We explored the state of the p53 gene in gastric cancer. Using one or more methods, we examined 15 specimens from primary carcinomas (14 tumors, one cell line), five cell lines derived from metastases, and seven paired samples of nonmalignant gastric mucosa. Sequence analyses of complementary DNA containing the entire p53 gene open reading frame demonstrated abnormalities in one of five samples from primary tumors and in all five samples from metastases. The single cell line derived from a primary carcinoma had no abnormality of the gene. The six abnormalities included four point mutations, one base-pair deletion resulting in a frame shift, and a 24 base-pair deletion caused by an intronic point mutation (as determined by sequence analysis of genomic DNA). Four of the six mutations mapped to regions highly conserved among species or involved in simian virus 40 T-antigen binding. Restriction fragment length polymorphism studies confirmed that chromosome 17p allelic deletions occur only in a minority of primary tumors, but that they may occur more frequently in metastases. Northern blotting and ribonuclease protection assays detected only a fraction of the p53 gene abnormalities detected by sequencing. Our findings indicate that mutations of the p53 gene are relatively rare in primary gastric tumors but appear to be relatively frequent in cell lines derived from metastatic lesions. Our results may help in understanding the molecular events associated with progression and metastasis in gastric carcinoma.