Loss of alleles of loci on the short arm of chromosome 3 in renal cell carcinoma

Significance of the choice of tissue culture technique on the chromosomal patterns in human mixed salivary gland tumors

Cytogenetic observations by banding methods in 56 new cases of human benign pleomorphic adenomas are reported. Thirty of the cases (series I) were studied in preparations from primary cultures established from cells growing out from mechanically dispersed tumor pieces. The remaining 26 cases (series II) were analyzed in preparations from primary cultures established from enzymatically pretreated material. The use of the latter method resulted in a decrease in the frequency of cases with a normal stemline from about 53% to about 19%. However, the general characteristics of the aberrations observed in abnormal stemlines in both series agreed well. The minor differences observed consisted of a higher frequency of recurrent t(3;8)(p21;q12) in series II and, in the same series, fewer cases showing an involvement of 8q or 12q. The present results emphasize the importance of molecular studies of, in particular, the regions 8q12, 12q13-15, and 3p21.

3p involvement in a renal cell carcinoma in von Hippel-Lindau syndrome. Region of tumor breakpoint clustering on 3p?

The cytogenetic findings in a renal cell carcinoma from a patient with von Hippel-Lindau syndrome are reported. Of the two consistent changes, one was a dicentric chromosome evolving from an unbalanced translocation between the proximal part of the short arm of chromosome 3 and the distal segment of the long arm of the X chromosome.

Homozygous deletion of the alpha- and beta 1-interferon genes in human leukemia and derived cell lines

The loss of bands p21-22 from one chromosome 9 homologue as a consequence of a deletion of the short arm [del(9p)], unbalanced translocation, or monosomy 9 is frequently observed in the malignant cells of patients with lymphoid neoplasias, including acute lymphoblastic leukemia and non-Hodgkin lymphoma. The alpha- and beta 1-interferon genes have been assigned to this chromosome region (9p21-22). We now present evidence of the homozygous deletion of the interferon genes in neoplastic hematopoietic cell lines and primary leukemia cells in the presence or absence of chromosomal deletions that are detectable at the level of the light microscope. In these cell lines, the deletion of the interferon genes is accompanied by a deficiency of 5'-methylthioadenosine phosphorylase (EC 2.4.2.28), an enzyme of purine metabolism. These homozygous deletions may be associated with the loss of a tumor-suppressor gene that is involved in the development of these neoplasias. The relevant genes may be either the interferon genes themselves or a gene that has a tumor-suppressor function and is closely linked to them.

Chromosome analysis of a newly established renal carcinoma cell line

A renal cell carcinoma has been established as a cell line in vitro. Repeated chromosome analyses of the cell line revealed a stable clone with the modal chromosome number 80 and three pairs of marker chromosomes, M1-M3. M1 and M2 resulted from a translocation between a chromosome #3 deleted in band p14 and a normal #7: M1 = der(3)t(3;7) (:3p14----cen----3q24::7q21----7qter), and M2 = der(7)t(3;7)(3qter----3q24::7q21----cen----7pter ). M3 was a small metacentric chromosome, probably consisting of the centromeric portion of a #3: del(3)(:p14----cen----q12:). No other structural changes were present. Our findings are in agreement with those of previous studies, stating that rearrangements of 3p12-14 are primary cytogenetic events in renal cell carcinomas, even though this can only be inferred in this case. Thus, this cell line may be useful for further molecular and biochemical studies.

Direct molecular analysis of a deletion of 3p in tumors from patients with sporadic renal cell carcinoma

Normal and tumorous nephrectomy specimens from seven renal cell carcinoma patients were subjected to a Southern analysis using chromosome #3-specific polymorphic probes. Three patients were not informative because of homozygosity at all loci studied. One patient showing heterozygosity at 3q in normal tissue had a tumor that remained heterozygous. In three patients the tumor showed loss of heterozygosity for a short arm market at 3p21. In one of them heterozygosity for a second short arm marker was also lost. Another of these three patients retained heterozygosity for this second short arm marker, as well as for a long arm marker, suggesting a chromosomal breakpoint between the loci for the two short arm markers. Our results demonstrate that the known involvement of a short arm region of chromosome #3 in the development of renal cell carcinoma can readily be further evaluated by direct molecular methods.

Rearrangements of chromosome 3 in nonfamilial renal cell carcinomas from Japanese patients

Cytogenetic studies were successfully carried out in 5 tumor tissues from Japanese patients with nonfamilial renal cell carcinoma, histologically diagnosed as clear cell subtype. Mitotic cells were obtained by a combined method of enzymatic disaggregation and short-term culture (6-12 days). The modal chromosome numbers were found to be diploid or near-diploid in all the cases examined. Every case showed characteristic structural and numerical abnormalities. Rearrangements in the short arm of chromosome 3 were observed as clonal abnormalities in all the cases, including a translocation t(3;6) resulting in a partial loss of 3p (3 cases), a terminal deletion of 3p (one case) and 2 different translocations involving 3p and 8p (one case). The other clonal abnormalities were a whole or partial trisomy of chromosome 7 and a loss of Y chromosome. The overall results in the present study were consistent with those of our previous data in American patients, and suggest that the rearrangements of chromosome 3 leading to a partial loss of its short arm may play primary and significant role(s) in the development of renal cell carcinoma.

