Detection of DNA aberrations in human cancers by single-strand conformation polymorphism analysis of polymerase chain reaction products.

We have developed a simple, sensitive method, single-strand conformation polymorphism (SSCP) analysis, to detect a single nucleotide substitution in a DNA fragment amplified and labeled by the polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Mobility shift of single-stranded DNAs due to their specific conformations on non-denaturing polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis can reveal DNA aberrations. By the PCR-SSCP analysis of DNAs from surgical specimens of human cancers, mutated ras genes (17%) and aberrations of tumor suppressor p53 gene (53%) including loss of one of the two alleles and a mutation in the remaining allele were detected in lung carcinomas and aberrations of both of the p53 and retinoblastoma (RB) genes were detected exclusively in advanced hepatocellular carcinomas.