Loss of heterozygosity in multistage carcinogenesis of esophageal carcinoma at high-incidence area in Henan Province, China.
OBJECTIVE
Microsatellites are the repeated DNA sequences scattered widely within the genomes and closely linked with many important genes. This study was designed to characterize the changes of microsatellite DNA loss of heterozygosity (LOH) in esophageal carcinogenesis.


METHODS
Allelic deletions in 32 cases of matched precancerous, cancerous and normal tissues were examined by syringe microdissection under an anatomic microscope and microsatellite polymorphism analysis using 15 polymorphic markers on chromosomes 3p, 5q, 6p, 9p, 13q, 17p, 17q and 18q.


RESULTS
Microsatellite DNA LOH was observed in precancerous and cancerous tissues, except D9S1752. The rate of LOH increased remarkably with the lesions progressed from basal cell hyperplasia (BCH) to squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) (P<0.05). Three markers, D9S171, D13S260 and TP53, showed the highest incidence of LOH (>60%). LOH loci were different in precancerous and cancerous tissues. LOH in D3S1234 and TP53 was the common event in different lesions from the same patients.


CONCLUSIONS
Microsatellite DNA LOH occurs in early stage of human esophageal carcinogenesis, even in BCH. With the lesion progressed, gene instability increases, the accumulation of this change may be one of the important mechanisms driving precancerous lesions to cancer.
An
Ji-Ye
JY
Laboratory for Cancer Research and the Third Teaching Hospital, College of Medicine, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou 450052, Henan Province, China.
Fan
Zong-Min
ZM
Gao
Shan-Shan
SS
Zhuang
Ze-Hao
ZH
Qin
Yan-Ru
YR
Li
Ji-Lin
JL
He
Xin
X
Tsao
George-Sai-Wah
GS
Wang
Li-Dong
LD
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002280:Basal Cell Carcinoma / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000235:genetics* / Q000473:pathology; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000235:genetics* / Q000473:pathology; D002681:China / Q000453:epidemiology; D004938:Esophageal Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000235:genetics* / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D019656:Loss of Heterozygosity; D008297:Male; D018895:Microsatellite Repeats; D008875:Middle Aged; D009367:Neoplasm Staging