High-resolution analysis of 9p loss in human cancer cells using single nucleotide polymorphism-based mapping arrays

Single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) mapping arrays were used to perform DNA copy number analysis of five human cancer cell lines (four malignant mesotheliomas; one non-small cell lung carcinoma) to identify and map the end-points of deletions of 9p. All five cell lines exhibited homozygous deletions encompassing the CDKN2A (alias INK4A/ARF) and CDKN2B loci. The DNA analysis profiles demarcated precisely two different, but overlapping, deletions in each mesothelioma cell line, but the lung cancer cells showed two copies of a single deletion. In the latter cell line, allele analysis revealed that virtually all SNPs for chromosome 9 were homozygous, suggestive of uniparental disomy. These findings demonstrate the utility of SNP-based mapping arrays for high-resolution analysis of genomic imbalances in cancer cells.