Ability of circular extrachromosomal DNA molecules to carry amplified MYCN proto-oncogenes in human neuroblastomas in vivo. J Natl Cancer Inst 1990 Dec 05;82(23):1815-21
Date
12/05/1990Pubmed ID
2250296DOI
10.1093/jnci/82.23.1815Scopus ID
2-s2.0-0025670681 (requires institutional sign-in at Scopus site) 45 CitationsAbstract
Amplification of the proto-oncogene MYCN (also known as N-myc) in neuroblastomas has been shown to correlate with both disease stage and prognosis, yet little is known about the DNA structures that carry amplified MYCN genes in neuroblastomas in vivo. We have used DNA irradiation and pulsed-field gel electrophoresis to analyze MYCN amplification structures in eight neuroblastomas from separate patients (four primary tumors and four metastatic lesions exhibiting MYCN amplification). Six of the eight neuroblastomas (three primary tumors and three metastatic lesions) exhibited MYCN DNA irradiation profiles consistent with the presence of circular extrachromosomal DNA amplification structures. Five neuroblastomas possessed amplification structures within the size range of double minute chromosomes, and one contained smaller DNA circles. Two neuroblastomas exhibited MYCN DNA irradiation patterns consistent with larger (presumably chromosomal) amplification structures. Multiple sizes of DNA circles were observed in the neuroblastomas of four different patients, implying in vivo multimerization of amplification structures. The presence of circular MYCN amplification structures in six of eight neuroblastomas examined suggests that circular DNA molecules are important structures in in vivo gene amplification.
Author List
VanDevanter DR, Piaskowski VD, Casper JT, Douglass EC, Von Hoff DDMESH terms used to index this publication - Major topics in bold
Blotting, SouthernBone Marrow
DNA, Circular
DNA, Neoplasm
Electrophoresis, Agar Gel
Gamma Rays
Gene Amplification
Humans
Karyotyping
Neuroblastoma
Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-myc
Proto-Oncogenes