Von Hippel-Lindau disease maps to the region of chromosome 3 associated with renal cell carcinoma

Von Hippel-Lindau disease (VHL) is an autosomal dominant disorder with inherited susceptibility to various forms of cancer, including hemangioblastomas of the central nervous system, phaeochromocytomas, pancreatic malignancies, and renal cell carcinomas. Renal cell carcinomas constitute a particularly frequent cause of death in this disorder, occurring as bilateral and multifocal tumours, and presenting at an earlier age than in sporadic, non-familial cases of this tumour type. We report here that the VHL gene is linked to the locus encoding the human homologoue of the RAF1 oncogene, which maps to chromosome 3p25 (ref. 4). Crossovers with the VHL locus suggest that the defect responsible for the VHL phenotype is not a mutation in the RAF1 gene itself. An alternative or prior event to oncogene activation in tumour formation may be the inactivation of a putative 'tumour suppressor' which can be associated with both the inherited and sporadic forms of the cancer. Sporadic renal cell carcinomas have previously been associated with the loss of regions on chromosome 3p (refs 5, 6). Consequently, sporadic and VHL-associated forms of renal cell carcinoma might both result from alterations causing loss of function of the same 'tumour suppressor' gene on this chromosome.

Loss of constitutional heterozygosity in colon carcinoma from patients with familial polyposis coli

Recent studies have suggested a critical role of specific gene loss in several embryonic tumours and certain adult cancers. In retinoblastoma, hemizygosity or homozygosity of a recessive mutant allele results in the loss of normal gene product, and this seems to cause the manifestation of the disorder. Familial polyposis coli (FPC) is a human autosomal dominant trait characterized by numerous adenomatous polyps of the colon and rectum, and a high incidence of colon carcinoma. Karyotype analyses have failed to detect specific deletion or translocation. We report the use of polymorphic DNA markers to look for the somatic loss of heterozygosity at specific loci. Investigation of 38 tumours from 25 FPC patients, and 20 sporadic colon carcinomas from 19 patients, revealed frequent occurrence of allele loss on chromosome 22, with some additional losses on chromosomes 5, 6, 12q and 15. The FPC gene-linked DNA probe C11p11 also detected frequent allele loss in both familial and sporadic colon carcinomas but not in benign adenomas. These results suggest the possible involvement of more than one chromosomal locus in the development of familial and sporadic colon carcinomas.

Loss of heterozygosity on chromosomes 3, 13, and 17 in small-cell carcinoma and on chromosome 3 in adenocarcinoma of the lung

By a molecular genetic approach using polymorphic DNA markers that detect allelic deletion of specific chromosomal regions, we analyzed for possible loss of chromosomal heterozygosity in five different histological types of lung cancers obtained from 47 patients. In small-cell carcinomas, the incidence of allelic deletions at three different chromosomal loci was extremely high; loss of heterozygosity was detected on chromosomes 3p in 7 of 7 patients (100%), 13q in 10 of 11 patients (91%), and 17p in 5 of 5 patients (100%). The deletions at these loci in small-cell carcinomas were observed even in the tumors without any clinical evidence of metastasis. Furthermore, loss of heterozygosity on chromosomes 3p and 13q occurred prior to NMYC amplification and chromosome 11p deletion. Loss of heterozygosity on chromosome 3p was also detected with high frequency in adenocarcinomas [5 of 6 patients (83%)]. Heterozygosity of chromosomes 13q and 17p was lost in 10 of 31 patients (32%) and in 3 of 12 patients (25%), respectively, of lung cancers other than small-cell carcinomas. These results indicate that recessive genetic changes involving sequences on chromosomes 3p, 13q, and 17p may play important roles in the genesis of small-cell carcinoma, and those on chromosome 3p may play an important role in the genesis of adenocarcinoma.

Molecular genetic approaches to the analysis of human ophthalmic disease

In this review of the recent literature, the contribution that the new techniques of molecular genetics has made in the analysis and diagnosis of human ophthalmic conditions is presented and discussed. Among the disorders reviewed are X-linked retinitis pigmentosa, Norrie's disease, gyrate atrophy and retinoblastoma, and there are also sections on crystallins and visual pigments.

Molecular analysis of the short arm of chromosome 3 in small-cell and non-small-cell carcinoma of the lung

Previous studies have suggested that the loss of DNA sequences on the short arm of chromosome 3 (3p) is associated with small-cell lung carcinoma. We therefore looked for loss of 3p alleles in tumor tissue from 42 patients with either small-cell or non-small-cell lung carcinoma. All 13 patients with small-cell lung carcinoma who were heterozygous for one or more alleles at 3p in normal tissue had the loss of at least one codominant allele in the tumor tissue. Cell lines of small-cell lung carcinoma from an additional eight patients were homozygous for 3p alleles; this result was significantly different from the predicted frequency of homozygosity. The tumor tissue studied included cell lines of small-cell lung carcinoma obtained from biopsy specimens, an autopsy sample, and an excised lymph node containing tumor cells. Loss of alleles at 3p was observed in tumor samples obtained before and after chemotherapy. Four of 15 evaluable patients with non-small-cell carcinoma of the lung had loss of 3p alleles. We conclude that loss of alleles at 3p is a change found consistently in small-cell lung carcinoma and occasionally in non-small-cell lung carcinoma.

Clonal analysis of human colorectal tumors

The clonal composition of human colorectal tumors was studied by means of restriction fragment length polymorphisms (RFLPs). First, X-linked RFLPs were used to examine the pattern of X chromosome inactivation in colorectal tumors of females. All 50 tumors examined showed monoclonal patterns of X chromosome inactivation; these tumors included 20 carcinomas as well as 30 adenomas of either familial or spontaneous type. Second, RFLPs of autosomes were used as clonal markers to detect the somatic loss or gain of specific chromosomal sequences in colorectal tumors. Among other changes, it was found that somatic loss of chromosome 17p sequences occurred in over 75 percent of the carcinomas examined, but such loss was rare in adenomas. These data support a monoclonal origin for colorectal neoplasms, and suggest that a gene on the short arm of chromosome 17 may be associated with progression from the benign to the malignant state.