title: Quantitative mRNA expression analysis of neurotrophin-receptor TrkC and oncogene c-MYC from formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded primitive neuroectodermal tumor samples.
abstract: Most recent studies analyzing candidate biological prognostic factors (including neurotrophin receptor TrkC and proto-oncogene c-MYC) in childhood primitive neuroectodermal brain tumors (PNET) are limited by small patient numbers due to dependence on fresh-frozen tumor material. In contrast, large archives of formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded PNET samples exist from homogeneously treated patients. The ability of real-time RT-PCR to assay very small mRNA fragments makes this assay amenable to studies where the RNA is moderately or even highly degraded. We have optimized RNA isolation from archive PNET samples and found that TrkC and c-MYC mRNA measurements significantly correlated with those obtained from matching fresh-frozen tissues. Exploitation of already existing archives of formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded PNET samples may accelerate the building of better stratification systems for PNET patients.
authors.affiliation: Neuro-Oncology Program, University Children's Hospital of Zurich, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Franzisca
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Kunz
authors.forename: Tarek
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Shalaby
authors.forename: Doris
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Lang
authors.forename: André
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: von Büren
authors.forename: Johannes A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Hainfellner
authors.forename: Irene
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Slavc
authors.forename: Ghazaleh
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Tabatabai
authors.forename: Michael A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Grotzer
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001932:Brain Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005557:Formaldehyde; D015870:Gene Expression; D020869:Gene Expression Profiling / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D018242:Neuroectodermal Tumors, Primitive / Q000235:genetics*; D016612:Paraffin Embedding; D000090063:Proto-Oncogene Mas; D016271:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-myc / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000235:genetics; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000032:analysis* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D020812:Receptor, trkC / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000235:genetics; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D016707:Tissue Fixation
chemical_list: C000715470:MAS1 protein, human; C489427:MYC protein, human; D000090063:Proto-Oncogene Mas; D016271:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-myc; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D005557:Formaldehyde; D020812:Receptor, trkC