Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
Pivot Concepts:   Target Concepts:
Query: UMLS:C0017636 (glioblastoma)
 18,345 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

A recent systematic analysis of 18.191 well annotated coding sequences (RefSeq) in breast and colorectal cancers has led to the identification of somatic mutations in 1.718 genes (Wood et al., 2007). Based on statistical parameters 280 of these have been denominated candidate cancer (CAN) genes. This analysis has provided an interesting snapshot of the landscape of tumor genomes by showing that they contain a few frequently mutated genes (denominated 'mountains'). On the contrary, the large majority of CAN genes are altered at low frequency (designated 'hills'). Whether 'hill' type CAN genes are tumor specific is largely unknown. To address this question we evaluated the mutational profiles of 27 'hill' CAN genes in glioblastoma, melanoma and pancreatic carcinoma by sequencing the exons previously found mutated by Wood and colleagues. Only 4 of the breast/colorectal 'hill' type CAN genes (SMAD4, MYO18B, NAV3 and MMP2) were also mutated in melanoma and pancreatic carcinoma, while none was altered in glioblastoma. These results suggest that 'hill' type CAN genes are not frequently shared by different tumor types and that their mutation patterns are tissue specific. Tumor-specific genome wide mutational profiling will be required to identify 'hill' type CAN genes that characterize the genomic landscapes of each cancer lineage.
 ...
PMID:Mutational profiling of cancer candidate genes in glioblastoma, melanoma and pancreatic carcinoma reveals a snapshot of their genomic landscapes. 1905 23

Glioblastomas (GBs) are malignant CNS tumors often associated with devastating symptoms. Patients with GB have a very poor prognosis, and despite treatment, most of them die within 12 months from diagnosis. Several pathways, such as the RAS, tumor protein 53 (TP53), and phosphoinositide kinase 3 (PIK3) pathways, as well as the cell cycle control pathway, have been identified to be disrupted in this tumor. However, emerging data suggest that these aberrations represent only a fraction of the genetic changes involved in gliomagenesis. In this study, we have applied a 32K clone-based genomic array, covering 99% of the current assembly of the human genome, to the detailed genetic profiling of a set of 78 GBs. Complex patterns of aberrations, including high and narrow copy number amplicons, as well as a number of homozygously deleted loci, were identified. Amplicons that varied both in number (three on average) and in size (1.4 Mb on average) were frequently detected (81% of the samples). The loci encompassed not only previously reported oncogenes (EGFR, PDGFRA, MDM2, and CDK4) but also numerous novel oncogenes as GRB10, MKLN1, PPARGC1A, HGF, NAV3, CNTN1, SYT1, and ADAMTSL3. BNC2, PTPLAD2, and PTPRE, on the other hand, represent novel candidate tumor suppressor genes encompassed within homozygously deleted loci. Many of these genes are already linked to several forms of cancer; others represent new candidate genes that may serve as prognostic markers or even as therapeutic targets in the future. The large individual variation observed between the samples demonstrates the underlying complexity of the disease and strengthens the demand for an individualized therapy based on the genetic profile of the patient.
 ...
PMID:Characterization of novel and complex genomic aberrations in glioblastoma using a 32K BAC array. 1930 58