Astrocytoma and meningioma are the most common primary brain tumors. c-myc as a member of myc proto-oncogenes has recently appeared as an attractive therapeutic target. functions of c-myc are critical for growth of nervous system and neural differentiation. we examined c-myc amplification and protein expression in astrocytoma and meningioma cases.
Methods
in this study, we used real-time pcr, fish assay and flowcytometry to analyze dna amplification and protein expression of c-myc
Results
Among 30 samples of brain tumor, 16 cases (53.3%) revealed c-myc amplification. high-protein expression of c-myc was also observed in 47.1% of patients. there was a significant correlation between c-myc gene amplification and protein expression (r = 0.522; p = 0.003), interestingly six case showed discrepancy between the gene amplification and protein expression. although c-myc amplification fails to show correlation with poor prognosis (p = 0.305), protein high-expression of c-myc significantly reduce disease-free survival (p = 0.018).
Conclusion
Our results challenge the concept of the neural specificity of c-myc by demonstrating contribution of c-myc in meningioma. moreover, this study highlights the importance of research at both level of dna and protein, to determine the biological functions and medical impacts of c-myc.
