Differential expression assay of chromosome arm 8p genes identifies Frizzled-related (FRP1/FRZB) and Fibroblast Growth Factor Receptor 1 (FGFR1) as candidate breast cancer genes.

Deletions and amplifications are frequent alterations of the short arm of chromosome 8 associated with various types of cancers, including breast cancers. This indicates the likely presence of tumor suppressor genes and oncogenes. In the present study, we have used the expressed sequence tag (EST) map of 8p11-21 to assemble a set of available cDNAs representing genes from this region. DNA arrays were prepared for expression analysis and search for genes potentially involved in breast cancer. Underexpresion in tumoral breast cells (versus normal breast) was observed for 15 transcripts. Among these, the Frizzled-related gene FRP1/FRZB, was turned off in 78% of breast carcinomas, suggesting that the lack of its product may be associated with malignant transformation. Overexpression in tumoral breast cells was observed for 13 genes. The FGFR1 gene, that encodes a tyrosine kinase receptor for members of the fibroblast growth factor family, was identified as a good candidate for one amplification unit. Taken together, our results demonstrate that such a strategy can rapidly identify genes with an altered pattern of expression and provide candidate genes for malignancies.