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. 2001 Jul;85(2):261–265. doi: 10.1054/bjoc.2001.1874

The distribution and expression of the Bloom's syndrome gene product in normal and neoplastic human cells

H Turley 1,2, L Wu 2, M Canamero 1, K C Gatter 1, I D Hickson 2
PMCID: PMC2364038  PMID: 11461087

Abstract

Bloom's syndrome (BS) is an autosomal recessive disorder associated with a predisposition to cancers of all types. Cells from BS sufferers display extreme genomic instability. The BS gene product, BLM, is a 159 kDa DNA helicase enzyme belonging to the RecQ family. Here, we have analysed the distribution of BLM in normal and tumour tissues from humans using a recently characterized, specific monoclonal antibody. BLM was found to be localized to nuclei in normal lymphoid tissues, but was largely absent from other normal tissues analysed with the exception of the proliferating compartment of certain tissues. In contrast, expression of BLM was observed in a variety of tumours of both lymphoid and epithelial origin. A strong correlation was observed between expression of BLM and the proliferative status of cells, as determined by staining for markers of cell proliferation (PCNA and Ki67). We conclude that BLM is a proliferation marker in normal and neoplastic cells in vivo, and, as a consequence, is expressed at a higher level in tumours than in normal quiescent tissues. © 2001 Cancer Research Campaign http://www.bjcancer.com

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Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

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