OBJECTIVETo detect the COL1A1/PDGFB fusion transcripts and discuss its clinicopathological significance in dermatofibroscoma protuberans.

METHODSFormalin fixed, paraffin-embedded tumor specimens from 12 patients with DFSP were reviewed by light microscope and the expression of COL1A1/PDGFB mRNA resulting from the reciprocal translocation t(17;22) (q22;q13.1) was detected by one-step revers transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction. The following tumor specimens were included as controls: 2 fibrosarcoma, 2 malignant fibrous histocytoma, 3 leiomyosarcoma, 1 dermarofibroma and 1 nerve shealth tumor.

RESULTSThe COL1A1/PDGFB fusion transcripts were detected in 8 (67%) of 12 samples from patients with DFSP. Nucleotide sequence analysis using the PCR products confirmed that different regions of the COL1A1 gene, respectively, were fused with of PDGFB gene. No COL1A1/PDGFB fusion transcripts were detected in the control tumors.

CONCLUSIONDetection of specific COL1A1/PDGFB fusion transcripts in DFSP will help to diagnose the nature of DFSP and research the mechanism of its molecular histogenesis.

Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; Child ; Collagen Type I ; genetics ; Dermatofibrosarcoma ; genetics ; Female ; Genes, sis ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Paraffin Embedding ; RNA, Messenger ; analysis ; Recombinant Fusion Proteins ; genetics ; Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction ; methods ; Skin Neoplasms ; genetics

OBJECTIVEPlatelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) plays an important role during the pathophysiological changes in vascular remodeling. The study aimed to investigate the effect of truncated PDGF-alpha receptor on apoptosis and expression of c-sis mRNA of pulmonary artery smooth muscle cells (VSMCs).

METHODSTissue mass culture was done to get vascular smooth muscle cells of pulmonary artery in newborn pigs. Two methods were used to interfere VSMCs: adding adenoviral recombined body (Ad5CMV-PalphaRtr, ACP) with three different concentrations of truncated PDGF-alpha receptor into the cultures, or adding three concentrations of PDGF-BB after the treatment with mid-concentration of ACP. VSMC apoptosis, cellular cycle and expression of c-sis were observed using flow-cytometry, and the expression of c-sis mRNA was detected by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR).

RESULTSACP with mid- to- high concentrations could restrain the proliferation of VSMCs apparently with the increase of G(0)/G(1) cells. The apoptotic rate presented an ascending tendency. The differences among the groups were of statistically significant. Affected by mid- concentration of ACP, PDGF-BB did not exhibit a significantly accelerating effect on the changes of cellular cycle and VSMC apoptosis. The expression of c-sis mRNA was up-regulated under the effect of ACP. Affected by mid-concentration of ACP and PDGF-BB, c-sis mRNA expressed was down-regulated.

CONCLUSIONMid- to- high concentration of ACP is a powerful inhibitor of cellular proliferation for pulmonary artery VSMCs. It can significantly increase cells in number in G(0)/G(1) phase, apoptosis and c-sis mRNA expression.

Animals ; Animals, Newborn ; Apoptosis ; Gene Expression ; Genes, sis ; genetics ; Muscle, Smooth, Vascular ; cytology ; metabolism ; Pulmonary Artery ; cytology ; RNA, Messenger ; genetics ; metabolism ; Receptor, Platelet-Derived Growth Factor alpha ; genetics ; physiology ; Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Swine

PURPOSE: The normal function of tumor suppressor genes is thought to be related to their ability to regulate cell proliferation and the loss of such function presumably leads to malignant transformation by releasing the transformed cells from growth regulation. One approach to identify these tumor suppressor genes is by loss of heterozygosity (LOH) studies. The rationale of these studies is that the mutation of one allelic copy of a tumor suppressor gene followed by the loss of the remaining wild type allele will result in the total loss of the function of the tumor suppressor gene. Chromosomal loci with frequent LOH in malignant tumors is likely to contain tumor suppressor genes. We want to identify deletions of putative tumor suppressor gene loci in pediatric brain tumors by polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based LOH studies using microsatellite polymorphic markers of chromosome 9, 22 and 17p as most frequent cytogenetic abnormalities involve chromosome 17p, 22 and 9 in pediatric brain tumors. MATERIAL AND METHOD: Blood and tumor samples were obtained from 12 pediatric brain tumor patients who were operated at Texas Children's Cancer Center from April 1996 to January 1997. The 12 tumors consist of 5 cases of medulloblastomas, 4 cases of juvenile pilocytic astrocytomas, and 1 case each of ependymoma, atypical teratoid rhabdoid tumor and desmoplastic infantile ganglioglioma. Genomic DNA extracted from blood and tumor tissues were amplified by PCR using [gamma-32P]ATP endlabeled primer pairs for the microsatellite polymorphic markers on chromosome 9, 22 and 17p which were D9S171, D9S169, D9S168, D9S165, D9S156, D9S110, D9S146, D9S971, D9S757,D9S176, D9S2105, D9S177, D9S2127, D9S1849, D9S1817, D22S303, D22S33, D22S315, D22S275, D22S299, D22S301, TOP1P2, PDGFB, D22S274, D22S304, D17S1866, D17S1810, D17S796, D17S1566 and D17S1574. The PCR products were separated by electrophoresis in a denaturing 6% polyacrylamide gel and exposed on X-ray films to analyze LOH. RESULTS: 1) There was no evidence of LOH on chromosome 9 in all 12 pediatric brain tumors. 2) Among 12 pediatric brain tumors, only one allelic loss on chromosome 22 (D22S274 : 22q13.31-22q13.33) was observed in an atypical teratoid rhabdoid tumor. 3) LOH for loci on chromosome 17p were detected in 6 cases (50%) of 12 various pediatric brain tumors including 4 cases of medulloblastomas and 1 case each of ependymoma and atypical teratoid rhabdoid tumor. Among 5 cases of medulloblastomas, 4 cases(80%) showed LOH on at least one of 5 markers of chromosome 17p. 4) There was no allelic loss on chromosome 9, 22 and 17p in juvenile pilocytic astrocytomas. CONCLUSION: Our data indicate that there may be a putative tumor suppressor gene located on chromosome 22q13.3 associated with tumorigenesis of atypical teratoid rhabdoid tumor, and other putative tumor suppressor genes located on chromosome 17p13.1-17p13.3 associated with tumorigenesis of medulloblastoma, ependymoma and atypical teratoid rhabdoid tumor. But we need to collect more pediatric brain tumor samples to be studied and allelotype the suggested LOH region in detail.
Alleles ; Astrocytoma ; Brain Neoplasms* ; Brain* ; Carcinogenesis ; Cell Proliferation ; Chromosome Aberrations ; Chromosomes, Human, Pair 22 ; Chromosomes, Human, Pair 9* ; DNA ; Electrophoresis ; Ependymoma ; Ganglioglioma ; Genes, Tumor Suppressor ; Humans ; Loss of Heterozygosity* ; Medulloblastoma ; Microsatellite Repeats ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-sis ; Rhabdoid Tumor ; Texas ; X-Ray Film