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A Kallioniemi

Publications and source records attributed to A Kallioniemi.

47 records · Page 3Linked to original sources

Molecular cytogenetics of human breast cancer.

Our studies of human breast cancer using CGH and FISH with precisely mapped probes have revealed a surprising amount of intratumor and intertumor heterogeneity in human breast cancers. However, some regions of abnormal copy number are found frequently. We believe that the regions of frequent abnormality harbor novel cancer genes, and that identification of these is important for diagnosis, prognostication, and the development of new therapies.

Breast Neoplasms↗

Sensitive detection of chromosome copy number aberrations in prostate cancer by fluorescence in situ hybridization.

The pattern of chromosomal aberrations and their significance in prostate cancer are poorly understood. We studied 23 prostate cancer and 10 benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) specimens by fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) using pericentromeric repeat-specific probes for 10 different chromosomes. The aims of the study were: 1) to compare the sensitivity of FISH and DNA flow cytometry in aneuploidy detection, 2) to determine which chromosome copy number changes are most common, and 3) which probe combinations would be most effective in aneuploidy diagnosis. Disaggregated tumor cells from formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissues were pretreated with our newly developed method based on hot glycerol solution to improve probe penetration. All BPH specimens were diploid by DNA flow cytometry and showed no numerical chromosome aberrations by FISH. In prostate cancer, flow cytometry showed abnormal DNA content in 35% of cases, whereas 74% were abnormal by FISH. Aberrant copy number of chromosomes 8 (48% of cases), X (43% of cases), and 7 (39% of cases) were most common. Ninety-four percent of all aneuploid cases would have been detected with these three probes alone. Simple chromosome losses were uncommon but in DNA tetraploid tumors relative losses (trisomy or disomy) of several chromosomes were often found, suggesting progression of prostate cancer through tetraploidization followed by losses of selected chromosomes. In conclusion, our results indicate that FISH using three selected chromosome-specific probes is two to three times more sensitive than flow cytometric DNA content analysis in aneuploidy detection.

Aneuploidy↗

Extrachromosomal gene amplification in acute myeloid leukemia; characterization by metaphase analysis, comparative genomic hybridization, and semi-quantitative PCR.

A case of acute myeloid leukemia (M-3) with complex karyotypic aberrations and double minute (dmin) chromosomes is presented. The patient had no history of prior exposure to mutagenic or carcinogenic agents or of other malignancies. She died from CNS involvement six weeks after the initial diagnosis. We used comparative genomic hybridization to identify the amplified sequences presumed to represent the dmin of the leukemic cells; the tumor/normal ratios indicated increased signal intensity at 8q24. This localization prompted investigation by semi-quantitative PCR that revealed amplification of the MYC oncogene. The extent of chromosome aberrations and the oncogene amplification, both linked with poor prognosis, may relate to the rapid course of this patient's disease.

Base Sequence↗

Comparative genomic hybridization: a rapid new method for detecting and mapping DNA amplification in tumors.

Recent evidence indicates that many more genes than the currently known oncogenes may undergo amplification in tumors. We have developed a new technique, Comparative Genomic Hybridization (CGH), which allows rapid detection of DNA amplification anywhere in the tumor genome and maps the amplified sequences on normal chromosomes. CGH is based on a competitive in situ hybridization of differentially labeled tumor DNA and normal DNA to a normal human metaphase spread. Regions of gain of DNA sequences are seen as an increased color ratio of two fluorochromes used to detect the labeled DNAs. Over 20 different regions of amplification have been identified using CGH.

Chromosome Mapping↗

Comparative genomic hybridization for molecular cytogenetic analysis of solid tumors.

Comparative genomic hybridization produces a map of DNA sequence copy number as a function of chromosomal location throughout the entire genome. Differentially labeled test DNA and normal reference DNA are hybridized simultaneously to normal chromosome spreads. The hybridization is detected with two different fluorochromes. Regions of gain or loss of DNA sequences, such as deletions, duplications, or amplifications, are seen as changes in the ratio of the intensities of the two fluorochromes along the target chromosomes. Analysis of tumor cell lines and primary bladder tumors identified 16 different regions of amplification, many in loci not previously known to be amplified.

Chromosome Mapping↗

ERBB2 amplification in breast cancer analyzed by fluorescence in situ hybridization.

