title: N-myc amplification and cell proliferation rate in human neuroblastoma.
abstract: In neuroblastoma, N-myc amplification has been found to be strikingly associated with rapid tumour progression and poor prognosis. Recent studies have demonstrated that cell proliferative activity also significantly predicts the clinical outcome in patients with neuroblastoma. In order to define the correlation between N-myc amplification and cell proliferation rate, in the present investigation the two parameters were first assessed in 48 neuroblastoma tumours. N-myc amplification was evaluated in frozen specimens by Southern-blot analysis using the NB 19-21 probe and it was detected in nine patients. Cell proliferative activity was determined by measuring the AgNOR protein area in histological sections selectively stained by silver. The mean AgNOR protein area value of neuroblastomas with N-myc amplification (3.63 +/- 1.62 microns2) was not significantly different from that of neuroblastomas without N-myc amplification (2.46 +/- 1.57 microns2; P = 0.30). On the other hand, both N-myc amplification and AgNOR protein expression were found to be significantly related to the clinical outcome of the disease (P < 0.001 and P = 0.0143, respectively; median follow-up time = 47 months; range 18-106 months). In a second set of experiments, the relationship between N-myc amplification and cell proliferation rate was assessed in seven established human neuroblastoma cell lines. N-myc amplification was found to be completely independent of the population doubling time (DT), which, on the contrary, was strictly related to the quantitative expression of AgNOR protein (r = -0.947; P < 0.001). Altogether, the present results indicate that N-myc amplification and cell proliferation rate are not interrelated in neuroblastoma, each representing an independent biological parameter of cancer cells associated with the clinical behaviour of the disease.
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Patologia Sperimentale, Università di Bologna, Italy.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Pession
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Trerè
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Perri
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Rondelli
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Montanaro
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Mantovani
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Derenzini
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Paolucci
mesh_terms: D034961:Antigens, Nuclear; D015139:Blotting, Southern; D002455:Cell Division; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D005784:Gene Amplification; D016259:Genes, myc; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D009363:Neoplasm Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D009447:Neuroblastoma / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D009687:Nuclear Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D009697:Nucleolus Organizer Region / Q000473:pathology; D011379:Prognosis; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured
chemical_list: D034961:Antigens, Nuclear; D009363:Neoplasm Proteins; D009687:Nuclear Proteins; C051963:nucleolar organizer region associated proteins