Human Semaphorin 3B (SEMA3B) located at chromosome 3p21.3 suppresses tumor formation in an adenocarcinoma cell line.

The short arm of chromosome 3 has been shown to exhibit high loss of heterozygosity in several types of cancer including ovarian, kidney, lung, and testicular cancers. In particular, overlapping homozygous deletions in lung cancers have been identified in region 3p21.3. Semaphorin 3B, a gene that resides within this region, has been proposed to be involved in tumorigenesis. To address this hypothesis, we have examined the effects of semaphorin 3B on HEY cells, an ovarian cancer cell line. HEY cells expressing semaphorin 3B exhibited a diminished tumorigenicity in BALB/c nu/nu mice. Semaphorin 3B also severely reduced the anchorage independence of HEY cells. These results demonstrate a role for semaphorin 3B in tumor suppression.