., from exfoliated cells, skin, small biopsies, mucosa), a technique based on two successive rounds of PCR was developed. In the first round, a 1.84-kb fragment spanning exons 5-9 was generated using a "touchdown" protocol. After purification by spun-column chromatography, this fragment was used as a template for the amplification of the individual exons 5-9 with inner primer sets specific for the adjacent intronic regions. Using this nested primer approach, several micrograms of each individual exon were obtained starting from as little as 62.5 pg of total genomic DNA. This material proved ideal for future analyses by single-strand conformational polymorphism (SSCP) analysis and DNA sequencing.

Mutational specificity and cancer chemoprevention.

Mutational specificity describes the composite of all of the genetic alterations in a collection of mutations arising from a specific treatment. The information includes not only the nature of the genetic change (e.g., a base substitution or a frameshift), but also information about nucleotide position and hence the DNA context. As both the type of DNA damage and its position can be expected to reflect the nature of the chemical and physical mutagen, mutational specificity can be expected to provide insights into mechanisms of mutation. Conversely, mutational spectra should also provide insights into the identity of the mutagen. Indeed, the pioneering work on mutational specificity in Escherichia coli indicates that each physical or chemical treatment produces a unique spectrum of mutations. With the application of biotechnology to the field of genotoxicology, the database of sequenced mutations has become quite substantial. Both in vitro and in vivo data has been obtained following exposure to a variety of agents. In this communication we will critically assess whether the reality of mutational specificity has fulfilled the expectations and to examine what potential remains to be explored, especially in the area of monitoring human populations. The usefulness of both mutational spectra analysis and population monitoring with regards to chemoprevention are discussed.