The second common region of deletion at chromosome 3p21.3 encompasses D3F15S2, at which a high incidence of loss of heterzygosity in renal cell carcinoma has been reported.
A gene near the D3F15S2 site on 3p is expressed in normal human kidney but not or only at a severely reduced level in 11 of 15 primary renal cell carcinomas (RCC).
The constitutional heterozygosity for the DNF15S2 locus and for one allele of the c-erbA beta and the c-raf-1 proto-oncogenes was lost in nonpapillary RCCs, whereas both alleles were retained in each papillary RCC analyzed.
The results support the thesis that a tumor suppressor gene involved in the oncogenesis of RCC may be located distal to the DNF15S2 locus on chromosome 3p.