ANALISI DELLE MUTAZIONI PUNTIFORMI DEL GENE HA-RAS IN BASALIOMI E SPINALIOMI MEDIANTE LA TECNICA DELLA POLYMERASE CHAIN REACTION (PCR)

Detection of point mutations of Ha-ras gene in basalimas and spinaliomas by the use of polymerase chain reaction (PCR) Polymerase chain reaction is a recently developed procedure to detect point mutations in human genomic DNA. The sensitivity and specificity of this technique which requires a very little amount of DNA, have allowed the large scale screening of tumors. The Authors report the detection of point mutations of Ha-ras gene at codon 12 in 12 basal cell carcinomas and 10 cutaneous squamous cell carcinomas by the use of polymerase chain reaction in paraffinembedded tissue sections. The gene alteration was identified in 2 basaliomas whereas no squamous cell carcinoma showed point mutations. These results suggest that point mutations of Ha-ras gene do not represent a general activating mechanism in cutaneous epitheliomas.