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    Nature. 2007 Aug 2;448(7153):561-6. Epub 2007 Jul 11.

    Identification of the transforming EML4-ALK fusion gene in non-small-cell lung cancer.

    Source

    Division of Functional Genomics, Jichi Medical University, Tochigi 329-0498, Japan.

    Abstract

    Improvement in the clinical outcome of lung cancer is likely to be achieved by identification of the molecular events that underlie its pathogenesis. Here we show that a small inversion within chromosome 2p results in the formation of a fusion gene comprising portions of the echinoderm microtubule-associated protein-like 4 (EML4) gene and the anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) gene in non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cells. Mouse 3T3 fibroblasts forced to express this human fusion tyrosine kinase generated transformed foci in culture and subcutaneous tumours in nude mice. The EML4-ALK fusion transcript was detected in 6.7% (5 out of 75) of NSCLC patients examined; these individuals were distinct from those harbouring mutations in the epidermal growth factor receptor gene. Our data demonstrate that a subset of NSCLC patients may express a transforming fusion kinase that is a promising candidate for a therapeutic target as well as for a diagnostic molecular marker in NSCLC.

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    PMID:
    17625570
    [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

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