ITF-2 Is Disrupted via Allelic Loss of Chromosome 18q21, and ITF-2B Expression Is Lost at the Adenoma-Carcinoma Transition

Accumulation of mutations and allelic losses are driving forces of colorectal carcinogenesis. ITF-2B, which is up-regulated during early colorectal carcinogenesis because of loss of adenomatous polyposis coli, is a target for LOH on chromosome 18q, along with deleted in colorectal carcinoma and Smad4. This finding, along with the fact that ITF-2B is a regulator of the key cell cycle inhibitor p21Cip1, indicates that ITF-2B is a tumor suppressor that has an important function at the adenoma to carcinoma transition.