Frequency and spectrum of p53 mutations in gastric cancer — a molecular genetic and immunohistochemical study

The p53 tumour-suppressor gene plays an important role in gastric carcinogenesis. In an analysis of the spectrum of mutations of the p53 gene seen in 56 primary gastric carcinomas of various types and grades of differentiation, the entire coding sequence (exons 2–11) of the p53 gene was screened by single-strand conformation polymorphism analysis and direct genomic sequencing of polymerase chain reaction products. Intragenic restriction site polymorphisms and the probe YNZ22 were used for the detection of loss of heterozygosity (LOH) of the p53 gene locus on chromosome 17p. p53 overexpression was studied with the anti-p53 antibody CM-1. A total of 21 somatic alterations of the p53 gene were found. Twenty were base-pair substitutions, and one was an eight base-pair deletion. Six tumours with p53 mutations revealed LOH. Abnormalities in p53 expression were found in 17 tumour samples, of which 16 had gene mutations. The spectrum of mutations observed was consistent with the predicted spectrum for dietary mutagens associated with the metabolism of nitrogenous compounds, resulting in deamination of nucleic acids. Our findings suggest that p53 could be a primary target for mutations associated with dietary carcinogens in gastric carcinogenesis.     

Correlation of loss of heterozygosity at 11 p with tumour progression and survival in non-small cell lung cancer

Loss of heterozygosity (LOH) affecting loci at 11 p 13 and 11 p 15 occurs in childhood and adult carcinomas, including non-small cell lund cancer (NSCLC). In NSCLC, the highest reported frequency of LOH was 72% at the 11 p 13 catalase (CAT) locus. As this locus is centromeric to the Wilms' tumour (WTI) locus, possible involvement of WTI in the pathogenesis of NSCLC was considered. We thus examined 101 cases of NSCLC for LOH at the WTI and five other polymorphic loci along 11 p. At 11 p 13, the frequencies of LOH were 20% (9/46) at the FSHB locus, 9% (5/53) at the WTI locus, and 15% (6/41) at the CAT locus. The shortest region of overlap (SRO) at 11p13 was mapped centromeric to, but excluding, the WTI locus. Only adenocarcinomas showed LOH in this region. At 11 p 15, LOH affected 23% (18/77) of informative cases, with the highest frequency of 36% at the insulin (INS) locus. The SRO at 11 p15 was mapped telomeric to the RRMI locus. A third region, at 11 p13–15 between WTI and RRMI, was also affected by LOH. LOH at 11p correlated significantly with advanced T stage and nodal involvement in NSCLC tumours. In the squamous cell carcinoma subtype, LOH along 11p also correlated with nodal involvement. Furthermore, squamous tumours with LOH involving 11p13 loci had significantly worse survival than those without LOH. These data suggest that tumor suppressor gene(s) on 11p affect the progression of NSCLC, particularly squamous cell carcinomas. Genes Chromosom Cancer 10:183–189 (1994). © 1994 Wiley-Liss, Inc.     

Loss of heterozygosity at chromosome 9p21 is a frequent finding in enteropathy-type T-cell lymphoma

Enteropathy-type T-cell lymphoma (ETL) and ulcerative jejunitis (UJ) are rare disorders often occurring in patients with coeliac disease. The genetic events associated with the accumulation of intraepithelial lymphocytes in coeliac disease and tumour development are largely unknown. Deletions at chromosome 9p21, which harbours the tumour suppressor genes p14/ARF, p15/INK4b, and p16/INK4a, and 17p13, where p53 is located, are associated with the development and progression of lymphomas. To examine whether deletions at 9p21 and 17p13 play a role in ETL, 22 cases of ETL and seven cases of UJ were screened for loss of heterozygosity (LOH) by tissue microdissection and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) analysis for microsatellite markers. Furthermore, p53 and p16 protein expression was examined by immunohistochemistry. In addition, polymerase chain reaction-single strand conformational polymorphism (PCR-SSCP) analysis for detection of mutations in exons 5-8 of the p53 gene was performed in five cases of ETL and three cases of UJ. LOH was found in at least one microsatellite marker at the 9p21 locus in 8 of 22 (36%) ETLs, but not in UJ. Five of nine (56%) tumours composed of large cells showed LOH at 9p21, as opposed to two of eight (25%) tumours with small- or medium-sized cell morphology. The region spanning the p14/p15/p16 gene locus was most frequently affected (five cases); LOH at these markers coincided with loss of p16 protein expression in all of these cases. p53 overexpression was demonstrated in all ETLs examined and in four of seven cases of UJ. However, no alterations of the p53 gene were detected by LOH or PCR-SSCP analysis. The results of this study show that LOH at chromosome 9p21 is frequent in ETL, especially in tumours with large cell morphology; this finding suggests that gene loss at this locus may play a role in the development of ETL.     

