Molecular cloning of an activated human oncogene, homologous to v-raf, from primary stomach cancer.

Transfection with high molecular weight DNA from a primary stomach cancer induced foci of transformed NIH 3T3 cells, and the transformed cells were tumorigenic in nude mice. By screening with a human Alu-family probe, we isolated the human DNA sequence from the secondary transformant cells. This transforming sequence encompasses about 60 kilobase pairs and is unrelated to known human transforming genes. Examination of homologies between this sequence and retroviral oncogenes revealed that the human transforming sequence is closely related to the v-raf oncogene of murine transforming retrovirus 3611-MSV.