Changes in p14ARF do not play a primary role in human chondrosarcoma tissues

The locus encoding the tumor suppressor p16 has been found to code for a second, different protein. This protein, p14ARF, has been shown to protect p53 from degradation. Like p16, its gene is often altered in different cancers. In this study, the first unique exon, exon 1β, of p14ARF, has been studied in 22 chondrosarcoma tissues using polymerase chain reaction, DNA sequencing and methylation-specific polymerase chain reaction. One chondrosarcoma was found to have exon 1β homozygously deleted, but neither mutations nor methylations were found in any of the chondrosarcomas. This indicates that genetic changes of p14ARF are a rare event in chondrosarcoma. © 2001 Wiley-Liss, Inc.