Intragenic mutations of the p16(INK4), p15(INK4B) and p18 genes in primary non-small-cell lung cancers

The p15(INK4B), p16(INK4) and p18 genes are members of the gene family coding for inhibitors of cyclin-dependent kinases 4 and 6. p15(INK4B) and p16(INK4) are located at 9p21, a chromosomal region frequently deleted in many human neoplasms. To examine the role of these 3 genes in lung carcinogenesis, somatic mutations within the genes were analyzed by single-strand conformation polymorphism and DNA sequencing in 71 non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) samples. Six somatic mutations in the p16(INK4) gene and 3 cases with a polymorphic allele were observed. Loss of heterozygosity in the p18 gene was found in 1 sample. We did not find any intragenic mutations in the p15(INK4B) or p18 genes. We conclude that p16(INK4) mutations play a role in the formation of some NSCLCs, whereas the involvement of p15(INK4B) and p18 is uncommon.