Somatic mitochondrial mutations in melanoma resection specimens

  • Authors:
    • Martin Deichmann
    • Birgit Kahle
    • Axel Benner
    • Marianne Thome
    • Burkhard Helmke
    • Helmut Näher
  • View Affiliations

  • Published online on: January 1, 2004     https://doi.org/10.3892/ijo.24.1.137
  • Pages: 137-141
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Abstract

As epidemiological data suggest ultraviolet (UV) radiation to be the major environmental factor for the development of melanoma, we screened this malignancy for UV-specific C↷T and CC↷TT DNA mutations as described in squamous and basal cell carcinomas of the skin. Mitochondrial (mt) DNA was addressed which is known to be highly more susceptible for mutations than nuclear DNA. In the mt genome we chose part of the non-coding displacement-loop (D-loop) containing two hypermutable (C)n tracts especially prone for C↷T and CC↷TT changes. A total of 69 melanoma resection specimens was investigated by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and single-strand conformation polymorphism (SSCP) electrophoresis, followed by DNA cloning and sequencing. We detected alterations of the mt D-loop fragment in 4/34 (12%) melanoma primary tumours and in 7/35 (20%) cutaneous and subcutaneous metastases which was no statistically higher proportion upon Fisher's exact test (p=0.17). Among these 11 positive cases, 9 exhibited alterations in the (C)n microsatellite sequences indicating microsatellite instability (MSI) of mtDNA (C)n tracts. Besides 7 insertions and 2 deletions of nucleotides, 11 mutations occurred including only 4 UV-specific C↷T mutations in a nodular melanoma of the skin and in two subcutaneous metastases. CC↷TT mutations were not detected in any tissue sample. As (C)n tract alterations occurred in 2/9 primary melanomas with subsequent metastasis, whereas all 20 non-metastasizing cutaneous melanomas were not affected, these somatic changes may reflect genomic imbalance during tumour progression and may be useful for the assessment of patients' prognosis.

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January 2004
Volume 24 Issue 1

Print ISSN: 1019-6439
Online ISSN:1791-2423

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Spandidos Publications style
Deichmann M, Kahle B, Benner A, Thome M, Helmke B and Näher H: Somatic mitochondrial mutations in melanoma resection specimens. Int J Oncol 24: 137-141, 2004.
APA
Deichmann, M., Kahle, B., Benner, A., Thome, M., Helmke, B., & Näher, H. (2004). Somatic mitochondrial mutations in melanoma resection specimens. International Journal of Oncology, 24, 137-141. https://doi.org/10.3892/ijo.24.1.137
MLA
Deichmann, M., Kahle, B., Benner, A., Thome, M., Helmke, B., Näher, H."Somatic mitochondrial mutations in melanoma resection specimens". International Journal of Oncology 24.1 (2004): 137-141.
Chicago
Deichmann, M., Kahle, B., Benner, A., Thome, M., Helmke, B., Näher, H."Somatic mitochondrial mutations in melanoma resection specimens". International Journal of Oncology 24, no. 1 (2004): 137-141. https://doi.org/10.3892/ijo.24.1.137