Biomedical subjects

Magdalena Benetkiewicz

Publications and source records attributed to Magdalena Benetkiewicz.

9 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2006

Identification of limited regions of genetic aberrations in patients affected with Wilms' tumor using a tiling-path chromosome 22 array.

Wilms' tumor (WT) is one of the most common solid tumors of childhood. The genetics of this disorder is complex and few studies have suggested allelic loss of chromosome 22 as a frequent aberration. To assess tumor- and possible germline-specific regions affected with gene copy number variations on this chromosome, we applied a high-resolution genomic clone-based chromosome 22 array to a series of 28 WT samples and the paired blood-derived DNA of the patients. The group of tumors was enriched for cases with metastases, relapse or fatal outcome, criteria that were expected to yield a higher number of alterations on chromosome 22. Overall, the array-based form of comparative genomic hybridization (array-CGH) analysis revealed genomic changes in 53% (15 out of 28) of cases. We identified hemizygous deletion of the whole arm of 22q in 3 tumors (11%). Furthermore, a complex amplifier genotype was detected in 8 samples, presenting regions of gain along the chromosome, which defined 7 distinct minimal overlapping segments. The distribution of aberrations in 4 additional cases displaying regional genomic imbalances delimited 2 tumor suppressor/oncogene candidate loci, 1 in the proximal and the other in the terminal part of 22q. Analysis of these regions revealed the presence of several candidate genes that may play a role in the development of WT. These findings demonstrate the power of array-CGH in the determination of DNA copy number alterations and further strength the notion that WT-associated genes exist on this chromosome.

Child↗

PubMed2006

Detailed assessment of chromosome 22 aberrations in sporadic pheochromocytoma using array-CGH.

Pheochromocytoma is a predominantly sporadic neuroendocrine tumor derived from the adrenal medulla. Previous low resolution LOH and metaphase-CGH studies reported the loss of chromosomes 1p, 3q, 17p and 22q at various frequencies. However, the molecular mechanism(s) behind development of sporadic pheochromocytoma remains largely unknown. We have applied high-resolution tiling-path microarray-CGH with the primary aim to characterize copy number imbalances affecting chromosome 22 in 66 sporadic pheochromocytomas. We detected copy number alterations on 22q at a frequency of 44%. The predominant finding was monosomy 22 (30%), followed by terminal deletions in 8 samples (12%) and a single interstitial deletion. We further applied a chromosome 1 tiling-path array in 7 tumors with terminal deletions of 22q and found deletions of 1p in all cases. Our overall results suggest that at least 2 distinct regions on both 22q and 1p are important in the tumorigenesis of sporadic pheochromocytoma. A large proportion of pheochromocytomas also displayed indications of cellular heterogeneity. Our study is to our knowledge the first array-CGH study of sporadic pheochromocytoma. Future analysis of this tumor type should preferably be performed in the context of the entire human genome using genome-wide array-CGH, which is a superior methodological approach. Supplemental material for this article can be found on the International Journal of Cancer website at http://www.interscience.wiley.com/jpages/0020-7136/suppmat/index.html.

Adult↗

PubMed2006

Microarray-based survey of CpG islands identifies concurrent hyper- and hypomethylation patterns in tissues derived from patients with breast cancer.

Maintenance of CpG island methylation in the genome is crucial for cellular homeostasis and this balance is disrupted in cancer. Our rationale was to compare the methylation of CpG islands in tissues (tumor, healthy breast and blood) from patients with breast cancer. We studied 72 genes in 103 samples using microarray hybridization and bisulfite sequencing. We observed tumor specific hyper- or hypomethylation of five genes; COL9A1, MT1A, MT1J, HOXA5 and FLJ45983. A general drop of methylation in COL9A1 was apparent in tumors, when compared with blood and healthy breast tissue. Furthermore, one tumor displayed a complete loss of methylation of all five genes, suggesting overall impairment of methylation. The downstream, evolutionary conserved island of HOXA5 showed hypomethylation in 18 tumors and complete methylation in others. This CpG island also displayed a semimethylated state in the majority of normal breast samples, when compared to complete methylation in blood. Distinct methylation patterns were further seen in MT1J and MT1A, belonging to the metallothionein gene family. The CpG islands of these genes are spaced by 2 kb, which shows selective methylation of two structurally and functionally related genes. The promoters of FLJ45983 and MT1A were methylated above 25% in 18 primary and metastatic tumors. Concurrently, there was also >10% methylation of healthy breast tissue in 11 and 5 samples, respectively. This suggests that the methylation process for the latter two genes takes place already in normal breast cells. Our results also point to a considerable heterogeneity of epigenetic disturbance in breast cancer. This article contains Supplementary Material available at http://www.interscience.wiley.com/jpages/1045-2257/suppmat.

