Loss of hIRH mRNA expression from premalignant adenomas and malignant cell lines

We recently isolated from differential displays and subsequently cloned a human alpha-intercrine (hIRH) whose mRNA is reduced in human hepatocellular carcinomas. We now report that on Northern blots its mRNA is absent from premalignant colonic adenomas and from all of 27 human malignant cell lints (including breast, cervix, colon, duodenal, gastric, leukemia, liver, lung, melanoma, and pancreatic lines). hIRH mRNA was present in most normal human and mouse tissues and fibroblast derived cell lines but absent from leukocytes and brain. Two mRNA signals, at similar to 2 Kb and similar to 3.5 Kb, had variation in signal strength or size between tissues and species. (C) 1996 Academic Press.