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*
From the Molecular Neuro-Oncology Laboratory*
and the
James Homer Wright Pathology Laboratories,
the
Department of Pathology and Neurosurgical Service, Massachusetts
General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, and
the Department of Pathology,
University of
Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
| Abstract |
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| Introduction |
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The pRb protein encoded by the RB gene functions as part of a cell cycle regulatory pathway that also involves the p16 protein (encoded by the CDKN2A gene on chromosome 9p21) and cyclin-dependent kinase 4 (cdk4, encoded by the CDK4 gene on chromosome 12q13). p16 appears to inhibit the function of cdk4-cyclin D1 complexes, which regulate pRb through phosphorylation. Phosphorylation inactivates RB, thereby allowing entry of the cell into S phase with resultant cellular proliferation. Thus, either inactivation of p16 or overexpression of cdk4 could promote tumorigenesis in a manner similar to that of pRb inactivation. Accordingly, the various components of this pathway are deregulated in a large number of human cancers.16-23
Although RB mutations are a well-recognized oncogenic event in osteosarcomas, the role of the CDKN2A and CDK4 genes in osteosarcoma formation have not been clearly defined, particularly in relation to RB/pRb abnormalities. We therefore evaluated a series of osteosarcomas for alterations of these key cell cycle regulatory molecules.
| Materials and Methods |
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Twenty-one tumors were frozen at the time of biopsy (19 patients) or primary resection (2 patients). No patient had received preoperative chemotherapy or radiation therapy. The patient population consisted of 12 males and 9 females who ranged in age from 9 to 77 (average 26) years old. Two tumors were low-grade (parosteal) osteosarcomas that arose from the posterior surface of the distal femur. Nineteen tumors were high-grade (12 osteoblastic, 3 mixed osteoblastic/chondroblastic, 2 giant cell rich, 1 chondroblastic, and 1 telangiectatic). One of the giant cell-rich osteosarcomas arose in a patient with known Paget's disease of bone. The tumors were located in the tibia (6), femur (5), pelvis (4), fibula (2), and humerus (2). DNA was extracted from frozen tumor tissues according to standard phenol-chloroform procedures. Before DNA extraction, all tumor tissues were examined by frozen section to ensure that they contained viable tumor tissue.
Homozygous Deletions of CDKN2A
To assay for homozygous deletions of the CDKN2A gene, we used a comparative multiplex polymerase chain reaction technique.23 The products were separated by electrophoresis on 2% agarose gels and visualized under ultraviolet light by ethidium bromide staining. This assay has been titrated to detect homozygous CDKN2A deletions in tumors with less than 30% contaminating nonneoplastic cells.23
CDK4 Gene Amplification
CDK4 gene amplification was evaluated using a differential polymerase chain reaction assay.23,24 The products were separated by electrophoresis on a 2% agarose gel, stained with ethidium bromide, and visualized under ultraviolet light. Positive controls included glioblastomas with known CDK4 amplification.23
Allelic Loss of the RB Gene
Allelic loss of chromosome 13q14 at the RB gene was assessed by analysis of the RB 1.20 polymorphism in intron 20 of the RB gene as detailed elsewhere.25 Because only tumor tissue was available, tumors with two RB alleles could be scored as maintaining both alleles, but cases with one allele were scored as indeterminate, either representing allelic loss or being noninformative.
p16 Immunohistochemistry
The JC8 anti-p16 mouse monoclonal IgG2a antibody was generated in the Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center and recognizes an epitope in the first ankyrin repeat (amino acids 132) of the p16 protein. The antibody detects a single 16-kd band on Western blots of human tissues, including brain tumors (J. Koh, unpublished data), and has been used in the immunohistochemical evaluation of human brain tumors.26 Formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissues were sectioned at 6 µm onto Probe-On Plus slides. After baking at 65°C for 1 hour, the sections were deparaffinized in xylene and rehydrated in graded ethanols. Endogenous peroxidase activity was blocked by immersing the slides in 0.5% hydrogen peroxide in methanol for 5 minutes between the 100% and 90% alcohol steps. An antigen retrieval step was used, consisting of microwaving the slides in 0.01 mol/L sodium citrate (pH 6.0) for three changes of 5 minutes each, followed by cooling in phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) rinses. The sections were incubated in 10% normal horse serum in 5% milk for 20 minutes at room temperature. The JC8 anti-p16 antibody was applied at a 1:500 dilution in 1% bovine serum albumin/PBS and incubated in a humidity chamber at room temperature for 2 hours. After the primary antibody incubation, a secondary biotinylated horse anti-mouse antibody (Vector Laboratories, Burlingame, CA) was applied at a 1:1000 dilution (in 1% bovine serum albumin/PBS) for 1 hour at room temperature, followed by the avidin-biotin complex kit (ABC Elite, Vector Laboratories) also for 1 hour at room temperature. Between each of the preceding three steps, slides were washed in three changes of PBS. After the application of 0.06% diaminobenzidine (Sigma Chemical Co., St. Louis, MO) with 0.01% H2O2 for 3 minutes, the slides were washed in distilled water and lightly counterstained in the hematoxylin solution Gill No. 1 (Sigma). After dehydration in graded alcohols and clearing in xylene, the slides were coverslipped. Tonsil tissue served as a control in which nuclear and cytoplasmic staining was noted specifically in histiocytic cells in germinal centers and epithelial cells of the mucosal lining. Negative controls were performed by omitting the primary antibody and by using an irrelevant mouse monoclonal antibody.