Breast Neoplasms↗

PubMed2006

Chromosome 22 array-CGH profiling of breast cancer delimited minimal common regions of genomic imbalances and revealed frequent intra-tumoral genetic heterogeneity.

Breast cancer is a common malignancy and the second most frequent cause of death among women. Our aim was to perform DNA copy number profiling of 22q in breast tumors using a methodology which is superior, as compared to the ones applied previously. We studied 83 biopsies from 63 tumors obtained from 60 female patients. A general conclusion is that multiple distinct patterns of genetic aberrations were observed, which included deletion(s) and/or gain(s), ranging in size from affecting the whole chromosome to only a few hundred kb. Overall, the analysis revealed genomic imbalances of 22q in 22% (14 out of 63) of tumors. The predominant profile (11%) was monosomy 22. The smallest identified candidate region, in the vicinity of telomere of 22q, encompasses approximately 220 kb and was involved in all but one of the tumors with aberrations on chromosome 22. This segment is dense in genes and contains 11 confirmed and one predicted gene. The availability of multiple biopsies from a single tumor provides an excellent opportunity for analysis of possible intra-tumor differences in genetic profiles. In 15 tumors we had access to two or three biopsies derived from the same lesion and these were studied independently. Four out of 15 (26.6%) tumors displayed indications of clonal intra-tumor genotypic differences, which should be viewed as a high number, considering that we studied in detail only a single human chromosome. Our results open up several avenues for continued genetic research of breast cancer.

Adult↗

PubMed2005

High-resolution array-CGH profiling of germline and tumor-specific copy number alterations on chromosome 22 in patients affected with schwannomas.

Schwannomas may develop sporadically or in association with NF2 and schwannomatosis. The fundamental aberration in schwannomas is the bi-allelic inactivation of the NF2 gene. However, clinical and molecular data suggest that these tumors share a common pathogenetic mechanism related to as yet undefined 22q-loci. Linkage studies in schwannomatosis, a condition related to NF2, have defined a candidate 22q-locus and excluded the NF2 gene as the causative germline mutation. Thus, analysis of aberrations in schwannomas may lead to the identification of putative gene(s) involved in the development of schwannoma/schwannomatosis. We profiled a series of 88 schwannomas and constitutional DNA using a tiling path chromosome 22 array. Array-CGH is a suitable method for high-resolution discrimination between germline and tumor-specific aberrations. Previously reported frequencies of 22q-associated deletions in schwannomas display large discrepancies, ranging from 30% to 80%. We detected heterozygous deletions in 53% of schwannomas and the predominant pattern was monosomy 22. In addition, three tumors displayed terminal deletions and four harbored overlapping interstitial deletions of various sizes encompassing the NF2 gene. When profiling constitutional DNA, we identified eight loci that were affected by copy number variation (CNV). Some of the identified CNVs may not be phenotypically neutral and the possible role of these CNVs in the pathogenesis of schwannomas should be studied further. We observed a correlation between the breakpoint position, present in tumor and/or constitutional DNA and the location of segmental duplications. This association implicates these unstable regions in rearrangements occurring both in meiosis and mitosis.

Chromosomes, Human, Pair 22↗

PubMed2005

High-resolution gene copy number and expression profiling of human chromosome 22 in ovarian carcinomas.

Previous low-resolution studies of chromosome 22 in ovarian carcinoma have suggested its involvement in the development of the disease. We report a high-resolution analysis of DNA copy number and gene expression of 22q in 18 ovarian carcinomas using a 22q-specific genomic microarray. We identified aberrations in 67% of the studied tumors, which displayed 3 distinct gene copy number profiles. The majority of the cases (11 of 18) demonstrated heterozygous terminal deletions of various sizes, the smallest of which was 3.5 Mb. The second profile, detected in 3 tumors, revealed the coexistence of heterozygous deletions and different patterns of low-copy-number gain that involved the proximal half of 22q. The latter finding has not been reported previously in ovarian carcinoma. One case displayed a continuous deletion encompassing the entire 22q, consistent with monosomy 22. Furthermore, we compared the results with the available data on these tumors by using cDNA microarrays to define the degree of correlation between abnormalities at the DNA level and variation in mRNA expression. By a comparison with the expression data, we were able to identify 21 deleted genes showing low mRNA levels and 12 amplified genes displaying elevated gene expression, several of which play roles in cell cycle control and the induction of apoptosis. Our results indicated significant correlation between DNA copy number aberrations and variation in mRNA expression. We also identified several regions and candidate genes on 22q that should be studied further to determine their role in the development of ovarian cancer.

Adenocarcinoma, Clear Cell↗

PubMed2005

Chromosome 22 tiling-path array-CGH analysis identifies germ-line- and tumor-specific aberrations in patients with glioblastoma multiforme.

