Mutations in the candidate tumour suppressor gene FLJ12973 on chromosome 15q15 are rare in colorectal cancer

Allele imbalance at chromosome 15q14-q22 is seen in a high proportion of sporadic colorectal cancers encompassing the colorectal adenoma and carcinoma susceptibility locus. The FLJ12973 gene, which has recently been identified as a candidate tumour suppressor, maps to 15q15 and encodes a WD-repeat protein with structural similarity to the small subunit of the xeroderma pigmentosum E (XP-E) complex. To examine the proposition that FLJ12973 is involved in colorectal cancer we analysed 31 tumours for sequence variation. No missense changes or pathogenic mutations – truncating or splice site – were detected in any of the tumours. While epigenetic effects on FLJ12973 cannot be excluded, these results show that it is not a common target for mutations in colorectal cancers.