We sequenced over 600 kbp of the mouse Fra14A2, covering the region orthologous to the fragile epicenter of FRA3B, and determined the Fhit deletion break points in a mouse kidney cancer cell line (RENCA).
Because the FHIT gene sustains biallelic intragenic deletions rather than mutations, there has not been evidence that the FHIT gene frequently plays a role in kidney cancer, although replacement of Fhit expression in a Fhit-negative renal carcinoma cell line suppressed tumor growth in nude mice.
The FHIT locus is composed of ten exons distributed over at least 500 kb, with three 5' untranslated exons centromeric to the renal carcinoma-associated 3p14.2 breakpoint, the remaining exons telomeric to this translocation breakpoint, and exon 5 within the homozygously deleted fragile region.