Human Neuroblastoma: Paradigm for a Tumor with Oncogene Amplification and Loss of a Putative Tumor Suppressor Gene

Abstract

Human neuroblastoma cells often carry nonrandom chromosomal abnormalities signaling genetic alterations. Quite frequent are “double minutes” (DMs) and homogeneously staining regions (HSRs), both cytogenetic manifestations of amplified DNA, and chromosome 1 p deletions indicating loss of genetic information. With the identification of amplified N-myc and the demonstration of a consensus deletion spanning the chromosome 1 p36.1–2 region it now appears likely that both amplification of a cellular oncogene and loss of a tumor suppressor gene play important roles in neuroblastoma (Fig.1).