The latent human herpesvirus-6A genome specifically integrates in telomeres of human chromosomes in vivo and in vitro.

Previous research has suggested that human herpesvirus-6 (HHV-6) may integrate into host cell chromosomes and be vertically transmitted in the germ line, but the evidence--primarily fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH)--is indirect. We sought, first, to definitively test these two hypotheses. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) were isolated from families in which several members, including at least one parent and child, had unusually high copy numbers of HHV-6 DNA per milliliter of blood.

Detection of disseminated tumor cells in neuroblastoma: 3 log improvement in sensitivity by automatic immunofluorescence plus FISH (AIPF) analysis compared with classical bone marrow cytology.

The sensitive detection of bone marrow involvement is crucial for tumor staging at diagnosis and for monitoring of the therapeutic response in the patient's follow-up. In neuroblastoma, only conventional cytomorphological techniques are presently accepted for the detection of bone marrow involvement, yet since the therapeutic consequences of the bone marrow findings may be far-reaching, the need for highly reliable detection methods has become evident. For this purpose, we developed an automatic immunofluorescence plus FISH (AIPF) device which allows the exact quantification of disseminated tumor cells and the genetic verification in critical cases.

Fluorescent in situ hybridization on isolated tumor cell nuclei: a sensitive method for 1p and 19q deletion analysis in paraffin-embedded oligodendroglial tumor specimens.

In oligodendroglial neoplasms, losses of chromosomal material at 1p and 19q associate with chemosensitivity and prolonged survival. Thus, 1p/19q testing is increasingly proposed for use in brain tumor diagnosis and prognostic assessment. Fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH) is a classic technique for investigation of 1p/19q status in paraffin-embedded tissues.

[Detection, quantification and characterization of disseminated tumor cells].

There are different reasons why the detection of disseminated tumor cells (DTCs) in the hematopoetic system is important. On the one hand the detection of disseminated tumor cells can provide vital information about a tumor's tendency to develop metastases. In some localized epithelial but also in embryonic tumors, for example a correlation between disseminated tumor cells and unfavorable outcome was observed (6, 14).

Frequent low level expression in Ewing sarcoma family tumors and widespread absence of the metastasis suppressor KAI1/CD82 in neuroblastoma.

The transmembrane 4 superfamily member KAI1/CD82, a metastasis suppressor, is correlated inversely with the progression and invasion of several tumors. It is capable of inhibiting metastasis without affecting tumorigenicity per se. KAI1/CD82 expression is down-regulated in the progression of common solid epithelial tumors of adulthood.