GABAergic System Gene Expression Predicts Clinical Outcome in Patients With Neuroblastoma

Purpose Neuroblastoma (NB) is a common childhood malignancy characterized by heterogeneous clinical behavior. The purpose of this study was to identify potential NB biomarkers that may improve outcome prediction. Patients and Methods The suppression subtractive hybridization (SSH) technique was used to identify the genes differentially expressed between NB and control tissue. RNA isolated from 235 primary NB tumor samples obtained from the Children's Cancer Group was evaluated for expression of the candidate markers using quantitative reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (Taqman assays). The association between the mRNA expression levels in the identified candidate genes and clinical outcome was evaluated. Results SSH analysis identified differential expression of members of the GABAergic gene family in NB. Lower levels of gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) receptor–associated protein (GABARAP) gene expression predict decreased survival among all patients. GABAA δ receptor subunit gene expression w...