pRb Immunohistochemistry
The pRb immunohistochemical protocol was similar to the above p16 assay, with minor variations. Blocking of endogenous peroxidase activity in H2O2/methanol was carried out for 30 minutes. The slides were initially incubated with 10% normal horse serum in 1% bovine serum albumin/PBS for 30 minutes. The primary mouse monoclonal anti-pRb antibody (G3245, Pharmingen) was diluted 1:2500 and applied overnight at 4°C. The secondary biotinylated horse anti-mouse antibody was diluted at 1:1000 and applied for 1 hour at room temperature. In tonsils, there was distinct nuclear immunohistochemical expression of pRb in germinal centers and in basal epithelial layers.
Tissue for p16 and pRb immunohistochemical staining was available from the original biopsy or resection specimen in 18 cases; in three cases, the original biopsy slides contained insufficient material for immunohistochemistry, in which cases it was performed on the resection specimen after the patients had received preoperative chemotherapy.
| Results |
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Homozygous deletion of CDKN2A was detected in 4 of 21
osteosarcomas (Figure 1)
. All 4 tumors
with deletions were high-grade; no deletion was detected in the 2
low-grade (parosteal) osteosarcomas. All tumors with CDKN2A
deletions were immunonegative for p16 protein expression (Figure 2b)
. The tumor cells in one additional
giant cell-rich osteosarcoma were immunohistochemically negative for
p16. In that tumor, however, numerous benign giant cells were
immunopositive for p16, suggesting that the apparent lack of
CDKN2A deletion may have been a false negative polymerase
chain reaction result (see Discussion) (Figure 2e)
. The remaining 16
tumors lacked CDKN2A homozygous deletion and were
immunopositive for p16 (Figure 2a)
.
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None of the osteosarcomas showed CDK4 amplification.
RB LOH and pRb Immunohistochemistry
Twelve tumors (57%) (the 2 low-grade osteosarcomas and 10
high-grade osteosarcomas) exhibited nuclear immunohistochemical
staining for pRb (Figure 2c)
. All five tumors that were immunonegative
for p16 were immunopositive for pRb and showed two strong bands at the
RB 1.20 polymorphism (Figure 3)
. Nine
(47%) of the 19 high-grade osteosarcomas did not show any staining for
pRb (Figure 2d)
.
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| Discussion |
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By immunohistochemical analysis, 9 of 19 (47%) high-grade osteosarcomas were immunonegative for pRb. This apparent rate of RB loss is in accordance with other studies that have shown up to 67% of osteosarcomas with RB mutations or gene loss.13,29 Significantly, however, all 5 tumors that had CDKN2A/p16 alterations showed two strong bands at the RB 1.20 locus and intact pRb expression, suggesting two intact copies of the RB gene in these osteosarcomas. In turn, all of the pRb-immunonegative tumors stained positively for p16. Thus, the p16-cdk4-pRb pathway is involved in a large number of high-grade osteosarcomas, with mutually exclusive p16 and pRb changes occurring in 14 of 19 (74%) high-grade tumors. Although none of our cases showed CDK4 amplification, CDK4 amplification has been demonstrated in a small number (9%) of osteosarcomas in another study,28 again implicating this critical regulatory pathway in osteosarcoma oncogenesis. Furthermore, other components of this pathway, such as CDK6, need to be evaluated.
Osteosarcomas with RB alterations may have a more aggressive clinical course and a worse prognosis than osteosarcomas that lack RB loss13,30; however, the response to preoperative chemotherapy does not appear to be affected by RB alterations.30 CDKN2A/p16 alterations have also been postulated to affect prognosis adversely in patients with osteosarcoma,27 with three patients whose tumors had CDKN2A deletions dying of disease within 34 months. Most of the patients in our study were recently diagnosed and have been followed for a limited time. However, two patients with high-grade osteosarcomas have died of their disease; one of them had CDKN2A deletion and the other, loss of pRb expression. Seven additional patients have developed metastatic disease (six to lungs and one to bones); five of these patients had CDKN2A/p16 (two) or RB/pRb alterations (three). Interestingly, an osteosarcoma that arose in a patient with Paget's disease of bone, which is known for its bad prognosis, had CDKN2A/p16 alterations. Although the number of patients in this study is too small and the follow-up too short to draw any definite conclusions about the relationship between CDKN2A/p16 alterations and prognosis, the results indicate that molecular markers should be included in future studies of osteosarcoma response and survival.
| Footnotes |
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Accepted for publication April 2, 1998.
| References |
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