Distinction in gene expression profiles of oligodendrogliomas with and without allelic loss of 1p.

Oligodendrogliomas frequently, but not always show sensitivity to chemotherapy and recent studies demonstrated that allelic loss of chromosome 1p is highly associated with this chemosensitivity. To gain insight into the molecular mechanism of such difference, we examined comprehensive gene expression profiles of 11 oligodendroglial tumors, six with and five without 1pLOH (loss of heterozygosity), and two normal brain tissues using the oligonucleotide microarray (GeneChip). Statistically significant numbers of genes were expressed differentially between the two genetic subsets. Clustering analysis separated the tumor subsets well. The tumors with 1pLOH had similar expression profiles to the normal brain for those differentially expressed genes. Many genes showing higher expression in tumors with 1pLOH were presumed to have functions in nervous tissues. Notably, the majority of the 123 genes showing significant expression reduction in tumors with 1pLOH were either on chromosome 1 (50%) or on 19 (10%), and the average expression reduction ratio was about 50% (0.54+/-0.13) possibly reflecting the chromosomal deletion. Thus, the biological difference between the genetic subsets of oligodendroglioma was indeed reflected to gene expression profile, which provided baseline information for further studies to elucidate the mechanism of chemosensitivity in gliomas.