The spectrum of TP53 mutations in bladder carcinoma

The mutational spectrum for the TP53 gene was investigated in a large series of bladder tumors and bladder tumor cell lines. Tumors and cell lines were screened for the presence of TP53 point mutations by single-strand conformational polymorphism analysis followed by direct sequencing. Mutations were detected in 16 of 88 (18%) tumors and 4 of 14 cell lines (28%). In total, twelve missense mutations, one nonsense mutation, three deletions, and two insertions were identified by direct sequencing. Of the thirteen point mutations sequenced, only one was a transition at a CpG site, whereas five G:C → T:A transversions were found, suggesting a major role for exogenous mutagens in bladder tumorigenesis. Tumors were also examined for loss of heterozygosity (LOH) on chromosome arm 17p. LOH of one or more markers on 17p was detected in 31 % of tumors. All eight tumors with a TP53 mutation from patients informative at TP53 had LOH, whereas nine tumors with LOH at TP53 did not have an identified mutation. Three tumors had LOH on 17p at sites distal to the TP53 locus but retained both TP53 alleles, suggesting the involvement of another tumor suppressor gene on 17p in bladder tumorigenesis in some tumors. Genes Chrom Cancer 9:108-118 (1994).© 1994 Wiley-Liss, Inc.     

Pancreatic endocrine tumours: evidence for a tumour suppressor pathogenesis and for a tumour suppressor gene on chromosome 17p

Two molecular pathways leading to cancer are known. Common-type cancers arise from the ‘tumour suppressor’ pathway, characterized by gross chromosomal changes and allelic losses (LOH) in an average of 25 per cent or more of randomly chosen chromosomal loci. The ‘mutator pathway’ has been recognized in a subset of cancers, characterized by widespread microsatellite DNA instability and rarity of chromosomal losses. The present study has investigated 20 pancreatic endocrine tumours (PETs) for loss of heterozygosity (LOH) at seven chromosomal loci (3p14, 7q31–32, 11q13, 13q14, 18q21, 17p13, and 17q21); microsatellite instability; and Ki-ras, N-ras, and p53 gene mutations. LOH was found in an average of 24 per cent of the chromosomal loci analysed. No tumour showed microsatellite instability. Ki-ras and p53 mutations were each found in one case. The frequency of losses was higher in malignant (40 per cent) than in benign (17 per cent) tumours (p=0·009), and the specific chromosome 17p13 LOH was associated with extrapancreatic extension of disease (p=0·007), high proliferative activity (p=0·001), and absence of progesterone receptors (p=0·01). A common deleted region on chromosome 17p13 and the rarity of p53 gene mutations suggest the existence of a novel tumour suppressor gene involved in the pathogenesis of PETs in this chromosomal area. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Molecular abnormalities associated with secretory carcinomas of the breast

