RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Microsatellite Instability in Aberrant Crypt Foci from Human Colons
JF Cancer Research
JO Cancer Res
FD American Association for Cancer Research
SP 5339
OP 5341
VO 56
IS 23
A1 Heinen, Christopher D.
A1 Shivapurkar, Narayan
A1 Tang, Zhaocheng
A1 Groden, Joanna
A1 Alabaster, Oliver
YR 1996
UL http://cancerres.aacrjournals.org/content/56/23/5339.abstract
AB Aberrant crypt foci (ACF) are distinct microscopic lesions of the colon thought to be the earliest identifiable precursors of colon cancer. As precursors of colon cancer, ACF may contain mutations in genes that are altered early in colorectal tumorigenesis. Candidates for these genes include APC, K-Ras, and those of the DNA mismatch repair system. Some colon cancers with mutations in DNA mismatch repair genes are characterized by genomic instability at simple repeated sequences, also known as microsatellite instability. In this study, we analyzed 19 ACF (≥20 crypts/focus) and adjoining, microscopically normal colonic mucosa from 10 colon cancer patients for the presence of microsatellite instability. DNA from two ACF from two different patients displayed microsatellite instability. None of the DNA samples from normal mucosa displayed microsatellite instability. These observations support the role of ACF as a precursor to colon cancer and provide some evidence that mutations in DNA mismatch repair genes are early somatic events in colon cancer. ©1996 American Association for Cancer Research.