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IntroductionHodgkin lymphoma (HL), which accounts for approximately one third of all malignant lymphomas, is characterized by the presence of only a small fraction of malignant cells. Neoplastic cells represented as mononucleated Hodgkin-and multinucleated Reed-Sternberg cells (HRS cells) are embedded in a varying infiltrate of reactive cells including B and T lymphocytes, eosinophils, plasma cells, and fibroblasts. 1 According to the new World Health Organization (WHO) classification, 2 4 well-defined histotypes of classical Hodgkin lymphoma (cHL) can be distinguished: lymphocyte-rich (cHL-LR), nodularsclerosis (cHL-NS), mixed-cellularity (cHL-MC), and lymphocytedepletion (cHL-LD). Paragranuloma (nodular lymphocyte predominant Hodgkin lymphoma [NLPHL]) has been shown to be clinically and immunophenotypically distinct and eventually to transform to large B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma. This indicates that NLPHL is essentially different from the cHL subtypes.Because of the small number of malignant cells, cytogenetic analysis is particularly difficult in HL and, to date, has not revealed any specific chromosomal rearrangements. Detailed analysis by chromosome banding is further limited by the low mitotic index of neoplastic cells, frequently poor chromosome morphology, and complex karyotypic rearrangements. For these reasons, it is difficult to obtain sufficient numbers of karyotypes for evaluation that are representative of the malignant cell population. 3,4 Alternatively, combined immunohistochemical and cytogenetic analyses by fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) have been applied. It could be demonstrated that chromosomal changes are almost exclusively restricted to CD30 ϩ HRS cells. Furthermore, significant heterogeneity in terms of the copy number of single chromosomes was detected using this approach. [5][6][7][8] Recently, comparative genomic hybridization (CGH) was applied in combination with universal polymerase chain reaction (PCR) technology for cytogenetic analyses of HRS cells. 9-11 These analyses indicated higher rates of numerical aberrations of individual chromosomes than had previously been found by banding analysis, in which the identification of numerical changes is difficult because of the complex karyotypes of HRS cells. Gains and losses in more than 50% of the cHL tumors were identified on chromosomal arms 2p, 7q, and 16q, 9,10 whereas in NLPHL, chromosomal arms 1q, 3p, 5q, and Xq were affected. 11 Although the number of analyses is still low (20 cHLs and 20 NLPHLs to date), CGH has already allowed the identification of several imbalanced chromosomal subregions, indicating the localization of candidate genes that may be involved in the etiology of this disease.To further define critical subregions in cHL, a series of 41 tumors was analyzed (a small subset of cases was reported recently 10 ). To this end, collected pools of approximately 30 malignant HRS cells from single tumors were isolated using microdissection technology. Genomic DNA from the individual cell pools was subsequently ampl...

