Loss in expression of the retinoblastoma gene product in human gliomas is associated with advanced disease.

The retinoblastoma susceptibility gene (RB), the prototype of the class of tumor suppressor genes, is inactivated in a number of human malignancies. We investigated a possible role of RB in human brain tumors. Immunoprecipitation revealed frequent loss of RB protein expression in glioma cell lines (8/24), which was accompanied by lack of RB encoded transcripts. Among seventeen primary brain tumors studied by Western blotting, loss of Rb protein expression was observed in WHO grade 3 and 4 gliomas (3/10). However, none of the low grade gliomas and the other primary brain tumors investigated lacked RB protein expression. These data suggest a role for RB in glial malignancy, and loss of Rb expression appears to be associated with glial tumor progression.