Gliomas are common and frequently malignant tumors of the central nervous system. Recurrent allelic losses of chromosome 22 have been reported in gliomas, indicating tumor-suppressor genes at this location. However, the target genes are still unknown. We applied a high resolution tiling-path chromosome 22 array to a series of 50 glioblastoma samples, with the aim of investigating the underlying abnormalities in both constitutional and tumor-derived DNA. We detected hemizygous deletions in 28% of the tumors (14 of 50), with monosomy 22 (10 of 50) being the predominant pattern. The distribution of overlapping hemizygous deletions delineated two putative tumor-suppressor loci (11.1 and 3.08 Mb in size) across 22q. Most strikingly, we identified two distinct loci affected by regional gains. Both alterations were of germ-line origin and were unique to samples from patients affected with tumors. Analysis of these two amplified regions revealed the presence of two interesting candidate genes: TOP3B and TAFA5. The TOP3B gene encodes a protein that seems to function in the unlinking of parental strands at the final stage of DNA replication and/or in the dissociation of structures in mitotic cells that could lead to recombination. The TAFA5 gene belongs to a novel family of proteins with similarity to chemokines and brain-specific expression. The role of the identified candidate loci should be studied further. Our results demonstrated the power of array-CGH to determine DNA copy number alterations in the context of germ-line- and tumor-specific aberrations.

Brain Neoplasms↗

PubMed2003

High-resolution profiling of an 11 Mb segment of human chromosome 22 in sporadic schwannoma using array-CGH.

Previous low-resolution schwannoma studies have reported diverse frequencies (30-80%) of 22q deletions, involving the neurofibromatosis-2 tumor suppressor (NF2) gene. We constructed an array spanning 11 million base pairs of 22q encompassing the NF2 gene, with 100% coverage and an average resolution of 58 kb. Moreover, the 220 kb genomic sequence encompassing the NF2 gene was covered by 13 cosmids to further enhance the resolution of analysis. The rationale of this array-CGH study was to map and size 22q deletions around the NF2 gene in sporadic schwannoma using a reliable method with maximal resolution. We studied tumor and constitutional DNA from 47 patients and detected heterozygous deletions in 21 (45%) tumors, which could be classified into three profiles. The predominant profile (12/21) was a continuous deletion of the 11 Mb segment, consistent with monosomy 22. The second profile, comprising five schwannomas, was also in agreement with a continuous 11 Mb heterozygous deletion. However, these displayed a distinctly different level of deletion when compared to the first profile, suggesting a considerable amount of normal tissue in the tumor samples. This is the first report demonstrating the sensitivity of array-CGH to discriminate such samples. The third profile was composed of four cases displaying interstitial deletions of various sizes. Two of these did not encompass the NF2 locus, which further emphasize the importance of other loci in schwannoma development. This is the first high-resolution study performed on a large series of tumors, using an array continuously covering 1/3 of a human chromosome. Our findings warrant further studies of an extended tumor series on a full 22q genomic array, to better define additional, putative 22q-located loci important for schwannoma development. Our array also provides a new diagnostic tool for analysis of NF2 gene deletions in patients affected with neurofibromatosis-2.

Adult↗

PubMed2002

A full-coverage, high-resolution human chromosome 22 genomic microarray for clinical and research applications.

We have constructed the first comprehensive microarray representing a human chromosome for analysis of DNA copy number variation. This chromosome 22 array covers 34.7 Mb, representing 1.1% of the genome, with an average resolution of 75 kb. To demonstrate the utility of the array, we have applied it to profile acral melanoma, dermatofibrosarcoma, DiGeorge syndrome and neurofibromatosis 2. We accurately diagnosed homozygous/heterozygous deletions, amplifications/gains, IGLV/IGLC locus instability, and breakpoints of an imbalanced translocation. We further identified the 14-3-3 eta isoform as a candidate tumor suppressor in glioblastoma. Two significant methodological advances in array construction were also developed and validated. These include a strictly sequence defined, repeat-free, and non-redundant strategy for array preparation. This approach allows an increase in array resolution and analysis of any locus; disregarding common repeats, genomic clone availability and sequence redundancy. In addition, we report that the application of phi29 DNA polymerase is advantageous in microarray preparation. A broad spectrum of issues in medical research and diagnostics can be approached using the array. This well annotated and gene-rich autosome contains numerous uncharacterized disease genes. It is therefore crucial to associate these genes to specific 22q-related conditions and this array will be instrumental towards this goal. Furthermore, comprehensive epigenetic profiling of 22q-located genes and high-resolution analysis of replication timing across the entire chromosome can be studied using our array.

Chromosome Mapping↗