Detailed microsatellite analysis of chromosome 3p region in non-papillary renal cell carcinomas

Multiple hemi- and homozygous interstitial deletions at chromosome 3p have been found in different types of cancer, including non-papillary renal cell carcinoma (RCC). To determine the frequency and size of deletions, we have analyzed paired normal and tumor DNA obtained from short-term cultures of 104 non-papillary RCCs with 29 microsatellite markers covering the entire chromosome 3p region. Deletion mapping provided evidence for terminal deletion, with the most distal breakpoint between loci D3S1606 and D3S3666 in 94 cases, whereas constitutional heterozygosity was retained at all loci in 4 RCCs. In 6 cases, interstitial deletions were detected. Deletion mapping detected the smallest overlapping region between loci D3S3666 and D3S1560, which corresponds to an approx. 55 cM genetic distance.