Molecular and cytologic analysis of DNA amplification in retinoblastoma

Amplification of two distinct genomic DNA segments is observed in homogeneously staining regions in two sets of retinoblastoma cell lines derived from two different patients. One DNA segment was known to have sequence homology to the c-myc oncogene, and both DNA segments had previously been shown to be amplified in neuroblastoma cells. The absolute degree of amplification differed in all cytogenetically distinct retinoblastoma cell lines tested. Also, the relative amplification of these two DNA segments was unequal within a given cell line. Minimal amplification of both DNA segments was also detected in DNA directly isolated from one primary retinoblastoma. Based on these and previous results, it is concluded that assembly of amplifiable, relocatable units in many human retinoblastoma and neuroblastoma cells may involve a complex process of differential recruitment of separate DNA segments that are located on human chromosome #2.