To elucidate the molecular events responsible for tumorigenesis and progression of ependymomas, we analyzed molecular alterations on the gene expression level in a series of newly diagnosed ependymal neoplasms (n ‫؍‬ 39). To this aim, tumor RNA was hybridized to microarrays comprising 2600 different genes with relevance to mitosis, cell-cycle control, oncogenesis, or apoptosis. For CLU, IGF-2, and RAF-1, which are apparent candidate genes because they had been previously described to be involved in tumorigenesis of other human malignancies, we found a high expression on the mRNA as well as the protein level. We identified gene expression signatures for the differentiation of tumors with respect to location, grade, and patient age. Spinal ependymomas were characterized by high-expression levels of HOXB5, PLA2G, and CDKN2A and tumors in young patients (<16 years of age) by high-expression levels of LDHB and STAM. Notably, we were able to classify supratentorial grade II and III tumors with 100% accuracy, whereas this did not apply for infratentorial Ependymal tumors arise from the ependymal lining of the cerebral ventricles and from the remnants of the central canal of the spinal cord. This neoplasm constitutes ϳ3 to 5% of all intracranial malignancies and is the third most common brain tumor in children and young adults. 1,2 In ependymomas, the morphological features and biological behavior vary considerably. Patients with spinal tumor location have usually a favorable prognosis after gross total resection, whereas local tumor progression is the predominant reason for death in patients with intracranial ependymomas, resulting in a 5-year overall survival of ϳ60%. [3][4][5] Because ependymomas are characterized by tremendous variability in clinical behavior, the understanding of the complex changes taking place at the genomic level might lead to more precise understanding of the tumor biology. Cytogenetic studies revealed numerous chromosomal aberrations in ependymomas. In particular, a 30 to 50% incidence of aberrations involving chromosome 22, including monosomy 22 as well as deletions of 22q, prevailed the most frequent finding. 6 -8 Recently, Hirose and co-workers 7 reported on different patterns of chromosomal abnormalities with respect to tumor location detected by comparative genomic hybridization. In intracranial tumors, gain of 1q and losses on 6q, 9, and 13 were frequent, whereas gains on chromosome 7 were recognized almost exclusively in spinal cord tumors and were associated with various other chromosomal aberrations including frequent loss of 22q, suggesting that intracranial and spinal cord ependymomas progress along substantially different pathways. As a hereditary form, neurofibromatosis type 2 is associated with spinal ependymomas, indicating a functional role of the NF2 tumor suppressor gene in these tumors. 9,10 In contrast to adults in which spinal tumors predominate, ϳ90% of all pediatric ependymomas are of intraSupported by the Bundesministerium fü r Bildung und Forschung (FKZ 01 KW 9937 and...

To identify gene expression profiles associated with human meningiomas of different World Health Organization (WHO) malignancy grades, we analyzed 30 tumors (13 benign meningiomas, WHO grade I; 12 atypical meningiomas, WHO grade II; 5 anaplastic meningiomas, WHO grade III) for the expression of 2,600 genes using cDNA-microarray technology. Receiver operator curve (ROC) analysis with a cutoff value of 45% selection probability identified 37 genes with decreased and 27 genes with increased expression in atypical and anaplastic meningiomas, compared to benign meningiomas. Supervised classification of the tumors did not reveal specific expression patterns representative of each WHO grade. However, anaplastic meningiomas could be distinguished from benign meningiomas by differential expression of a distinct set of genes, including several ones associated with cell cycle regulation and proliferation. Investigation of potential correlations between microarray expression data and genomic aberrations, detected by comparative genomic hybridization (CGH), demonstrated that losses on chromosomes 10 and 14 were associated with distinct expression profiles, including increased expression of several genes related to the insulin-like growth factor (IGF) (IGF2, IGFBP3 and AKT3) or wingless (WNT) (CTNNB1, CDK5R1, ENC1 and CCND1) pathways. Taken together, our microarray-based expression profiling revealed interesting novel candidate genes and pathways that may contribute to meningioma progression.

Medulloblastoma, a primitive neuroectodermal tumor of the cerebellum, is one of the most common central nervous system malignancies of childhood. Despite aggressive multimodal therapy, including surgery, irradiation, and chemotherapy, 5-year survival rates have only approached 50 -60%. To identify potential candidate genes that predict for overall survival (OS), we performed a gene expression profiling analysis in 35 newly diagnosed medulloblastoma neoplasms. Subsequently, the nine most promising candidate genes were analyzed by immunohistochemistry and fluorescence in situ hybridization on tumor tissue microarrays representing a series of 180 tumors. We found 54 genes in which expression levels predicted for unfavorable survival in medulloblastoma. In line with the gene expression profiling analysis, a positive staining for STK15 (P ‫؍‬ 0.0006), stathmin 1 (P ‫؍‬ 0.001), and cyclin D1 (P ‫؍‬ 0.03) was associated with an unfavorable OS, whereas cyclin B1, DAXX, Ki-67, MYC, NRAS, and p53 showed no statistical significant effect. In comparison to clinically defined parameters such as gender, age, metastatic stage, extent of tumor resection, application of chemotherapy, and tumor grade, positive staining for STK15 was identified as an independent prognostic factor for OS (P ‫؍‬ 0.026). Moreover, additional gene copy numbers of MYC (P ‫؍‬ 0.003) and STK15 (P ‫؍‬ 0.05) predicted for poor survival. The combination of gene expression profiling with tissue microarray experiments allowed the identification of a series of candidate genes that predicts for survival in medulloblastoma. Of the results highlighted by the various data analysis procedures, genes associated with cell proliferation (cyclin D1), transcription (MYC), and especially mitosis (stathmin 1, STK15) appear particularly intriguing with respect to medulloblastoma pathomechanism.

