In childhood malignancies such as retinoblastoma and Wilms tumour, of which both familial and sporadic forms exist, recessive mutations of presumed differentiation genes have been implicated in tumorigenesis. A proportion of cases appear with microscopically visible chromosome deletions which indicate the regions where the genes concerned are located. Mutation or loss of one allele causes a cancer predisposition. For tumour development functional loss of the remaining normal allele is also required. In cancers with both familial and sporadic forms, molecular-genetic studies have shown that deletion is often one of the mutational events. Although familial and sporadic forms have never been distinguished in lung cancer, deletions of the short arm of chromosome 3 have been described for small cell lung cancer (SCLC), but their general occurrence in SCLC has been disputed. Using a molecular-genetic approach, we here present evidence for a consistent deletion at the chromosomal region 3p21, not only in SCLC, but in all major types of lung cancer.

No abstract

Almost exactly 50 years ago, R. A. Fisher and R. Race proposed a model for the evolution of the RH (rhesus) genes in which the less common haplotypes were derived from the commoner ones by recombination, and in which the gene order was D-C-E. No direct-evidence bearing on this model was available then, and has not been until now. Here we present evidence for non-reciprocal intergenic exchange (gene conversion) occurring once in human history to generate the common RHCE allele, Ce. We have also used new polymorphisms to construct haplotypes which suggest that intragenic recombination played a major role in the generation of the less common haplotypes, but only if RHD lies 3' of RHCE, i.e. the order is C-E-D. We provide both genetic and physical evidence supporting this arrangement.

The chromosomal region 3p2l is thought to be the site of a lung tumor suppressor gene. We recently cloned a gene from this region that has greatly reduced expresion in almost all lung tumor cell lines examined, in spite of being widely expressed in a variety of other tumor and nontumor cell types. We report here the sequence of this gene and show that it has significant homology to the genes encoding the ubiqultinactivating enzymes of three speies, Including human. This

We describe a PCR-based method of performing RHD and C/c typing in a single reaction. The method is based on an earlier observation of a polymorphism in intron 2 of both genes which, in addition to detecting the RHD deletion responsible for most known D-negative phenotypes, is also associated with C/c serological type. Using this assay, we typed 105 unrelated individuals from at least four different population groups and compared the results to those obtained using conventional serological testing of red cells. An absolute correlation, with no exceptions, was seen. We also showed that the method has potential in the antenatal determination of RH type, as it was possible to type fetal trophoblasts recovered from the endocervical canal at 9 weeks pregnancy.

We have studied the RH genes in donors with the RhD-negative haplotype dCe^s. In contrast to the usual arrangement of genes in RhD-negative individuals, where the lack of antigen expression is due to deletion of the entire RHD gene, we find that the dCe^s haplotype includes an RHD gene with an internal deletion. Moreover, there appear to be no 5' sequences characteristic of RHC suggesting that the RhC antigen may be encoded by a truncated RHD or a recombinant RHD/CE gene in these dCeVdce genomes.

We describe a PCR-based method of performing RHD and C/c typing in a single reaction. The method is based on an earlier observation of a polymorphism in intron 2 of both genes which, in addition to detecting the RHD deletion responsible for most known D-negative phenotypes, is also associated with C/c serological type. Using this assay, we typed 105 unrelated individuals from at least four different population groups and compared the results to those obtained using conventional serological testing of red cells. An absolute correlation, with no exceptions, was seen. We also showed that the method has potential in the antenatal determination of RH type, as it was possible to type fetal trophoblasts recovered from the endocervical canal at 9 weeks pregnancy.

Differentiation (1987) 34: 68-78 The legend to Fig. 7a, b contained three printing errors (p instead of 4). The correct reading of lanes 1-5 is as follows: Lane 1, lpter-lp34; lane 2, lp34-lqter; lane 3, lp34-lqter; lane 4 , lpter-lp36.13; lane 5, lp36.13-lqter;