Secretory carcinomas (SCAs) represent a unique histological variant of invasive breast carcinomas, occurring predominantly in patients younger than 30 years of age. Data from limited series have shown SCAs to have a favorable prognosis in patients younger than 20 years of age, whereas the clinical course tends to parallel the more common in filtrating ductal carcinomas (IDCs) in patients older than 20 years. There are no reports on the molecular abnormalities associated with this unusual tumor. Microdissected archival formalin-fixed tissue from 10 SCAs collected from 2 institutions were used to determine the frequencies of allelic loss at 13 chromosomal regions with 19 microsatellite markers, using multiplex polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based techniques. The results of loss of heterozygosity (LOH) and microsatellite alterations (MAs) analyses were compared with 20 cases of IDCs. P53 gene mutation analysis was also performed on the 10 SCAs using single-strand conformation polymorphism (SSCP) analysis, followed by sequencing of abnormal bands. LOH at multiple regions of chromosome 3p were the most common abnormality in both SCAs (55%) and IDCs (50%), followed by LOH at 17q21 (BRCA1 locus), 13q14 (retinoblastoma gene locus), and 8p21-23. No significant differences were seen in the frequencies of LOH at any chromosomal region except for 17p13 (p53 gene locus), where allelic losses were absent in SCAs, but evident in 46% of IDCs (P < .05). The 2 histological entities were similar in the fractional regional loss (FRL) index (0.26 v 0.24), fractional allelic loss (FAL) index (0.23 v 0.27), as well as in the frequency of MAs (0.015 v 0.005), P > .05. P53 gene missense mutation (G:C::A:T) was detected in 1 of 10(10%) SCAs. Based on the considerable similarities in the molecular abnormalities associated with both tumors, the formation of secondary lumina in both the in situ and the invasive components, as well as suggestions from limited series that the clinical behavior in adult patients parallels that of IDCs, SCA most likely reflects a secretory variant of IDCs.     

Detection of loss of heterozygosity of p53 gene in paraffin-embedded breast cancers by non-isotopic PCR–SSCP

A rapid non-isotopic PCR-SSCP (polymerase chain reaction-single-stranded conformation polymorphism) method was developed in this study to detect polymorphism and loss of heterozygosity (LOH) of p53 in formalin-fixed and paraffin-embedded samples of normal breast tissue and of breast cancer. p53 expression was also examined by immunohistochemistry. In 35 paired samples, heterozygosity in exon 4 of p53 was detected in 17 cases (49 per cent) and LOH of the p53 gene in breast cancer tissues was observed in 7 out of 15 informative cases (47 per cent). The correlation of LOH of p53 with positive p53 immunostaining did not reach statistical significance, but all immunostaining-positive tumours among informative cases had LOH of p53. The results support the hypothesis that in most cases the allelic deletion of p53 may uncover the ‘recessive mutation’ in the remaining allele. However, LOH of p53 was more frequent than positive immunostaining and was significantly associated with poor differentiation of breast cancer (P<0·05). The results suggest that the allelic deletion of p53 may also contribute to the development and progression of breast cancer by reducing the amount of normal p53 protein. These results show that non-isotopic PCR-SSCP is a simple, fast, and effective method for detecting polymorphism and LOH of the p53 gene, which is especially useful for retrospective studies.     

p53 Expression,mutation, and allelic deletion in ovarian cancer

The aim of this investigation was to study the prevalence of p53 gene mutations and allelic deletions in ovarian cancer and the relationship between these events and p53 expression. Genomic p53 was amplified by the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) from paraffin-embedded sections of tumour and non-tumour tissue. Exons 5–9 were screened for mutations using non-isotopic single-strand conformation polymorphism (SSCP) analysis. Allelic deletions at a sequence polymorphism in exon 4 were studied for loss of heterozygosity (LOH) by restriction analysis and by SSCP. p53 expression was detected by immunohistochemistry with the p53 antibodies CM1 and Do7. Of 44 cases, ten (23 per cent), including a mucinous tumour of low malignant potential, showed mutations. There was a statistically significant correlation between p53 mutation and expression (P<0·01) but seven cases showed discordance. Of 18 informative cases, eight (44 per cent) demonstrated LOH. Mutations were identified in three of the informative cases, two of which also had LOH. The remaining case showed mutations in two amplicons. p53 dysfunction, as indicated by mutation, deletion, or increased expression, is common in ovarian cancer. There is an association between these molecular events but the exact mechanisms of p53 inactivation remain to be elucidated.     

Genetic alterations of the tumour suppressor gene regions 3p, 11p, 13q, 17p, and 17q in human breast carcinomas.

