title: Real-time RT-PCR of tyrosine hydroxylase to detect bone marrow involvement in advanced neuroblastoma.
abstract: Neuroblastoma (NB) is characterised by the secretion of catecholamines in approximately 95% of patients. Tyrosine hydroxylase is the rate-limiting enzyme in catecholamine biosynthesis pathway. Expression of the tyrosine hydroxylase gene (TH) is regulated in a tissue-specific manner during neonatal development and differentiation, therefore TH mRNA expression is a specific tumour marker for NB. Here we present a real-time reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) assay using TaqMan technology for detection and quantification of TH mRNA in bone marrow (BM) NB patients. The degree of TH expression was derived from the ratio of the mRNAs of this gene and the reference gene, beta-actin. A ratio greater than 3x10(-2) was considered as positive for TH mRNA presence. Samples were also examined for TH mRNA by first and nested RT-PCR. Seventeen BM samples from 4 patients with disseminated NB (3 stage IV and 1 stage IVs) were evaluated at diagnosis and during treatment. We found a variable degree of TH expression ranging from 0.0344 to 26.3370 in 12/17 positive samples, while no TH mRNA (value lower than 3x10(-2)) was detected in 5/17 samples obtained after consolidation therapy. Our results show a moderate concordance between different qualitative RT-PCR methods and real-time RT-PCR. The real-time RT-PCR results seem to fit better with the natural short-term clinical follow-up of the evaluated patients, with respect to qualitative methods. Real-time TH RT-PCR could therefore be of clinical value for the assessment of a patient's prognosis by monitoring minimal residual disease (MRD).
authors.affiliation: Unità di Terapia Cellulare, Dipartimento di Scienze Pediatriche Mediche e Chirurgiche, Policlinico S Orsola-Malpighi, Bologna, Italy. pession@med.unibo.it
authors.forename: Andrea
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Pession
authors.forename: Virginia
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Libri
authors.forename: Roberta
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Sartini
authors.forename: Rosa
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Conforti
authors.forename: Elisabetta
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Magrini
authors.forename: Livia
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Bernardi
authors.forename: Raffaele
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Fronza
authors.forename: Eleonora
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Olivotto
authors.forename: Arcangelo
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Prete
authors.forename: Roberto
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Tonelli
authors.forename: Guido
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Paolucci
mesh_terms: D019046:Bone Marrow Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics* / Q000556:secondary; D001932:Brain Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics* / Q000556:secondary; D002648:Child; D004796:Clinical Enzyme Tests / Q000379:methods*; D017931:DNA Primers / Q000737:chemistry; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D009447:Neuroblastoma / Q000235:genetics* / Q000473:pathology; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000032:analysis*; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D014158:Transcription, Genetic; D014446:Tyrosine 3-Monooxygenase / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: D017931:DNA Primers; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D014446:Tyrosine 3-Monooxygenase