A MICROSATELLITE INSTABILITY ANALYSIS IN NEUROBLASTOMA BASED ON A HIGH-RESOLUTION FLUORESCENT MICROSATELLITE ANALYSIS

It has recently been reported that mismatch repair enzymes, which are one type of DNA repair enzymes, are the causative genes for a major gr oup of hereditary non-polyposis colon cancers (HNPCC). Abnormalities i n the mismatch repair system can be monitored by observing instability at the microsatellite loci (MSI) in cancer cells. MSI has been report ed not only in tumors associated with hereditary non-polyposis colorec tal cancer but also in sporadic forms of various tumors, No correlatio n between pediatric malignant tumors and the mismatch repair system ha s yet been reported. In the present study, we examined the frequency o f MSI in 21 neuroblastomas, which are the most common solid tumors in childhood, using a high resolution fluorescent microsatellite analysis . MSI on five microsatellite loci was detected in none of the 21 sampl es. Other mechanisms independent of mismatch repair deficiency may thu s play a role in both tumorigenesis and the development of neuroblasto ma. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science Ireland Ltd.