Somatic mutations of the MTS (multiple tumor suppressor) 1/CDK4l (cyclin-dependent kinase-4 inhibitor) gene in human primary non-small cell lung carcinomas.

Cytogenetic abnormalities of chromosome 9p21-22 have been documented in human non-small cell lung carcinomas (NSCLC). Recently, a candidate tumor suppressor gene, MTS1/CDK4l, was identified in this chromosomal region and frequent homozygous deletions of this gene were found in cancer cell lines derived from various types of tissues. We screened 64 primary NSCLCs, including 31 adenocarcinomas and 33 squamous cell carcinomas, for mutations in MTS1/CDK4l, and detected somatic mutations in 19 of the 64 tumors examined. Five were deletions and 14 were missense mutations. These results suggest that inactivation of MTS1/CDK4l plays an important role during carcinogenesis of NSCLC.