Identification of genomic imbalances in gastric MALT lymphoma using arbitrarily primed PCR DNA fingerprinting.

Arbitrarily primed PCR (AP-PCR) is a unique method to identify the cancer cell specific losses and gains of chromosomal regions by targeting specific genes or chromosomal segments. In the present study, introducing the AP-PCR technique with a single primer, we have ascertained the gains and losses of DNA fingerprints in 15 MALT lymphoma samples. Out of 15 prominent DNA fingerprints, the signal intensity of two fingerprints, labeled bands G and I, were significantly lower in 40 and 50% of tumors as compared to adjacent normal DNA fingerprints, respectively. Similarly, gains of signal intensity of DNA fingerprints (bands A and C) were detected in 13% of tumor samples studied. Variations in signal intensities were also found in other bands within a few samples. Although, the functional importance of these bands is unknown, this study indicates that the AP-PCR generated under or over amplified DNA fingerprints may participate during the progression of MALT lymphoma in human stomach. Moreover, these studies also suggest that the AP-PCR technique, with different primers, can be utilized for the determination of new chromosomal segments in MALT lymphoma samples that can be used for the identification of these diseases.