Norris M D, Gilbert J, Smith S A, Marshall G M, Salwen H, Cohn S L, Haber M
Children's Cancer Institute Australia for Medical Research, Sydney Children's Hospital.
Med Pediatr Oncol. 2001 Jan;36(1):48-51. doi: 10.1002/1096-911X(20010101)36:1<48::AID-MPO1013>3.0.CO;2-8.
The recently characterised p53 homologue, p73, has been mapped to chromosome 1p36, a region often found deleted in neuroblastoma. Although p73 has been implicated as a candidate tumour suppressor for neuroblastoma, mutations in the gene appear to be rare, thus suggesting other mechanisms for its aberrant behaviour.
We analysed p73 gene expression in a panel of primary neuroblastoma tumours and cell lines, as well as other tumours of childhood, using a reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction assay.
Although low-level p73 expression was detected in 44/45 primary neuroblastoma tumours, no association with prognostic markers could be discerned. In no case was the level of p73 expression in the primary tumours as high as that observed in p73-expressing neuroblastoma cell lines. Expression of the p73 gene was also detected in 24/34 other childhood tumours.
Collectively, the data raise doubts over the role of this gene as a tumour suppressor in neuroblastoma.
