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From the Divisions of Human Biology and Public Health
Sciences,*
Program in Cancer Biology, and the Division of
Public Health Sciences,
Program in
Biostatistics, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, and the
Departments of Gastroenterology
and
Pathology,
University of Washington,
Seattle, Washington
| Abstract |
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The newly developed Affymetrix HuSNP array, which contains 1494 single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) sites genome-wide and requires only 135 ng of genomic DNA (gDNA) per assay, is a potential platform for evaluating genome-wide genetic analysis of breast tissue. The usefulness of a prototype SNP array and the current HuSNP array for analysis of allelic loss in fresh lung tumors removed at autopsy and fresh biopsies from esophageal cancers, respectively, has been previously described.4,5 However, the analysis of formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded pathology specimens by the commercially available HuSNP assay has not been reported.
Here we discuss the use of the HuSNP to examine allelic imbalance in
both frozen and fixed pathology specimens and compare results between
the two preservation methods. To purify populations of cells from the
tissue for analysis we used bivariate flow cytometry, which allowed us
to sort tumor cells for analysis based on positive cytokeratin staining
and gDNA content.6
In addition to gDNA, we also examined
the use of a polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based whole-genome
amplification method, primer-extension preamplification (PEP) that
increases the amount of template available for analysis
30-fold7,8
and compared allelic loss results from the
PEP product to results with gDNA. HuSNP allelic loss results were also
compared to results from conventional polymorphic microsatellite
markers (short tandem repeats or STRs) on chromosomes 11 and 17.
| Materials and Methods |
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Tumor and normal tissue from two breast cancer patients were obtained from the University of Washington tissue bank with patient consent and in compliance with the Institutional Review Board. Samples taken at the time of surgery were divided into two portions and each portion was processed routinely either by freezing in OCT media or formalin fixation followed by paraffin embedding. No gross difference was apparent between the portions selected for either preservation method. The presence of tumor in each block was confirmed microscopically. A formalin-fixed tissue block from each of the cases was tested for estrogen receptor, progesterone receptor, c-erbB2 oncogene protein, and p53 tumor suppressor gene protein by immunohistochemistry as previously described.9
Flow Cytometry
Flow cytometry was performed on the frozen and fixed samples to purify tumor cells from normal epithelia and nonepithelial cells. Hematoxylin and eosin (H&E)-stained slides from both frozen and paraffin-embedded tumor sections were examined to confirm that the samples contained tumor epithelium. Similarly, H&E slides taken from the normal block confirmed that the sample contained no tumor.
From each frozen breast tissue sample, 20 to 50 50-µm sections were cut and placed into phosphate-buffered saline containing 1% bovine serum albumin (PBA).10
The samples were mechanically disaggregated and washed in PBA. The resulting cell suspensions were fixed in 0.5% electron microscopy grade formaldehyde and permeabilized in 0.1% triton/PBA before staining. From formalin-fixed tissue blocks, flow cytometry preparation was performed as described.6 Briefly, 1 to 20 60-µm sections were cut from normal and tumor tissue blocks; regions of tumor in each section were dissected from surrounding tissue with a scalpel blade. All sections were deparaffinized, rehydrated, and digested in collagenase before a brief pepsin digestion.
Cell suspensions from both the frozen and fixed samples were stained with 4,6-diamidino-2-phenylindole and R-phyco-erythrin labeled AE1/AE3 (Roche, Indianapolis, IN), which recognizes a wide variety of acidic and basic cytokeratins. A parallel sample of cells was stained with R-PE-labeled isotype-matched mouse Ig (R-PE labeled IgG1; DAKO, Carpinteria, CA) and used as a negative control. Before sorting, all samples were forced through a 25-gauge needle10 times to ensure a single cell suspension.
Cytokeratin-positive tumor cells were sorted by bivariate analysis with 488 nm and UV excitation on a Becton Dickinson (Mountain View, CA) FACS Vantage. R-PE, cytokeratin-positive populations were sorted based on their 4,6-diamidino-2-phenylindole-fluorescent DNA content, expressed as DNA index (DI = mean aneuploid G1 fluorescence/mean diploid G1 fluorescence). Cells from the normal blocks were processed and stained similarly to the tumor samples. The DNA from all cells in the normal blocks was used as the constitutive normal for comparison with the tumor cell DNA.
Preparation of DNA Samples
DNA was extracted from frozen cells using the Puregene DNA isolation kit (Gentra Systems, Minneapolis, MN), following the manufacturers suggestions with the addition of 1 µl of 20 mg/ml of Proteinase K to the cell lysis buffer, followed by incubation at 50°C for 1 to 16 hours. DNA was extracted from fixed cells using a simple Proteinase K digestion method previously described.11 Extracted DNA samples were quantified using the Picogreen dsDNA Quantitation Kit (Molecular Probes, Eugene, OR) on the Cytofluor II Fluorescence Multiwell Plate Reader (PerSeptive Biosystem Inc., Framingham, MA).