Fifty-nine primary breast carcinomas and 11 metastases were examined to identify genetic alterations in the tumour suppressor gene regions 3p, 11p, 13q, 17p, and 17q. Loss of heterozygosity (LOH) was frequently observed on chromosome arms 17p (p144D6 lost in 75%, pYNZ22.1 in 55%, and TP53 in 48% of the primary tumours), 13q (RBI lost in 40% of the primary tumours), and 17q (pRMU3 lost in 35%, pTHH59 in 29%, and NM23HI in 26% of the primary tumours). Loss of all the markers except p144D6 was observed even more frequently in the metastases. Pairwise comparisons for concordance of allele losses on 17p indicated that there might be two genes on 17p implicated in breast cancer development; the TP53 gene and a gene located close to the p144D6 and pYNZ22.1 markers. LOH of the RBI gene was associated with LOH of pYNZ22.1 and p144D6, but not with LOH of TP53. LOH of RBI and TP53 was associated with occurrence of ductal carcinomas, RBI and p144D6 losses with tumour size, and p144D6 losses with positive node status as well. LOH of TP53 and the three 17q markers NM23HI, pTHH59, and pRMU3 was most frequently observed in tumours from postmenopausal women. p144D6 losses occurred most frequently in progesterone receptor-negative tumours, whereas pTHH59 losses occurred most frequently in oestrogen receptor-negative tumours. LOH of the investigated loci was not associated with ERBB2 protooncogene amplification, with positive family history of breast cancer, or with survival.     

Analysis of chromosome 17p13 (p53 locus) alterations in gastric carcinoma cells by dual-color fluorescence in situ hybridization.

Chromosome 17 and p53 gene locus alterations were determined on 67 gastric carcinomas by dual-color fluorescence in situ hybridization, using probes for centromere 17 and the 17p13.1 (p53 locus). The results were compared with loss of heterozygosity (LOH) at 17p13.3, direct sequencing of exons 5 to 9 of p53, and nuclear overexpression of p53 protein. Deletion of p53 was found in 26 of 67 tumors (39%). All 26 also showed LOH at 17p13.3, frequently overexpressed p53 protein, and had polysomy 17. The functional loss of p53 gene in these tumors, 85% of which were of intestinal type, appears to be caused by both deletion of 17p13.1 and missense mutation of the remaining allele. There were 9 tumors that had neither deletion nor LOH but had a large proportion of cancer cells that overexpressed p53 election. Despite evidence of LOH, there was no p53 deletion in 11 tumors. Finally, 21 tumors, mostly of diffuse type, showed neither deletions, LOH, nor p53 overexpression. Our data suggest that in gastric cancer, deletion of 17p is principally responsible for the allelic loss at the p53 gene and that analysis of deletions by the dual-color fluorescence in situ hybridization is a sensitive and useful approach to clarify chromosomal aberrations.     

Association of a p73 exon 2 GC/AT polymorphism with colorectal cancer risk and survival in Tunisian patients

We examined the association of one linked GC/AT polymorphism at p73 with the risk of colorectal cancer. In the present study, we investigated whether this polymorphism was related to the risk of colorectal cancer, and whether there were relationships between the polymorphism and LOH, protein expression or clinicopathological variables. The p73 genotypes were determined by PCR-restriction fragment length polymorphism in 150 Tunisians patients with colorectal cancer and in 204 healthy control subjects. Immunohistochemistry was performed on normal mucosa, primary tumour and metastasis. The frequencies of the genotypes were 52% for wild-type (GC/GC), 31% for heterozygotes (GC/AT) and 17% for variants (AT/AT) in patients, and 54%, 35% and 11% in controls, respectively. There were no significant differences of the frequencies of the three genotypes between the patients and controls (p = 0.11). We did not find any relationship of the genotypes with clinicopathological features of patients. We found that patients with the AT/AT genotype had a significantly worse clinical outcome than those with the GC/AT and GC/GC genotype. There were no significant differences between tumoural immunostaining of the total p73 and p73 polymorphism (p = 0.16). However, we found a significant difference between the expression profile of ΔNp73 isoform and frequencies of the three genotypes (p = 0.0001). No LOH was observed at p73 locus. Our results suggest that the AT/AT genotype is significantly associated with poor prognosis in colorectal cancer. All these findings suggest that p73 polymorphism analysis may provide useful prognostic information for colorectal cancer patients.     

