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Diakite, Baba Wague MEE-AN AND THE MAGIC SERPENT. Il. by author. ISBN 10:0-88899-719-1. Toronto: Groundwood Books/House of Anansi Press, 2007. 30 pp. $16.95. This West African folktale tells the story [...]

Neuroblastoma is the most common extracranial solid malignancy in children. The disease possesses a broad range of clinical phenotypes with widely varying prognoses. Numerous studies have sought to identify the associated genetic abnormalities in the tumour, resulting in the identification of useful prognostic markers. In particular, the presence of multiple copies of the MYCN oncogene (referred to as MYCN amplification) has been found to confer a poor prognosis. However, the molecular pathways involved are as yet poorly defined. Metabolite profiles generated by in vitro 1H MRS provide a means of investigating the downstream metabolic consequences of genetic alterations and can identify potential targets for new agents. Thirteen neuroblastoma cell lines possessing multiple genetic alterations were investigated; seven were MYCN amplified and six MYCN non-amplified. In vitro magic angle spinning 1H MRS was performed on cell suspensions, and the spectra analysed to obtain metabolite concentration ratios relative to total choline (tCho). A principal component analysis using these concentration ratios showed that MYCN-amplified and non-amplified cell lines form separate classes according to their metabolite profiles. Phosphocholine/tCho and taurine/tCho were found to be significantly raised ( p < 0.05) and glycerophosphocholine/tCho significantly reduced ( p < 0.05) in the MYCN-amplified compared with the MYCN non-amplified cell lines (two-tailed t test). 1H MRS of the SH-EP1 cell line and an isogenic cell line transfected with the MYCN oncogene also showed that MYCN oncogene over-expression causes alterations in phosphocholine, glycerophosphocholine and taurine concentrations. Molecular pathways of choline and taurine metabolism are potential targets for new agents tailored to MYCN-amplified neuroblastoma. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Neuroblastoma is a heterogeneous tumour with a variety of clinical phenotypes, ranging from a localised tumour with excellent outcome (stage 1) to a metastatic, usually fatal malignancy (stage 4). In order to investigate the genetic relationship between these tumour subtypes, a loss of heterozygosity (LOH) analysis was carried out. Composite LOH allelotypes incorporating data from 96 loci on 5 chromosomes (1p, 3p, 4p, 11q, 14q), were constructed for 62 neuroblastomas. Neuroblastomas with similar allelotypes were clustered into groups and allelotype patterns correlated with clinical features. Three distinct genetic subgroups of neuroblastoma were observed. The largest group (50% of tumours) was characterised by specific allelotype patterns indicative of a stepwise accumulation of genetic alterations (11q LOH→1p, 4p, and/or 14q LOH→3p LOH), associated with progression from low to high stage disease. These tumours are distinct from MYCN amplified neuroblastomas which have a more rapid and aggressive disease course, and also a proportion of low stage tumours, often ganglioneuromas or ganglioneuroblastomas, with restricted growth potential. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: T-ALL relapse usually occurs early but can occur much later, which has been suggested to represent a de novo leukemia. However, we conclusively demonstrate late relapse can evolve from a pre-leukemic subclone harbouring a non-coding mutation that evades initial chemotherapy., (© 2024 American Society of Hematology. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights are reserved, including those for text and data mining, AI training, and similar technologies.)