Transposition and amplification of oncogene-related sequences in human neuroblastomas

Interferon-? cooperates with retinoic acid and phorbol ester to induce differentiation and growth inhibition of human neuroblastoma cells

“…The filters were washed in 0.1ϫ SSC and 0.1% SDS at 50°C and analyzed on a Fuji bas image analyzer followed by autoradiography as described previously. 57 Isolated fragments from the following cDNA or genomic clones were used as probes: N-myc, from the genomic NB-19-21 clone, 4 kindly provided by Dr. F.W. Alt and gapdh, from pHcGAP3, 58 kindly provided by Dr. R. Wu.…”

“…1,2 A number of prognostic parameters for the disease have been identified, including age, loss of heterozygosity at chromosome 1p36, DNA ploidy, histopathologic stage and amplification of the N-myc proto-oncogene. [3][4][5][6][7][8] The latter condition is strongly correlated with advanced disease, insensitivity to chemotherapy and poor outcome. 9 -12 N-myc and other members of the myc family encode transcription factors that control the expression of genes involved in cell growth, differentiation and survival.…”

Clinical Categories of Neuroblastoma Are Associated with Different Patterns of Loss of Heterozygosity on Chromosome Arm 1p

“…12,25,26 A tumor was considered amplified if the MYCN copy number was Ͼ10. DNA index was determined by flow cytometry as described.…”

N-myc amplification causes down-modulation of MHC class I antigen expression in neuroblastoma

“…Neuroblastoma and small-cell lung cancer are exceptions to this rule in that they often express very low levels of MHC class I antigens (Trowsdale et al, f980;Lampson et al, 1983;Doyle et al, 1985). These two types of tumors are also unique in that they often show amplification of one of the genes of the myc gene family (Schwab et al, 1983;Kohl et al, 1983;Little et al, 1983;Nau et al, 1985Nau et al, , 1986. We speculated that a connection might exist between these two separate sets of observations; namely, that the low expression of MHC class I antigens in these two types of tumors could be caused by the high expression of the myc genes in these cells.…”