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Journal of Cancer Research and Clinical Oncology logoLink to Journal of Cancer Research and Clinical Oncology
. 1994 Feb;120(4):213–220. doi: 10.1007/BF01372559

Amylase mRNA transcripts in normal tissues and neoplasms: the implication of different expressions of amylase isogenes

Kuniaki Seyama 1,✉, Toshihiro Nukiwa 2, Kazuhisa Takahashi 1, Hideki Takahashi 1, Shiro Kira 1
PMCID: PMC12200366  PMID: 7507116

Abstract

To understand the cellular origin and mechanism of gene expression in amylase-producing cancers, the phenotyping of amylase isogenes by the polymerase chain reaction and restriction-fragment-length polymorphism using restriction endonucleasesTaqI,DdeI,HinfI, andAfaI were performed for 3 amylase-producing lung adenocarcinomas, 16 lung cancers without hyperamylasemia, other human malignant neoplasms, cultured cell lines, and normal tissues. In addition, amylase mRNA transcripts were semi-quantified by the limited polymerase chain reaction. Amylase mRNA transcripts were detected in all of the tissues examined. TheAMY1 gene (salivary type) was exclusively and highly expressed in the salivary glands and the amylase-producing lung adenocarcinomas. Coexpression of theAMY1 gene andAMY2 gene (pancreatic type) was observed in most of the lung cancers without hyperamylasemia, lung tissue, and cells scraped from the tracheal epithelium, thyroid, and female genital tract (ovary, fallopian tube, and uterus cervix), while minimal levels of mRNA transcripts of theAMY2 gene were detected in other malignant neoplasms, various normal tissues, and the cultured cell lines. All mRNA transcripts identified as being those of theAMY2 gene were further identified as being from theAMY2B gene except for the transcripts from the pancreas, in which theAMY2A gene andAMY2B gene were coexpressed. On the basis of these results, the clinical occurrence of amylase-producing cancer likely relates to the tissues expressing theAMY1 gene, while theAMY2B gene, which evolutionarily is the oldest gene among human amylase isogenes, is constitutively expressed in various tissues.

Key words: Amylase-producing cancer, Lung cancer, Amylase isogenes, Polymerase chain reaction, Restriction-fragment-length polymorphism

Abbreviations

AMY1

salivary-type amylase gene

AMY1A, AMY1B, andAMY1C

salivary-type amylase isogenes

AMY2

pancreatic amylase gene

AMY2A andAMY2B

pancreatic amylase isogenes

PCR

polymerase chain reaction

RT

reverse transcriptase

RFLP

restriction-fragment-length polymorphism

LTR

long terminal repeat

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