Association of Ki-ras with amplified DNA sequences, detected in human ovarian carcinomas by a modified in-gel renaturation assay.

A modified in-gel DNA renaturation technique, which detects DNA sequences amplified greater than 7-fold in human DNA, was used to analyze gene amplification in surgical specimens of primary and metastatic ovarian carcinomas. Amplified DNA sequences were detected in two of eight tumors. Hybridization of these samples with different oncogene probes revealed that both tumors contained an amplified Ki-ras gene, which in one case was coamplified with c-myc. In one of the tumors, Ki-ras was found to be amplified in both the primary tumor and three different metastatic nodules. No mutations at codons 12 or 61 of Ki-ras were detected in these tumors. No additional cases of Ki-ras or c-myc amplification were detected by Southern hybridization in the tumors that were found to be amplification negative by modified in-gel renaturation assays. These results indicate that gene amplification in ovarian carcinomas is likely to involve the Ki-ras oncogene.