Background: Bax protein, a member of the Bcl-2 family, regulates the apoptotic pathway that involves both Bcl-2 and p53. bax mutations are found in hematological malignancies, colon cancer with microsatellite mutator phenotype, and some other cancers. We evaluated the possibility that Bax functions as a TCC or RCC tumor suppressor gene.
Materials and methods: Using Western blot and polymerase chain reaction-single strand conformation polymorphism (PCR-SSCP) we looked for somatic mutations in a tract of eight deoxyguanosines (G)8 within third exon of bax in TCC and RCC cell lines and tumor specimens.
Results: We failed to reveal genetic alterations, at least in this specific region of bax gene in urological cancers.
Conclusion: Alterations of bax, at least at investigated specific region, do not play considerable role in RCC or TCC tumorigenesis.