Chromosome 8p alterations in sporadic and BRCA2 999del5 linked breast cancer

Chromosomal losses involving the short arm of chromosome 8 are frequent in a variety of tumour types, including breast cancer, suggesting the presence of one or more tumour suppressor genes in this region. In this study, we have used 11 microsatellite markers to analyse loss of heterozygosity (LOH) at chromosome 8p in 151 sporadic breast tumours and 50 tumours from subjects carrying the BRCA2 999del5 mutation. Fifty percent of sporadic tumours compared to 78% of BRCA2 linked tumours exhibit LOH at one or more markers at 8p showing that chromosome 8p alterations in breast tumours from BRCA2 999del5 carriers are more pronounced than in sporadic breast tumours. The pattern of LOH is different in the two groups and a higher proportion of BRCA2 tumours have LOH in a large region of chromosome 8p. In the total patient material, LOH of 8p is associated with LOH at other chromosome regions, for example, 1p, 3p, 6q, 7q, 9p, 11p, 13q, 17p, and 20q, but no association is found between LOH at 8p and chromosome regions 11q, 16q, 17q, and 18q. Furthermore, an association is detected between LOH at 8p and positive node status, large tumour size, aneuploidy, and high S phase fraction. Breast cancer patients with LOH at chromosome 8p have a worse prognosis than patients without this defect. Multivariate analysis suggests that LOH at 8p is an independent prognostic factor. We conclude that chromosome 8p carries a tumour suppressor gene or genes, the loss of which results in growth advantage of breast tumour cells, especially in carriers of the BRCA2 999del5 mutation.


Keywords: chromosome 8; BRCA2; LOH; breast cancer     

Loss of heterozygosity on chromosome 10, 13q(Rb), 17p,and p53 gene mutations in human brain gliomas.

Using the methods of restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) and single strand conformation polymorphism (SSCP) analyses, we have examined 33 cases of human gliomas with various malignant grades to detect the deletions of putative tumor suppressor gene loci, chromosome 10, 13q(retinoblastoma gene, Rb), 17p, and p53 mutation. We observed loss of heterozygosity (LOH) at loci on chromosome 10 (36%), 13q(Rb) (54%), and 17p(50%) in malignant gliomas. There, however was no allelic loss on chromosome 10 and 17p in low-grade gliomas. Rb gene deletions were seen in low-grade gliomas, including oligodendroglioma and ependymoma. This finding suggests that Rb inactivation may be an early genetic event in the development and progression of gliomas. We correlated the results of LOH on chromosome 17p and p53 mutation. Among the 8 cases which showed LOH on chromosome 17p, only three cases (38%) revealed p53 mutations. Low incidence of p53 mutations in cases with chromosome 17p deletions suggests that some other tumor suppressor genes may be located on chromosome 17p.     

Allelic loss on chromosomes 3p, 5q and 17p in renal cell carcinomas

Lossof-heterozygosity (LOH) has been studied on 3p (von Hippel-Lindau gene locus), 5q and 17p (p53 gene locus) by a polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based strategy in 42 sporadic renal cell carcinomas (RCC). LOH at seven micro-satellite loci on 5q was Investigated because a tumor sup presser gene on 5q involved In the development and/or progression of RCC has not yet been identified. LOH was found In seven (17%) RCC at single or multiple locl on 5q, 38% (11/29 Informative cases) on 3p, and 6% (2/35 Informative cases) on 17p. Replication error (RER) was present in 10% (4/42) RCC at single or multiple loci. The minimum region of deletion on 5q to account for LOH was mapped to 5q31.1 (interferon regulatory factor-1; IRF-1 locus), where LOH was detected In 23% (6/26 Informative cases). LOH on 3p and 5q occurred In both stage 2 and more advanced (stage 3 and 4) tumors at similar incidences (41 and 33% on 3p; and 24 and 22% on 5q, respectively), suggesting that LOH on these chromosomes Is an early genetic event. All RCC exhibiting LOH on 3p or 5q (IRF-1 locus) were the clear cell or the mixed clear and granular cell types. These findings suggest that LOH on 3p and 5q plays an important role in the genesis of clear cell RCC. In addition, only one tumor exhibited LOH on both 3p and 5q, which suggests that LOH occurs not sequentially but independently.     

Detailed deletion mapping in sporadic breast cancer at chromosomal region 17p13 distal to the TP53 gene: association with clinicopathological parameters.

