Amplifications of both c-Ki-ras with a point mutation and c-myc in a primary pancreatic cancer and its metastatic tumors in lymph nodes.

Activated c-Ki-ras with a point mutation (GGT to CGT) at codon 12, resulting in the substitution of arginine for glycine, was found in DNA from metastatic pancreatic adenocarcinoma in a lymph node. By means of restriction endonuclease length polymorphism with SacI digestion, we were able to demonstrate that the same point mutation of c-Ki-ras was present in the primary tumor and in metastases in lymph nodes. DNA from the normal spleen of the patient did not have this type of point mutation. Moreover, amplifications of 3- to 6-fold of the activated c-Ki-ras and 50-fold of c-myc were found in the primary tumor and the metastases in the two lymph nodes, indicating that point mutation had occurred at a relatively early stage of the tumor development, before amplification of the gene. This is the first clear demonstration of amplification of activated c-Ki-ras accompanied by amplification of c-myc in both primary and metastatic human tumors in vivo.