OBJECTIVETo reveal the molecular genetic mechanisms for the pathogenesis of glioblastoma (GBM) and determine which chromosomes or chromosomal regions may play a role in the pathogenesis of GBM or may harbor tumor suppressor genes (TSGs) associated GBM.

METHODSAn allelotype study of 21 cases of GBM was performed by polymerase chain reaction and loss of heterozygosity (LOH) analysis. Three hundred and eighty-two microsatellite markers covering all 22 autosomes were used. The mean genetic distance between two flanking markers is about 10 cM. Fluorescent dye-labeled primers and Perkin Elmer 377 DNA Sequencer were applied.

RESULTSLOH was observed on all chromosomal arms examined in this study. The LOH frequencies of 10q, 10p, 13q, 17p and 9p were the highest (>50%), on which high LOH frequencies were detected at the regions resided by the known TSGs including PTEN, DMBT1, p16, p15, p53 and Rb. The following commonly deleted regions were detected: 9p22-23, 10p12.2-14, 10q21.3, 13q12.1-14.1, 13q14.3-31, 17p11.2-12, 17p13, 3q24-27, 11p12-13, 14q31-32.3, 14q21-24.1, 22q13.2-13.3, 4q35, 4q31.1-31.2, 6qtel, 6q16.3.

CONCLUSIONThis study demonstrated that the pathogenesis of GBM is very complicated and associated with various molecular genetic abnormalities on lots of chromosomes. The chromosomal arms most closely relevant to the pathogenesis of GBM are 10q, 10p, 9p, 17p and 13q. Besides the well-known TSGs, such as PTEN, DMBT1, p16, p15, p53 and Rb, multiple unknown TSGs associated with GBM may be present on the commonly deleted regions observed for the first time in this study.