Whole genome amplification using the primer extension protocol (PEP) was performed as described.8 For each gDNA sample, six individual PEP reactions, each using 7 ng of gDNA as template, were performed and the PEP material pooled.12 PEP material was used directly in the array protocol without purification or alteration of concentration.
STR Protocol
Twenty-four polymorphic repeat loci (STRs) on chromosomes 11 and
17 were amplified using fluorescent primers with PEP template.
Chromosomes 11 and 17 were selected for allelic loss comparison between
arrays and conventional repeat markers because both contain sites that
are frequently lost in breast cancer.2,3
Markers were
selected from those commercially available from Research Genetics
(www.resgen.com) to obtain a survey of sites that
corresponded as closely as possible to the HuSNP sites along the
chromosomes. The physical locations of the markers in Mb are listed in
Figure 1, B and C
, as given by National
Center for Biotechnology Information in July 2001
(www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov). Primers for chromosome 11
were (11ptel) D11S1397, D11S2368, D11S2001, D11S1918, D11S1395, (cen),
D11S4076, D11S1394, D11S4151, D11S2360, (11qtel). Those for chromosome
17 were (17ptel), D17S919, D17S1298, D17S1537, TP53, D17S786, D17S1541,
D17S974, D17S975, (cen), D17S1293, D17S1158, D17S1294, D17S1185,
D17S1305, D17S1290, D17S1288, (17qtel). PCR reactions were performed
using standard protocols with PEP material as a template. PCR reaction
products were multiplexed and then purified using Microcon-100 columns,
after which the DNA was resuspended in sterile water. Reactions were
run on an ABI 377 and analyzed using ABI Prism Gene Scan software.
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HuSNP Protocol
The Affymetrix HuSNP protocol was performed according to manufacturers instructions and as described.4 Each individual gDNA sample from both cases was analyzed twice in completely separate reactions, to yield data from a total of 18 HuSNP arrays for the two cases (five samples from case 1 in duplicate plus four samples from case 2 in duplicate). Similarly, the PEP material from each sample was analyzed by HuSNP in duplicate (18 HuSNP arrays). Data analysis using the Affymetrix Genechip software resulted in genotype calls that were used in the statistical analysis. The genetic map used in the analysis came from Affymetrix, release date June 2001.
Statistical Methods
To quantify the reproducibility of the HuSNP chips, the reliability measure was calculated. The reproducibility for making a consistent genotype call was defined as the number of SNPs with the same genotype calls from both replicates divided by the total number of SNPs for which both replicates yielded signal calls. The reproducibility for making no-signal calls was also calculated, and was defined as the number of SNPs for which both replicates yielded no-signal calls divided by the total number of SNPs for which at least one replicate yielded a no-signal call.
Similarly, concordance of genotype and no-signal calls were measured between frozen and fixed tissue samples as well as between gDNA and PEP samples. Because each sample was analyzed in duplicate, there were a total of four possible comparisons between each set of fixed and frozen samples. The concordance measure was calculated by the ratio of the average over the four comparisons of the number of SNPs with same genotype calls from both samples and the average over the four comparisons of the number of SNPs for which both samples yielded signal calls. The concordance measure for no-signal calls was calculated similarly.
The informativity and allelic loss of the SNPs was examined for both cases. We defined a SNP as informative when one normal tissue replicate of the SNP was heterozygous (AB) and the other replicate was either heterozygous or had no signal. We defined a SNP site as having allelic loss when that SNP was informative in the normal tissue, one tumor tissue replicate of the SNP was hemizygous or homozygous (AA or BB), and the other replicate was either hemizygous, homozygous, or no signal.
All statistical analyses were performed using SPLUS statistical software (S-PLUS Reference Manual, version 3:2; Statistical Sciences I, Seattle, Washington).
| Results |
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The results of the pathology review and immunohistochemical assays
from the two cases used in this study are shown in Table 1
. The patients ages were similar at
their respective times of diagnosis. Flow cytometric analysis revealed
multiple aneuploid cell populations in the tumor from case 1. One cell
population from the fixed tumor and one from the frozen tumor had very
similar DIs (1.49 and 1.43, respectively), whereas an additional cell
population seen only in the fixed portion of the tumor had a distinct
DI of 1.82. Case 2 had a single aneuploid tumor cell population
distinguishable in both the fixed (DI = 1.76) and frozen (DI
= 1.79) tissue samples. All three tumor cell populations from case 1
and both from case 2 were tested independently and included in the
subsequent array analysis using both gDNA and PEP material from these
cases.
