Abstract
Loss of genes located on chromosome 3p has been reported in many different types of human cancers, including renal cell carcinoma. Previous studies using a nontumorigenic human renal cell carcinoma cell line (RCC23) established from a stage III nonpapillary carcinoma with a loss of heterozygosity on 3p showed that microcell hybrids containing an introduced intact chromosome 3 resulted in a more differentiated phenotype including restored cellular senescence and repression of telomerase activity. Human wnt-5a has been cloned and mapped to chromosome 3p14-21. We have stably transfected human wnt-5a into RCC23 cells which results in in vitro growth suppression and repression of telomerase activity in a manner similar to that found in microcell hybrids containing an introduced intact chromosome 3.