Loss of heterozygosity on chromosome 13 is associated with advanced stage prostate cancer

Purpose: In order to investigate the possible involvement of a tumor suppressor gene(s) on chromosome 13 in prostatic neoplasms, we performed loss of heterozygosity (LOH) analysis on normal and tumor pairs from 36 prostate cancer patients. Materials and Methods: Pure DNA was obtained from carcinoma cells and normal epithelium by tissue microdissection. The DNA had previously been analyzed for LOH on chromosomes 8 and 16. After an initial pilot experiment to determine the region(s) of significant LOH from 9 loci on chromosome 13q, 3 loci at and near the Rbl locus (D13S153, D13S1319, and D13S1303) were chosen for further study. Results: The overall rate of LOH on chromosome 13 was 27.3%. Four tumors exhibited LOM at all 3 loci. Two tumors exhibited LOM at D13S153 but not at the other, more telomeric loci; two additional tumors had loss at D13S1303 or D13S1319 but not D13S153. These data suggest that a tumor suppressor gene involved in prostate cancer may be located just telomeric to Rbl. Analysis of clinical and pathological data from carcinomas with and without loss shows that chromosome 13q LOH is correlated with advanced stage prostate cancer. Conclusions: Our LOH data suggests that there may be a tumor suppressor gene telomeric to Rbl that is potentially involved in prostate cancer progression. Identification of this gene may be valuable in providing diagnostic and prognostic information for prostate cancer patients.