Saginaw Valley State University, Biology, University Center, MI 48710
CD72 is membrane protein expressed in many cell types. We have identified that the CD72 human gene is polymorphic in its Intron 8. As CD72 is a negative regulator of cell growth we tested their association with the kidney cancer. Two polymorphisms in Intron 8 were identified; the tandem repeat where an individual has either one or two repeats of thirteen nucleotides and the other polymorphism being a four nucleotide deletion (CACT). We obtained tissue samples from forty-eight patients. Tissue samples were collected from both areas of tumor tissue as well as areas of normal tissue in the same individual. The sample DNA was amplified with PCR and then each sample was genotyped for each polymorphism. This research is ongoing, but the preliminary results indicate that the loss of CACT is associated with kidney cancer.
[Abstract (DOC)]