A novel point mutation at codon 146 of the K-ras gene in a human colorectal cancer identified by the polymerase chain reaction.

In this report, point mutations of the K-ras gene at codon 146 were analyzed in 25 cases of colon cancer, 4 cases of lung cancer, and 41 cases of lymphoid malignancy. A codon 146 mutation substituting threonine (ACA) for alanine (GCA) was detected in the tumor tissue of a patient with colon cancer and was not detected in the normal tissue of the same patient. Any additional mutations of the ras gene family were not detected in this patient. These results suggest that the codon 146 mutation of the K-ras gene could be involved in the development of naturally occurring human malignancies.