Three chromosomal rearrangements in neuroblastoma cluster within a 300-kb region on 1p36.1

Deletions in the short arm of chromosome 1 (1p36) and MYCN amplification ar e common in neuroblastoma. Previously we showed evidence of at least two di fferent neuroblastoma tumor-suppressor loci on Ip. One is associated with M YCN single-copy tumors and maps distal on 1p36.3. A second, more proximal l ocus maps to 1p36.1 and is deleted in about 90% of neuroblastomas with MYCN amplification. The cell line UHG-NP has the smallest 1p36 deletion of all neuroblastoma cell lines with MYCN amplifications. We assume that the more proximal locus maps within this deletion, close to its proximal border. Her e we present the exact localization of the 1p deletion breakpoint of UHG-NP . A 600-kb PAC contig spanning the breakpoint was analyzed for genes and ab errations. Two more neuroblastoma-associated aberrations were mapped within 150 kb of the UHG-NP breakpoint. Within the contig, we identified nine gen es expressed in neuroblastoma cells. One of these genes, AML2, maps 200 kb distal to the UHG-NP breakpoint but is expressed only rarely in neuroblasto ma and showed no mutations. (C) 2001 Wiley-Liss, Inc.