RT Journal Article SR Electronic T1 The product of the imprinted H19 gene is an oncofetal RNA. JF Molecular Pathology JO Mol Pathol FD BMJ Publishing Group Ltd and Association of Clinical Pathologists SP 34 OP 44 DO 10.1136/mp.50.1.34 VO 50 IS 1 A1 I Ariel A1 S Ayesh A1 E J Perlman A1 G Pizov A1 V Tanos A1 T Schneider A1 V A Erdmann A1 D Podeh A1 D Komitowski A1 A S Quasem A1 N de Groot A1 A Hochberg YR 1997 UL http://mp.bmj.com/content/50/1/34.abstract AB AIMS/BACKGROUND: The H19 gene is an imprinted, maternally expressed gene in humans. It is tightly linked and coregulated with the imprinted, paternally expressed gene of insulin-like growth factor 2. The H19 gene product is not translated into protein and functions as an RNA molecule. Although its role has been investigated for more than a decade, its biological function is still not understood fully. H19 is abundantly expressed in many tissues from early stages of embryogenesis through fetal life, and is down regulated postnatally. It is also expressed in certain childhood and adult tumours. This study was designed to screen the expression of H19 in human cancer and its relation to the expression of H19 in the fetus. METHODS: Using in situ hybridisation with a [35S] labelled probe, H19 mRNA was detected in paraffin wax sections of fetal tissues from the first and second trimesters of pregnancy and of a large array of human adult and childhood tumours arising from these tissues. RESULTS: The H19 gene is expressed in tumours arising from tissues which express this gene in fetal life. Its expression in the fetus and in cancer is closely linked with tissue differentiation. CONCLUSIONS: Based on these and previous data, H19 is neither a tumour suppressor gene nor an oncogene. Its product is an oncofetal RNA. The potential use of this RNA as a tumour marker should be evaluated.