Chromosome 17p is among the most frequently deleted regions in a variety of human malignancies including breast cancer. This study has further refined the localization of a putative tumour suppressor gene (TSG) at 17p13 distal to the TP53 gene in breast carcinomas. It was found that 73% (37 of 51) of the breast tumours exhibited loss of heterozygosity (LOH) at one or more loci at 17p13. The allelic loss patterns of these tumours suggest the presence of at least seven commonly deleted regions on 17p13. The three most frequently deleted regions were mapped at chromosomal location 17p13.3-17p13.2 between the markers D17S831 and D17S1845 (56% LOH), at 17p13.1 between D17S1810 and D17S1832 (53% LOH), and at 17p13.1 between D17S938 and TP53 (55% LOH). A significant correlation was found between loss at 17p13 and tumour grade, size, proliferative activity, and oestrogen receptor (ER) status. Losses at 17p13 were seen more frequently in large and poorly differentiated tumours with high proliferative activity. These data support and extend previous reports on the presence of a putative TSG(s) at chromosomal region 17p13 distal to the TP53 gene and show that different subsets of LOH are associated with more aggressive tumour behaviour.     

3p21, 5q21, and 9p21 allelic deletions are frequently found in normal bronchial cells adjacent to non-small-cell lung cancer, while they are unusual in patients with no evidence of malignancy.

Molecular cytogenetic and loss of heterozygosity (LOH) analyses of non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) have shown frequent allelic deletions in a variety of chromosomes, such as 1p, 3p, 5q, 8p, 9p, 11p, 11q, and 17p. Allelic loss at 3p21, 9p21, and 5q21 has also been reported in premalignant epithelial lesions of the bronchus and in normal bronchial cells. These findings suggest that a tissue field of somatic genetic alterations precedes the histopathological phenotypic changes of carcinoma. LOH at chromosomal regions 3p21, 5q21, 9p21, and 17p (TP53) was looked for in the peritumoural normal bronchial cells from 30 archival surgically resected tumours. Microdissected normal bronchial cells from 20 benign cytological smears were also added to the study. Matched populations of lymphocytes, tumour cells, and normal bronchial cells adjacent to the tumour were microdissected from paraffin-embedded tissues, while matched populations of normal bronchial cells and inflammatory cells were microdissected from benign cytological smears (bronchial brushings). Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification was performed utilizing the specific markers D5S346, D3S1300, D9S157, D9S171, and TP53. Within the NSCLC tumour cells, LOH was more frequently found at the 5q21 locus (72% of the informative cases), the 3p21 locus (47%), 9p21 (48%), and 17p (33%). Within the peritumoural normal bronchial cells, LOH at 5q21 was found in 37.5% of the cases, 22% showed LOH at 3p21, 27% at 9p21, and 13% at 17p (TP53). LOH was also detected in one case, in normal bronchial cells obtained from cytological smears at one locus (5q21). In conclusion, normal bronchial mucosa adjacent to NSCLC has frequent allelic losses at 3p21, 5q21, and 9p21, while LOH at these loci is unusual in normal bronchial cells obtained from cytological smears from patients with no evidence of malignancy. LOH at these loci may be present before the onset of the malignant growth. LOH studies may supplement the histopathological evaluation of bronchial cells to detect genotypic alterations in both cytological and biopsy specimens.     

Sensitive detection of loss of heterozygosity in the TP53 gene in pancreatic adenocarcinoma by fluorescence-based single-strand conformation polymorphism analysis using blunt-end DNA fragments

We have developed a fluorescence-based single-strand conformation polymorphism analysis to detect HaeIII-sensitive polymorphic sites in intron I of the TP53 gene. It is important to treat the PCR products with Klenow fragment to remove a 3′-protruding nucleotide from the amplified DNA fragments added during the reaction in order to obtain a single peak for each allele. A comparison of the signal profiles of two alleles with those of normal heterozygotes by data processing using computer software has enabled sensitive detection of loss of heterozygosity (LOH) from clinical materials with a fraction of tumor cells below 10%. In analysis of 14 pancreatic carcinomas in which the proportion of the tumor cells is usually low due to the abundance of the stromal component, 7 samples (50%) were informative and 5 of the 7 (71.4%) were positive for LOH at the TP53 locus. This approach would be useful for allelotyping tumors with low cellularity, as well as other clinical samples such as biopsied specimens and paraffin embedded tissues. Genes Chromosom Cancer 15:157–164 (1996). © 1996 Wiley-Liss, Inc.     

