Identification of Possible Human Liver Tumor Suppressor Genes

Sharon L. Ricketts, Ph.D
UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center
T32ES07017

Background: Several distinct regions of human chromosome 11 demonstrate loss of heterozygosity or confer tumor suppression in chromosome transfer studies in specific types of human tumors, including liver cancer, suggesting the presence of multiple tumor suppressor genes on this chromosome. By developing a model in which human chromosome 11 was introduced into a rat liver tumor cell line this laboratory was able to create a new cell line that exhibits suppression of tumorigenicity. Using this model system, the investigators were then able to employ a candidate gene approach to identify potential human liver tumor suppressor genes.

Advance: Thirty-eight genes have been mapped to this region of chromosome 11 by the Human Genome Project. Three of these genes were uniformly expressed by an index panel of suppressed microcell hybrid cell lines, which identified them as candidate liver tumor suppressor genes. In preliminary analyses in four human carcinoma cell lines, the transcript of one gene, p53-induced protein (PIG11), was lost or significantly decreased in two of the lines identifying this gene for potential involvement in some human liver carcinomas.

Implication: This study increased the knowledge of genes located in the liver tumor suppressor region of chromosome 11 and identified several candidate liver tumor suppressor genes from this region. Further characterization of these candidate genes may provide further insight into the role of this region of chromosome 11 in the pathogenesis of human liver cancer.

Citation: Ricketts SL, Carter JC, Coleman WB. Identification of three 11p11.2 candidate liver tumor suppressors through analysis of known human genes. Mol Carcinog. 2003 Feb;36(2):90-9.