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For each SNP site on the chip, genotype results from the
Affymetrix Genechip software were reported as definite calls (AA, AB,
BB), no signal, or an intermediate call (AB_A or AB_B). The
Genechip software does not score allele copy number but instead always
indicates two alleles (AA and BB). The HuSNP chip contains 1494
individual SNP sites, however our experience was similar to that of a
previous report,4
in that more than 100 of the 1494 sites
on the chip consistently failed, yielding most of the no-signal calls.
Intermediate calls were rare, seen in
1% of sites in each assay.
The reproducibility statistics for definite calls and no-signal calls
between duplicate assays using the same gDNA or PEP sample are shown in
Table 2
. Table
3, A and B, show the concordance of
definite and no-signal results between the fixed and frozen gDNA and
PEP samples from each case (Table 3A)
as well as the concordance
between the gDNA and PEP results (Table 3B)
. A graphical representation
of concordance between fixed and frozen gDNA samples on chromosomes 6,
11, and 17 are presented in Figure 1
.
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Of the 24 STR markers analyzed on chromosomes 11 and 17, there
were a total of 69 informative sites between all five tumor populations
identified in the two patients (see Figure 1, B and C
, for details). Of
these 69 sites, 60 showed correlation with data from adjacent HuSNP
markers. However, at the nine STR sites that do not correlate with
adjacent HuSNP markers, it is difficult to determine whether the
apparent discordance is because of technical limitations or if the STR
marker is recognizing a small region with a different
allelic loss pattern than the adjacent regions scored by SNP. At four
of the nine sites (D11S1394 and D17S1288 in case 1, and D17S1294 in
case 2), there was at least a 5-Mb distance between the STR and SNP
markers, which may be the reason for the discrepancy.
| Discussion |
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In this study, samples were analyzed in duplicate to generate reliability statistics for each type of sample, and genotype data were compared between fixed and frozen samples to examine the data concordance between sample types. The HuSNP array yielded genotype results that were reliable and concordant for both fixed and frozen tumor and normal breast pathology specimens. Importantly, the DNA fragmentation that occurs with formalin fixation does not seem to affect HuSNP results, presumably because the assay relies on PCR amplicons that are shorter than 100 nucleotides in length.
In addition to analysis of genomic DNA extracted from these specimens, we also examined the data obtained from whole genome amplified material (PEP) generated from our specimens, and found similar reliability for either genomic DNA and PEP genotypes when analyzed by HuSNP. The concordance was similarly high for both genomic and PEP DNA, although slightly lower for the PEP material. This lower concordance was primarily because of an increase in no-signal genotype calls seen in the PEP material versus the genomic DNA and an indicator of the potential data not obtained with amplified DNA. However, in cases in which sample is limited, using the HuSNP assay on PEP material may be an acceptable approach to genome-wide analysis. In cases in which the original sample is extremely limited, the use of whole genome amplification may make analysis possible.
We also used the data generated from the two cases to examine allelic loss in the cell populations isolated from the tumors by bivariate flow cytometry. There was an average of 379 informative SNP sites throughout the genome from all of the gDNA HuSNP assays. This is very similar to the expected distribution of heterozygosity as defined using biallelic SNP markers17,18 and in previously reported HuSNP data.4 As has been previously reported,4 allelic loss data obtained from the HuSNP agreed well with data obtained by the more standard method of microsatellite (STR) analysis.
Although the fixed and frozen samples from case 2 yielded highly concordant HuSNP results on all chromosomes, the cell populations with close DI (1.43 and 1.49, respectively) identified in case 1 exhibited substantial differences in LOH on chromosomes 4 and 11. Because the differences were confined to these two chromosomes, the data were not likely to be the result of a general cross-contamination, but rather reflected a biological difference between these cell populations. The second population with a DI of 1.82, identified in the formalin-fixed tissue block was also distinct and exhibited a slightly higher frequency of allelic loss throughout the genome. A diversity of cell populations is common within advanced breast tumors19,20 and may reflect the development of distinct genotypic clones with different behavior potential. Flow cytometric analysis can initially define cell populations with DNA content differences that can be further resolved by genomic analysis, yielding important information about tumor composition that would otherwise be obscure.
The gDNA HuSNP analysis of the two cases included in this study yielded more genome-wide data than could be obtained with a similar amount of DNA by other means, such as microsatellite marker analysis. However, it is still a low-density map, with an average of one SNP site per 8.5 Mb in the genome. Another limitation of the current HuSNP array is that many SNP sites included in the assay are clustered, so that many regions of the genome are well represented whereas others are under-represented. Given that array assays for genome-wide analyses are continuing to be developed, we expect that the next generation of genetic marker arrays using similar technology as the HuSNP will provide more uniform and higher density coverage of the genome. The data from this study indicate that future array technologies will be suitable for use with DNA obtained from routinely processed pathology specimens.
| Acknowledgements |
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| Footnotes |
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Supported by NIH/NCI grants RO1 CA78855 (to P. S. R.) and RO1 CA71735 (to P. L. P.).
Accepted for publication September 25, 2001.
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