Malignant transformation of mouse skin by chemical carcinogens and tumour promoters, such as the phorbol ester 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA), is a multistage process that leads to squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) formation. In an effort to identify tumour-associated genes, we studied the influence of short-term TPA-treatment on the gene expression profile of murine skin. A comprehensive microarray with some 5,000 murine gene specific cDNA fragments was established and hybridised with pooled RNA derived from control and TPA-treated dorsal skin samples. Of these genes, 54 were up-and 35 were down-regulated upon TPA application. Additionally, we performed suppression subtractive hybridisation (SSH) with respective RNA pools to generate and analyse a cDNA library enriched for TPA-inducible genes. Expression data of selected genes were confirmed by quantitative real-time PCR and Northern blot analysis. Comparison of microarray and SSH data revealed that 26% of up-regulated genes identified by expression profiling matched with those present in the SSH library. Besides numerous known genes, we identified a large set of unknown cDNAs that represent previously unrecognised TPA-regulated genes in murine skin with potential function in tumour promotion. Additionally, some TPA-induced genes, such as Sprr1A, Saa3, JunB, Il4r␣, Gp38, RalGDS and Slpi exhibit high basal level in advanced stages of skin carcinogenesis, suggesting that at least a subgroup of the identified TPA-regulated genes may contribute to tumour progression and metastasis.

SUMMARY:Genome-wide screening for chromosomal imbalances using comparative genomic hybridization (CGH) revealed a wealth of data on previously unrecognized tumor-specific genomic alterations. CGH to microarrays of DNA, an approach termed matrix-CGH, allows detection of genomic imbalances at a much higher resolution. We show that matrix CGH is also feasible from small tissue samples requiring universal amplification of genomic DNA. Because widespread application of matrix-CGH experiments using large numbers of DNA targets demands a high degree of automation, we have developed a protocol for a fully automated procedure. The use of specialized instrumentation for the generation of DNA chips, their hybridization, scanning, and evaluation required numerous alterations and modifications of the initial protocol. We here present the elaboration and testing of automated matrix-CGH. A chip consisting of 188 different genomic DNA fragments, cloned in bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC) or P1-derived artificial chromosome (PAC) vectors and immobilized in replicas of 10, was used to assess the performance of the automated protocol in determining the gene dosage variations in tumor cell lines COLO320-HSR, HL60, and NGP. Although ratios of matrix-CGH were highly concordant with results of chromosomal CGH (85%), the dynamic range of the matrix-CGH ratios was highly superior. Investigation of the two amplicons on 8q24 in COLO320-HSR and HL60, containing the MYC gene, revealed a homogeneous amplicon in COLO320-HSR but a heterogeneous amplification pattern in HL60 cells. Although control clones for normalization of the signal ratios can be predicted in cases with defined chromosomal aberrations, in primary tumors such data are often not available, requiring alternative normalization algorithms. Testing such algorithms in a primary high-grade B-cell lymphoma, we show the feasibility of this approach. With the matrix-CGH protocol presented here, robust and reliable detection of genomic gains and losses is accomplished in an automated fashion, which provides the basis for widespread application in tumor and clinical genetics. (Lab Invest 2002, 82:47-60).

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