Fusion of the dominant negative transcription regulator CHOP with a novel gene FUS by translocation t(12;16) in malignant liposarcoma

Abstract

The search for tumour–specific markers is one of the chief goals in cancer biology. We show that the translocation t(12;16)(q13:p11) in malignant myxoid liposarcoma can be a fusion of the CHOP dominant negative transcription factor gene with a novel gene, FUS, which can result in fusion of the FUS glycine–rich protein with the whole CHOP coding region. The data support the concept that protein fusion may commonly occur in solid tumours resulting in tumour–specific markers of potential clinical importance. The data also indicate the importance of transcription disruption in the pathogenesis of solid tumours. © 1993 Nature Publishing Group.