GENOMIC ALTERATIONS IN PROSTATE CANCER

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Dr. Bova and colleagues at Johns Hopkins have done extensive studies of genomic alterations in prostate cancer and have found a strong tendency for certain chromosomes to be deleted or gained; other chromosome are rarely deleted or gained. They have also studied telomere length in prostate cancer. Their hypothesis is that the tendency toward loss events on specific chromosomes may be related to chromosome-specific telomere length differences. It would be best to study these lengths in specimens isolated directly from patients, however, because metaphase chromosome are difficult to obtain in quantity from these samples, we are using prostate cancer cell lines. Chromosomes #13 and #19 (control) have been sorted and sent to Dr. Griffith for telomere analysis using his very sensitive Southern assay which requires far fewer sorted chromosomes. Significant differences have been reported. Normal human foreskin cells at different stages their life history are als o being analyzed in a similiar manner to establish chromosome to chromosome telomere differences as a function of cell culture progression. Alternative assays are also being evaluated at the present time.