No abstract

The naevoid basal cell carcinoma syndrome (NBCCS) is an autosomal dominant disorder characterized by multiple developmental defects and cancer susceptibility, in particular to basal cell carcinomas (BCCs). Medulloblastomas, primitive neuroectodermal tumours (PNETs) arising in childhood, occur in about 3 ± 5% of NBCCS patients and a subset of PNETs was previously found with allelic imbalance at 9q22-q23, the region containing the gene for NBCCS (PTCH). We have analysed tumour DNA samples from 37 unrelated patients with sporadic PNETs and ®ve medulloblastoma cell lines for PTCH mutations using an exon-by-exon single strand conformation polymorphism assay. We found three missense mutations, which aect conserved residues in transmembrane domains of the gene product and in the extracellular loop implicated in binding sonic hedgehog, one 2 bp deletion and an exon skipping splice site mutation. Most mutations were associated with the absence of the wild-type allele and were found in tumours exhibiting loss of heterozygosity (LOH) at locī anking PTCH. The ®nding of LOH at 9q22-q23 in most mutated tumours while present in only three out of 26 tumours, in which a mutation was not identi®ed, implicates PTCH as the target gene in PNETs with LOH at 9q22-q23 and de®cient PTCH in the development of a subset of these tumours. Since all observed mutations were absent in the germ-line, a sporadic medulloblastoma developing as the ®rst symptom of NBCCS is likely to be a very uncommon event.

Very little is known about genetic abnormalities involved in the development of pilocytic astrocytoma, the most frequently occurring brain tumour of childhood. We have analysed 48 pilocytic astrocytoma specimens using comparative genomic hybridization. Only five of 41 tumours from children showed abnormalities detectable by comparative genomic hybridization, and in each case this represented gain of a single chromosome. Interestingly, two of seven tumours from adults showed abnormalities, which were multiple and relatively complex. Six of the seven tumours showing abnormalities were from female patients (two adults and four children). The most frequently detectable abnormality was gain of 9q34.1-qter, which was present in three cases (two adult and one paediatric). © 2000 Cancer Research Campaign

Many studies have reported chromosome 22 as being abnormal in astrocytic tumors. In an attempt to map precisely the abnormal region or regions that potentially harbor tumor-suppressor genes or oncogenes, we constructed a chromosome 22 tile path array covering 82% of 22q with the use of 441 chromosome 22 clones. A 10-Mb whole-genome array consisting of 270 clones from all autosomes was included in the array. A total of 126 astrocytic tumors-5 diffuse astrocytomas (A), 29 anaplastic astrocytomas (AA), and 92 glioblastomas (GB)-were examined for chromosome 22 alterations both by microsatellite analysis (using 28 markers to identify allelic imbalance) and with the tile path array. The results showed that chromosome 22 alterations in astrocytic tumors could be complex. A number of tumors had a combination of deletions with and without reduplication of the retained chromosome, as well as copy number gains and amplifications. In two glioblastomas, overlapping homozygous deletions were identified that involved three genes (DEPDC5/KIAA0645, YWHAH, C22ORF24/HSN44A4A). The terminal region telomeric to the clone RP3-398C22 appeared to be the most frequently deleted region. The estimated incidence of any chromosome 22 alteration was 5% in A, 33% in AA, and 38% in GB. This study demonstrated the advantages of combining array comparative genomic hybridization and microsatellite analysis in elucidating complex genomic rearrangements in primary human tumor tissue. Supplementary material for this article can be found on the Genes, Chromosomes and Cancer website at http://www.interscience.wiley.com/jpages/1045-2257/suppmat/index.html.