Introduction: We have recently described novel gene loci amplified in medulloblastomas detected
by Restriction Landmark Genomic Scanning. The relevance of the corresponding genes
has thus far not been determined. The rare occurence of amplifications in medulloblastomas
makes it necessary to use large „cohorts“ of tumor samples, available only as paraffin
sections. To this end we introduced a real-time PCR method examining DNA derived from
paraffin sections.
Results: First experiments with this method to identify amplifications are promising. Amplifications
that were found by RLGS, Southern or CGH could be confirmed for the genes examined.
Loci of higher interest included genes identified on the previously described regions
of 2p and 5p. One gene family located on chromosome 5p plays a role in neural development
and differentiation. It is further examined as this locus does not only seem to be
of importance for brain tumors but also for other neoplasias of adults.
Conclusion: Real-time PCR using SYBR-Green seems to be a useful method to identify amplifications
for genes of interest. This method makes it possible to examine even small amounts
of DNA for amplifications, to determine the extent of the amplification and to verify
the results obtained with other independent methods.
Supported by the IZKF Projekt G3