We illustrate the use of fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) for analysis of ERBB2 oncogene copy number, the level of amplification (here defined as the ratio of ERBB2 copy number to copy number of chromosome 17 centromeres), and the distribution of amplified genes in breast cancer cell lines and uncultured primary breast carcinomas. The relative ERBB2 copy number determined by FISH in 10 breast cancer cell lines correlated strongly with Southern blot results (r = 0.98) when probes for an identical reference locus were used in the two methods. Metaphase analysis of cell lines showed that amplified ERBB2 copies always occurred in intrachromosomal clusters but that the number and chromosomal location of these clusters varied among the cell lines. In interphase nuclei of primary tumors showing ERBB2 amplification (10/44), ERBB2 copies were seen as one to four clusters, also suggesting intrachromosomal localization. Regardless of the average level of amplification, all these tumors contained highly amplified cell subpopulations with at least 25, and sometimes more than 100, ERBB2 copies per cell. Tumors that did not show amplification by FISH (34/44) had an average of one to five ERBB2 copies scattered randomly in the nuclei and completely lacked cells with high copy levels. FISH results on primary tumors were concordant with slot blot results on amplification and with immunohistochemical detection of overexpression. Quantitative analysis of ERBB2 amplification by FISH may improve prognostic assessments based on the pattern of amplification and detection of heavily amplified tumor cell subpopulations.

Breast Neoplasms↗

Deletion of chromosome 17p loci in breast cancer cells detected by fluorescence in situ hybridization.

Allelic loss of tumor suppressor genes on chromosome 17p has been implicated in the progression of breast cancer. This is in principle detectable by fluorescence in situ hybridization if the loss occurs by deletion. In order to determine if detectable deletions occur in primary breast cancer, we used dual-color hybridization with chromosome 17 pericentromeric and region-specific DNA probes to study 19 primary breast cancers. The copy numbers of 17 centromere and 17p13.1 sequences were compared with the loss of heterozygosity (LOH) for probe YNZ22 at 17p13.3 detected by restriction fragment length polymorphism. Nine of 11 cases showing LOH also showed the major population of nuclei with a deletion. The remaining two tumors with LOH were trisomic for both the centromere and 17p13.1 cosmid. In contrast, seven of eight tumors without LOH had no deletions by fluorescence in situ hybridization. These data suggest that the dominant mechanism of allelic loss at 17p in breast cancer is a physical deletion and that analysis of deletions by fluorescence in situ hybridization is a rapid and sensitive approach to studying chromosomal aberrations.

Alleles↗

Molecular cytogenetics: diagnosis and prognostic assessment.

This review describes molecular cytogenetic techniques for detection and characterization of genetic aberrations associated with human disease. The techniques of fluorescence in situ hybridization, primed in situ labeling and comparative genome hybridization are described, as are probes for repeated sequences, whole chromosomes and specific loci. Also reviewed are applications of these technologies to pre- and neonatal diagnosis and to the characterization of human malignancies.

Base Sequence↗

Detection of retinoblastoma gene copy number in metaphase chromosomes and interphase nuclei by fluorescence in situ hybridization.

Fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) was applied to detect the copy number of the retinoblastoma (RB1) tumor suppressor gene in metaphase chromosomes and interphase nuclei. We used 14 lambda phage clones spanning the whole RB1 gene region as a probe and obtained a specific hybridization signal in normal metaphase chromosomes at 13q14. Normal interphase nuclei showed two RB1 signals in about 90% of cases, whereas two cell lines with cytogenetically defined deletions involving the RB1 gene showed only one hybridization signal in about 80% of the nuclei. Analogous changes were detected in metaphase chromosomes. Multicolor FISH with subsets of the phage clones allowed visualization of subregions within the 200-kb gene in interphase nuclei. Analysis of clinical breast cancer samples showed that most of the cells contained two copies of the RB1 gene, even when restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis showed loss of heterozygosity (LOH) at the RB1 locus. This indicates that LOH at the RB1 locus in breast cancer cells probably involves mechanisms other than physical deletion.

Breast Neoplasms↗

Applications of fluorescence in situ hybridization in biological dosimetry and detection of disease-specific chromosome aberrations.

Dual color FISH with whole chromosome and pan-centromere probes facilitates rapid detection of stable structural aberrations such as translocations. This approach should allow analysis of translocations for assessment of genetic damage at long times after exposure or as a result of chronic exposure during a long period of time. Multi-color FISH with locus specific probes allows assessment of the frequency of cells carrying specific aberrations known to be associated with tumorigenesis, analysis of the series of genetic changes that occur during tumor evolution and correlation between genotype and phenotype. The power of FISH for analysis of random and tumor related events will increase steadily as informative probes are developed during the course of the International Human Genome Project.

Chromosome Aberrations↗