Submicroscopic interstitial deletion of chromosome 11q22.3 in a girl with mild mental retardation and facial dysmorphism: Case report

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Except for terminal deletions that lead to Jacobsen syndrome, interstitial deletions involving the long arm of chromosome 11 are not frequently reported. A clinically distinct phenotype is usually observed in these cases, and no clear genotype-phenotype correlation is proposed.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Here we present a case study of a 5-year-old girl with <it>de novo </it>submicroscopic deletion of chromosome 11q22.3 with mild mental retardation and facial dysmorphism. A standard cytogenetic analysis did not reveal any structural aberrations. In contrary, array-CGH analysis indicated a small deletion of 11q22.3.</p> <p>Discussion</p> <p>To our knowledge, this is the smallest 11q22.3 deletion reported in literature, containing nine RefSeq genes. Although none of the deleted genes are obvious candidates for the features observed in our patient, genes <it>CUL5 </it>and <it>SLN </it>could play a key role in the features described.</p

An evaluation of SOX2 and hTERC gene amplifications as screening markers in oral and oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinomas

Background: Oral and oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinomas (OSCC) are among the most common cancers. The poor survival rate among oral cancer patients can be attributed to several factors, one of them being lack of early detection. A key approach to this problem would be to detect potentially malignant lesion at their early stage. Using the FISH technique, oral brush cytology slides can be an easy and rapid screening approach for malignant cell detection. The present study was designed to detect hTERC and SOX2 amplifications in OSSC exfoliative tumor cells and evaluate whether those two gene amplifications might serve as a supportive biomarker in early detection and diagnosis of oral and oropharyngeal SCC. Results: Brush biopsies were collected from exophytic and exulcerated oral and oropharyngeal lesions of the oral cavity of 71 patients and 22 healthy controls. FISH techniques using a TERC-specific DNA probe and a SOX2 DNA specific probe both combined with a centromere 3-specific control probe was performed on the cytology slides. A 100 squamous epithelial cell nuclei of the smears per slide were analysed. As abnormal FISH pattern were considered amplified and polyploid patterns. From 71 brush biopsies of oropharynx and other locations in oral cavity analysed by FISH 49 were considered to be abnormal (69%). The over representation of polyploidy and/or TERC/SOX2 amplification in tumour samples was statistically significant when compared to controls (p = 0.01). Conclusion: SOX2 and TERC gene amplifications are common in all squamous cell carcinomas and their detection in early stages could be crucial for early detection and more accurate prognosis. Our study strongly suggests that early detection by FISH on cytobrushed samples could be a possible non-invasive screening method even before a tissue biopsy is performed

Chromosome abnormalities in infertility

Izhodišča: Analiza podatkov o citogenetskih nepravilnostih, ki so se v Laboratoriju za medicinsko genetiko Univerzitetnega kliničnega centra Maribor izkazale kot vzrok neplodnosti pri parih, ženskah in moških posameznikih ter primerjava dobljenih rezultatov s podatki iz literature, služi za nadaljnje razumevanje in ustreznost napotitve neplodnih oseb na citogenetske analize. Metode: Analizirani so bili podatki kariotipov oseb, ki so bile zaradi neplodnosti obravnavane od januarja 2000 do septembra 2008 v Laboratoriju za medicinsko genetiko Univerzitetnega kliničnega centra Maribor. Proučevana populacija 750 oseb je bila razdeljena na pare (290 parov), na posameznice ženskega (20) in moškega (150) spola. Pri vseh je bila narejena rutinska kromosomska analiza 30 metafaznih celic iz celične kulture periferne krvi s tehnikami proganja GTG, RGH in/ali RBG. Rezultati: V proučevani skupini 750 preiskovancev je imelo 87 (11,6 %) oseb kromosomske nepravilnosti. Od teh je bilo ugotovljenih pri moških 6,8 % kromosomskih nepravilnosti in 4,8 % pri ženskah. Odstotek kromosomskih nepravilnosti proučevanih parov, 8,8 %, je primerljiv s podatki iz literature. Zaključki: Kromosomska analiza je pomemben del preiskav neplodnosti, saj, kot se je izkazalo v naši raziskavi, je pojavnost kromosomskih nepravilnosti v proučevani skupini večja kot v splošni populaciji. Uravnotežene kromosomske preureditve so najpogostejši razlog za spontane splave in prizadetost potomcev pri parih. Anevploidije spolnih kromosomov pa so najpogostejši razlog za neplodnost v ožjem pomenu pri moških in ženskah posameznicah. Pomanjkljivost v citogenetski obravnavi naših preiskovancev na področju neplodnosti je, da se neplodnost mnogokrat ne obravnava celostno - v parih, temveč se na kariotipizacijo napotijo posamezniki z domnevo, da drugi partner ni nosilec kromosomske spremembe.Background: The aim of the current study was to find out the importance of chromosomal abnormalities in infertile patients, who were sent to Laboratory of medical genetics, University Clinical Centre Maribor, Maribor for kariotyping. The obtained results and the review of the literature are helpful in understanding the importance of cytogenetics analysis in infertility. Methods: The cytogenetic data of infertility were collected from January 2000 to September 2008. The examined population of 750 people was divided in 290 infertile couples, infertile females (20) and infertile males (150). In all, a routine cytogenetics analysis from peripheral blood was made. 30 metaphase cells using GTG, RHG and/or RBG banding were analysed. Results: Chromosomal abnormalities were found in 87 people (11.6 %6.8 % in men and 4.8 % in women). The percentage of chromosomal abnormalities in the studied population (8.8 %) correlates with the data in the literature. Conclusions: Chromosomal analysis is an important method in diagnostic procedures of infertility, because chromosomal abnormalities could play the important role in etiology of infertility and are more frequently detected in this group of patients compared to general population. In the infertile couples balanced chromosomal abnormalities are the main cause of spontaneous abortions. Sex chromosome aneuploidies are highly correlated to infertility of females and males

TMPRSS2:ERG gene aberrations may provide insight into pT stage in prostate cancer

Background: TMPRSS2:ERG gene aberration may be a novel marker that improves risk stratification of prostate cancer before definitive cancer therapy, but studies have been inconclusive. Methods: The study cohort consisted of 202 operable prostate cancer Slovenian patients who underwent laparoscopic radical prostatectomy. We retrospectively constructed tissue microarrays of their prostatic specimens for fluorescence in situ hybridization, with appropriate signals obtained in 148 patients for subsequent statistical analyses. Results: The following genetic aberrations were found: TMPRSS2:ERG fusion, TMPRSS2 split (a non-ERG translocation) and ERG split (an ERG translocation without involvement of TMPRSS2). TMPRSS2:ERG gene fusion happened in 63 patients (42 %), TMPRSS2 split in 12 patients and ERG split in 8 patients. Association was tested between TMPRSS2:ERG gene fusion and several clinicopathological variables, i.e., pT stage, extended lymph node dissection status, and Gleason score, correcting for multiple comparisons. Only the association with pT stage was significant at p = 0.05: Of 62 patients with pT3 stage, 34 (55 %) had TMPRSS2:ERG gene fusion. In pT3 stage patients, stronger (but not significant) association between eLND status and TMPRSS2:ERG gene fusion was detected. We detected TMPRSS2:ERG gene fusion in 64 % of the pT3 stage patients where we did not perform an extended lymph node dissection. Conclusions: Our results indicate that it is possible to predict pT3 stage at final histology from TMPRSS2:ERG gene fusion at initial core needle biopsy. FISH determination of TMPRSS2:ERG gene fusion may be particularly useful for patients scheduled to undergo a radical prostatectomy in order to improve oncological and functional results