5111

PCNA

-;proliferating cell nuclear antigen;PCNA;proliferating cell nuclear antigen

DNA polymerase delta auxiliary protein|cyclin

20pter-p12

protein-coding

Gene expression profiles of 10 children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) were detected using cDNA arrays. Total RNAs were isolated from peripheral blood leukocytes of the patients at diagnosis. For detection of expression profiles weused Atlas Human cancer cDNA Arrays (Clontech) with 588 genes. Although the study revealed variability of gene expression in many genes, we identified a number ofgenes with the same expression changes (up-regulation: PCNA, ERCC1; down-regulation: jun-B, BCL-2 related protein A1, CRAF-1, PBP) in most examined patients. Our objective was to identify genes that were differentially expressedin ALL and might contribute to development (and characterization) of the disease.

BACKGROUND: Recent advances in multidisciplinary treatment approaches have improved the overall prognosis of pediatric brain tumors, but some patients remain refractory to treatment and do poorly. Several molecularly targeted therapies are under development for the treatment of brain tumors, and high-grade gliomas in adults are a particular area of study. PROCEDURE: To better understand if these new therapies can be used in pediatric populations, we examined the expression of the following seven marker genes involved in signaling pathways targeted by new therapies: beta-catenin, suppressor of fused (SUFU), erythroblastic leukemia viral oncogene homolog (ERBB) 2, platelet-derived growthfactor receptoralpha (PDGFRalpha), proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA), secreted protein acid and rich in cysteine (SPARC), and granulocyte colony-stimulating factor receptor (G-CSFR). Samples from 27 patients with the primitive neuroectodermal tumor (PNET)/medulloblastomas (MBs) (n = 8), ependymomas (n = 5), or gliomas (n = 14) were assessed by quantitative real-timePCR. [Correction made here after initial online publication]. We assigned an EXPscore to compare across samples and determined the levels of gene expression among tumor cell types. RESULTS: Gene expression varied among the different tumors, but, within a tumor type, clear expression patterns were seen. The expression of SUFU, ERBB2, and PCNA in metastatic MBs were greater than that seen in non-metastatic MBs. Most glioma cases highly expressed PDGFRalpha and G-CSFR.Additionally, the expression patterns of gliomas and ependymomas were similar (r= 0.77, P = 0.04), but PNET/MBs substantially differed from gliomas (r = -0.37, P = 0.41) or ependymomas (r = 0.23, P = 0.62). CONCLUSIONS: The development of newdrugs targeting up-regulated pathways may be useful for the treatment of pediatric brain tumors. As new drugs are developed, gliomas and ependymomas may be treated with similar compounds.#CI- Copyright (c) 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.