Mutational analysis of susceptibility genes RNASEL/HPC1, ELAC2/HPC2, and MSRI in sporadic prostate cancer

Three putative prostate cancer-susceptibility genes, RNASEL/HPCI at 1q24, MSRI at 8p22, and ELAC2/HPC2 at 17p11, have recently been identified. Our objective was to investigate somatic mutations in these genes in sporadic prostate cancer. We analyzed 39 clinical prostate cancer specimens, 10 prostate cancer xenografts (LuCaP series), and 4 prostate cancer cell lines (LNCaP, DU145, PC-3, and MPC-3) for genetic changes using denaturing high-performance liquid chromatography and direct sequencing in order to screen the whole coding regions of RNASEL and MSRI , as well as exons 7 and 17 of ELAC2. The known 471delAAAG truncating mutation was found in the RNASEL gene in cell line LNCaP. The only new missense variation in RNASEL, Gly296Val, was found in cell line DU145, but not in any other samples. RNASEL and ELAC2 also showed the common missense polymorphic changes. A previously reported truncating mutation (Arg293X) was found in MSRI in the germ line of one individual. Our results indicate that inactivation of the RNASEL, ELAC2, or MSRI genes by somatic mutation is a rare phenomenon in sporadic prostate cancer. (C) 2003 Wiley-Liss, Inc.