# EXPRESSION OF THE HUMAN C-K-RAS GENE

> **NIH NIH R01** · CALIFORNIA INSTITUTE OF BIOLOGICAL RES · 1990 · $214,277

## Abstract

Recent studies have shown that a significant proportion of human tumors
contain ras genes that have suffered genetic alterations resulting in the
acquisition of potential to oncogenically transform normal cultured rodent
fibroblasts.  To date, three human ras genes have been characterized,
c-H-ras, c-K-ras and N-ras, and the available evidence indicates that they
have been activated by somatic mutation of their corresponding normal
protooncogenes.  The activation mechanisms of ras oncogenes have been
established as point mutations in their protein coding region.  At the same
time, DNA transfection experiments have shown that overexpression of normal
ras genes can also induce the oncogenic transformation of rodent
established cell lines, ras genes have been found amplified in some animal
and human tumors, and a correlation has been found between the level of
expression of ras genes (normal or mutant) and the cellular phenotype.
Thus, although the role that ras oncogenes could be playing in the origin,
progression or maintenance of these tumors remains to be determined, it
seems likely that activation of ras genes either by structural mutations
and/or by abnormal expression could play an important role in the multistep
process of human carcinogenesis.

We have isolated the c-K-ras oncogene from human lung carcinomas and the
structural features relevant to its mutational activation have been
determined.  We propose to analyse in detail the molecular mechanisms that
control the regulated expression of the c-K-ras gene in human normal and
tumor cells.  The in vivo expression pattern of the gene will be studied by
molecular hybridization and immunological techniques.  The regulatory
signals contained in the primary structure of the gene that control its
expression at the transcriptional and/or posttranscriptional levels will be
analyzed by in vitro manipulation of cloned oncogene sequences in concert
with DNA mediated gene transfer experiments.  These studies should provide
information essential for the understanding at the molecular level of the
cellular processes involved in the expression of this human gene which is
closely associated with the development of a significant number of human
cancers in particular, and of gene regulation in eukaryotes in general.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 3170942
- **Project number:** 5R01CA033021-09
- **Recipient organization:** CALIFORNIA INSTITUTE OF BIOLOGICAL RES
- **Principal Investigator:** MANUEL PERUCHO
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 1990
- **Award amount:** $214,277
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 1988-09-23 → 1991-01-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/3170942

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 3170942, EXPRESSION OF THE HUMAN C-K-RAS GENE (5R01CA033021-09). Retrieved via MORVS 2026-10-25 from https://api.morvs.ai/grant/nih/3170942. Licensed CC0.

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