Difference in the expression of the c-met protooncogene transcription variants in human gastric mucosa and cancer was studied by deoxynucleotide sequencing and cloning-restriction fragment length assay of the PCR products amplified with the specific primer set to membrane proximal extracellular domain of the c-met c-DNA. Fight gastric cancer cell lines, five gastric carcinoma tissues as well as their corresponding non-neoplastic gastric mucosas had the 54 bp- form splice variant of the c-met which encodes mature 190 kDa alpha beta heterodimeric protein as the major transcript population and 54 bp+ form variant which encodes 170 kDa protein, which is distinct from the met precursor protein, could not be detected. These results indicate that 190 kDa alpha beta heterodimeric protein encoded by major 54 bp- form c-met transcript mainly mediates the effect of HGF/SF in the stomach.

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