Recurrent chromosomal rearrangements at bands 8q24 and 11q13 in gastric cancer as detected by multicolor spectral karyotyping

AIM: To identify chromosomal translocations specific to gastric cancer (GC), spectral karyotyping (SKY) analysis was performed on established cell lines and cancerous ascitic fluids.METHODS: SKY analysis of 10 established cell lines and seven cancerous ascitic fluid samples identified recurrent chromosomal breakpoints and translocations in GC,several of which involved chromosomal loci of oncogenes or tumor suppressor genes.RESULTS: A total of 630 chromosomal breaks were identified. Chromosome no.8 was the most frequently involved in rearrangements (65 breaks), followed by chromosomes no. 11 (53), no. 1 (49), no. 7 (46), no. 13 (37), no. 3 (36), no. 17 (33), and no. 20 (29). Frequent breakpoints were detected in 8q24.1 (30 breaks), 11q13 (29), 13q14 (16), 20q11.2 (14), 7q32 (13), 17q11.2 (13),18q21 (12), 17q23 (9), 18q11.2 (9). SKY analysis identified a total of 242 chromosomal rearrangements including 190 reciprocal and non-reciprocal translocations. The recurrent combinations of chromosomal bands involved in translocations were 8q24.1 and 13q14 (3 cases), 8q24.1 and 11q13 (3), 11q13 and 17q11.2 (2), and 18q11.2 and 20q11.2 (2). Our study validated the ability of SKY to characterize in detail the chromosomal rearrangements in solid tumors and derived cell lines. Moreover,fluorescence in situ hybridization helped to identify the insertions, translocations, and homogeneously staining regions of MYCand CCND1 gene loci.CONCLUSION: The non-random co-localization of certain cytogenetic bands suggests the importance of chromosomal translocations in gastric carcinogenesis, by serving as landmarks for the cloning of GC causing genes.