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Numerous studies have implicated the short arm of chromosome 8 as the site of one or more tumor suppressor genes inactivated in carcinogenesis of the prostate, colon, lung, and liver. Previously, we identified a homozygous deletion on chromosome 8p22 in a metastatic prostate cancer. To map this homozygous deletion physically, long-range restriction mapping was performed using yeast artificial chromosomes (YACs) spanning approximately 2 Mb of chromosome band 8p22. Subcloned genomic DNA and cDNA probes isolated by hybrid capture from these YACs were mapped in relation to one another, reinforcing map integrity. Mapped single-copy probes from the region were then applied to DNA isolated from a metastatic prostate cancer containing a chromosome 8p22 homozygous deletion and indicated that its deletion spans 730-970 kb. Candidate genes PRLTS (PDGF-receptor beta-like tumor suppressor) and CTSB (cathepsin B) are located outside the region of homozygous deletion. Généthon marker D8S549 is located approximately at the center of this region of homozygous deletion. Two new microsatellite polymorphisms, D8S1991 and D8S1992, also located within the region of homozygous deletion on chromosome 8p22, are described. Physical mapping places cosmid CI8-2644 telomeric to MSR (macrophage scavenger receptor), the reverse of a previously published map, altering the interpretation of published deletion studies. This work should prove helpful in the identification of candidate tumor suppressor genes in this region.

The structure and expression pattern of a human gene located within a homozygously deleted region of a metastatic prostate cancer have been characterized. Multiple cDNA fragments of this gene were isolated by hybrid capture with yeast artificial chromosome clones covering the deletion region. Eleven coding exons spanned 205-220 kb of the 730- to 970-kb deletion. The predicted amino acid sequence was 43% identical to that of an anonymous Caenorhabditis elegans gene and 20% identical to an accessory or regulatory subunit of the oligosaccharyltransferase enzyme complex in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Hydrophobicity profiles of all three gene products were similar and showed four putative membrane-spanning domains in the molecules' C-terminal halves, suggesting a general conservation of function. The gene was expressed as an approximately 1.5-kb mRNA in most nonlymphoid human cells/tissues including prostate, lung, liver, and colon. Expression was detected in many epithelial tumor cell lines, but was undetectable by Northern blot or RT-PCR in 14 of 15 colorectal, 1 of 8 lung, and 1 of 4 liver cancer cell lines. Lack of expression in tumor cell lines was highly correlated with hypermethylation of a CpG island located at the gene's 5' end. These findings form a basis for further work on this candidate tumor suppressor gene.

Nerve growth factor (NGF) mRNAs were detected and quantified in a variety of normal and neoplastic human tissues by northern blot hybridization. Human heart contained the highest NGF mRNA levels, whereas lower but comparable levels were found in the placenta, prostate, and kidney. All tissues examined coexpressed the low-affinity NGF receptor (LNGFR), whereas none of these tissues expressed the high-affinity NGF receptor encoded by the trk protooncogene. The widespread distribution of the LNGFR suggests that it plays a role in the regulation of normal cell growth. No overexpression of NGF or LNGFR mRNA was detected in neoplastic tissues, whereas LNGFR-like immunoreactivity was localized outside of tumor cells. Transforming growth factor-alpha and protooncogene c-fos expression in these tissues did not show a systematic correlation with NGF/LNGFR expression. Furthermore, regulation of the human NGF gene was studied in DU145 cells, a prostatic adenocarcinoma cell line that synthesizes significant NGF mRNA levels. Serum induced, whereas dexamethasone inhibited, NGF mRNA synthesis in these cells. Serum induction was preceded by a rapid and transient activation of the c-fos protooncogene.