Evidence for rearrangement, amplification, and expression of c-myc in a human glioblastoma

Amplified cellular genes are frequently manifested in one of two cytologically recognizable forms, double minutes or homogeneously staining regions. Additionally, evidence is accumulating that aberrant expression of cellular genes (including oncogenes) may be mediated by gene amplification. We now describe the amplification and expression of the cellular oncogene c-myc in double-minute-containing cells from a patient with glioblastoma multiforme, and we have shown that the amplification is associated with rearrangement of the c-myc gene. This finding further supports the common association of the myc gene family in neurogenic tumors and provides evidence of myc gene amplification in human brain cancer.