CCND1 and ZNF217 gene amplification is equally frequent in BRCA1 and BRCA2 associated and non-BRCA breast cancer.

Breast cancer associated with BRCA1 and BRCA2 gene mutations differs from non-BRCA tumors in several respects. We determined whether there was any difference in CCND1 (11q13) and ZNF217 (20q13) gene amplification with respect to BRCA status. Of 40 breast cancer samples examined, 15 and 9 were from BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutation carriers, respectively, and 16 from patients without mutation. Fluorescence in situ hybridization showed that eight tumors exhibited CCND1 amplification (20%; 3 BRCA1, 3 BRCA2, 2 non-BRCA). ZNF217 amplification was observed in three of 38 cases (8%; 2 BRCA1, 1 non-BRCA). There was no significant difference in CCND1 and ZNF217 amplification between BRCA1, BRCA2 and non-BRCA tumors. CCND1 amplification was associated with decreased disease-free (P = 0.045) and overall survival (P = 0.015). BRCA1 tumors with CCND1 amplification were estrogen receptor negative, in contrast to CCND1 amplified BRCA2 and non-BRCA tumors, suggesting that concurrent CCND1 amplification and estrogen and progesterone receptor negativity may predict germline BRCA1 gene mutation. All ZNF217 amplified tumors were of the medullary histological type (P = 0.002). There was no statistical correlation between CCND1 and ZNF217 amplification and estrogen receptor, progesterone receptor, and ERBB2 expression and TNM classification. CCND1 amplification did not correlate with EGFR expression.

Germline variants of the promyelocytic leukemia tumor suppressor gene in patients with familial cancer.

The promyelocytic leukemia (PML) gene is an important tumor suppressor gene. We tested the hypothesis that germline disruption of the PML gene may be associated with a cancer predisposition syndrome. Mutation analysis of the PML gene was performed in 111 patients with familial adult cancer or young age-onset adult cancer. These were mostly breast and colon cancer, or colon polyposis patients in whom mutation analyses of the BRCA1, BRCA2, MLH1, MSH2, APC or TP53 genes did not detect a pathogenic germline mutation. Heteroduplex analysis and direct sequencing were used for mutation screening. Mutation-specific methods were designed for frequency determination of novel variants in the general population. No deleterious nonsense or frameshift germline mutations were detected. Several missense single-nucleotide substitutions were found, including two novel missense variants, c.83C>T (p.Thr28Ile) in exon 1 in a 42-year-old breast cancer patient and c.1558C>T (p.Pro520Ser) in exon 6 in a 32-year-old colon cancer patient, that were not detected in 100 and 214 non-cancer persons, respectively. Frequency of the c.2260G>C (p.Ala754Pro) variant in isoform IV of the PML gene was higher in patients with colon polyposis and cancer than in the control group (P = 0.029). In conclusion, germline disruption of the PML gene is probably not associated with a highly penetrant susceptibility to adult-onset breast and colon cancer. Pathogenicity of c.83C>T and c.1558C>T variants in the PML gene is uncertain. Carriers of the c.2260 G>C variant in PMLIV isoform may be at an increased risk of colon polyposis and cancer.

[Single nucleotide c.645+32c>T substitution in the APC gene is a non-pathogenic polymorphism appearing in about 16% of the Czech population]. / Jednonukleotidová substituce c.645+32c>T v genu APC je nepatogenním polymorfismem s výskytem priblizne u 16% ceské populace.

BACKGROUND: Familial adenomatous polyposis is an autosomal dominant disease characterised by predisposition to colon polyposis and colorectal cancer and caused by germline mutations in the APC gene. The aim of the study was to establish the frequency of c.645+32C>T substitution in intron 5 of the APC gene in patients with multiple colon polyposis and in the general population and to determine if this substitution is a nonpathogenic polymorphism or a pathogenic mutation associated with multiple polyposis coli. METHODS AND RESULTS: The frequency of c.645+32C>T substitution in the APC gene was established in 170 patients with the clinical phenotype of familial adenomatous polyposis or its attenuated form using denaturating gradient gel electrophoresis and direct sequencing. We tested a population of 200 noncancer persons using allelic specific polymerase chain reaction. The c.645+32C>T substitution was detected in 27 of 170 patients with multiple colon polyposis (i.e. 15.9%). The substitution was found in 32 of 200 control persons, i.e. in 16%. The difference between patients with polyposis and the control group was not statistically significant (p = 0.979; chí-square test). CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that the c.645+32C>T substitution is a non-pathogenic single nucleotide polymorphism appearing in about 16% of the Czech population.