Allelotype study of esophageal carcinoma

To investigate genetic features of esophageal cancer, we have examined 93 squamous cell carcinomas of the esophagus for loss of heterozygosity (LOH), using 41 restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) markers representing all autosomal chromosomes. Allelic losses at frequencies of at least 30% were observed at loci on chromosomal arms 3p (35%), 3q (30%), 5q (36%), 9p (57%), 9q (60%), 10p (33%), 13q (43%), 17p (62%), 17q (46%), 18q (38%), 19q (32%), and 21q (37%). These results suggest that several putative tumor suppressor genes, in addition to the cyclin D and TP53 genes that are sometimes mutated in esophageal carcinomas, may be associated with development and/or progression of esophageal cancer. By a comparison of LOH on each chromosomal arm with clinicopathological parameters, we have found a significant correlation between LOH on 19q and regional lymph node metastases. Interestingly, the frequency of LOH on 17q was significantly higher in tumors in female patients (12 of 14 cases) than in those in male patients (20 of 56 cases) (P = 0.0009 by Fisher's exact test). Furthermore, we examined for mutations of the APC gene on chromosome arm 5q. Screening of nearly one third of the APC coding region, including the MCR (mutation cluster region), revealed no alterations. Therefore, although allelic loss at the APC locus is frequent in squamous cell carcinomas of the esophagus, it is likely that a gene on 5q other than APC is involved in esophageal tumorigenesis. Genes Chromosom Cancer 10:177–182 (1994). © 1994 Wiley-Liss, Inc.     

Loss of heterozygosity in malignant melanoma at loci on chromosomes 11 and 17 implicated in the pathogenesis of other cancers

Forty-six cases of sporadic melanoma have been investigated for loss of heterozygosity at 4 loci: D11S29 (11q23), YNZ22 (17p13.3), TP53 (17p13.1); and NM23 (17q22). Each of the loci is thought to be important in the pathogenesis of other tumours. Mutations were found infrequently at the YNZ22, NM23, and TP53 loci. At D11S29, however, the frequency of mutation in the melanoma samples was high (67%) and mutations at this locus were associated with younger age at presentation. This region of chromosome 11 is also commonly mutated in breast cancers and haematological malignancies. Genetic aberrations at D11S29 may therefore represent nonspecific mutations found in several malignancies or part of a pathway common to the malignant phenotype. © 1993 Wiley-Liss, Inc.     

Genetic events in tumour initiation and progression in multiple endocrine neoplasia type 2

Multiple endocrine neoplasia type 2 (MEN 2) is a familial cancer syndrome arising from mutation at a locus or loci in chromosome region 10p11.2-q11.2. The disease is characterized by medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC) and pheochromocytoma (Pheo). To assess the genetic events in tumour initiation and progression in this disease, we have compiled an allelotype for MTC and Pheo tumours using polymorphic marker loci from each chromosome arm. Using a panel of 58 tumours, we found frequent allele losses on chromosome arms 1p (42%), 3p (30%), 3q (38%), 11p (11%), 13q (10%), 17p (8%), and 22q (29%). Loss of heterozygosity (LOH) for loci on chromosome 10 was detected in a single tumour where one whole chromosome copy was lost. We used a panel of polymorphic markers for each of chromosomes 1, 3, 11, and 17 to define a shortest region of overlap for these regions. The most frequent allele losses were on chromosome 1, spanning the entire short arm of the chromosome but not loci on 1q. LOH on chromosome 3 encompassed a minimal common region of 3q12-qter. The regions of allelic deletion on chromosome 11(11pter-p13), 17(17pter-p11.2), and 13 (13q) encompass known tumour suppressor loci (WTI, TP53, RBI) which must therefore be candidates for genes contributing to MTC and Pheo development. Our data suggest allele loss on chromosome 11, 13, or 17 occurs predominantly in tumours with losses on chromosome 3, potentially reflecting the accumulation of genetic change in tumour progression. These events may be associated with more advanced disease in MTC. We suggest that at least 7 genes contribute to tumour development in MEN 2, including an initiating locus on chromosome 10 and loci on chromosomes 1, 3, 11, 13, 17, and 22 which have a progressional role in these tumours. © 1993 Wiley-Liss, Inc.