title: Microsatellite instability is infrequent in neuroblastoma.
abstract: Neuroblastoma (NB) is a childhood cancer of the autonomic nervous system. The molecular pathology of NB is not yet well understood. Both amplification of the proto-oncogene N-myc and loss of heterozygosity of several chromosomal loci occur in NB, representing genetic instability. In this study, we examined another type of genetic instability, microsatellite instability. Five chromosomal loci known to exhibit this alteration in colon, gastric, and pancreatic cancers were used in a PCR-based assay to examine 30 matched normal and tumor DNAs, which included all stages of tumor progression. Among these 30, only 2 (7%) manifested microsatellite instability. There was no correlation between the occurrence of microsatellite instability and the amplification of the N-myc gene. These data show that microsatellite instability is infrequent in neuroblastoma tumors.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore 21201, USA.
authors.forename: P E
authors.initials: PE
authors.lastname: Berg
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Yin
authors.forename: M G
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: Rhyu
authors.forename: C N
authors.initials: CN
authors.lastname: Frantz
authors.forename: S J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Meltzer
mesh_terms: D016022:Case-Control Studies; D046508:Culture Techniques; D004273:DNA, Neoplasm / Q000032:analysis; D006801:Humans; D018895:Microsatellite Repeats / Q000235:genetics; D009447:Neuroblastoma / Q000235:genetics* / Q000473:pathology; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D011379:Prognosis; D000090063:Proto-Oncogene Mas; D016271:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-myc / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: D004273:DNA, Neoplasm; C000715470:MAS1 protein, human; D000090063:Proto-Oncogene Mas; D016271:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-myc