Focal epilepsies in young patients are frequently associated with differentiated glioneuronal tumours. Dysplastic neurones represent a characteristic neuropathological feature of gangliogliomas, the most common entity encountered in this group. Here, we have analysed two major components of the reelin pathway involved in neuronal migration and cortical development, that is, p35 and disabled-1 (dab1), in gangliogliomas. Genomic structures of human dab1 and p35 were identified 'in silico' using the HTGS databank, NCBI BLAST 2.1. DNA sequence analysis was carried out in gangliogliomas obtained from 29 epilepsy patients vs. peripheral blood DNA from non-affected control individuals (n = 100). Gene expression of dab1 and p35 was determined by real-time RT-PCR (reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction) in gangliogliomas (n = 14) vs. non-neoplastic central nervous system tissue (n = 20). The human dab1 gene contains 13 coding exons and is located on chromosome 1p31-32. A single coding exon constitutes the human p35 gene, which is located on chromosome 17q11.2. A novel homologueous genomic region on chromosome 2 has to be taken into account for future studies on p35. One ganglioglioma patient showed a unique polymorphism in the p35 gene. The single base exchange (C to A) at nucleotide 904 of the p35 cDNA (GenBank X80343, start ATG, codon 302) results in a leucine-isoleucine amino acid substitution. No mutations of the dab1 and p35 genes in gangliogliomas were observed. However, significantly lower levels of dab1 and p35 gene transcripts were detected in gangliogliomas compared to controls (dab1 28.24%, t-test P < 0.001; p35 21.28%, t-test P < 0.001, in gangliogliomas vs. controls). Our data suggest that mutational events of dab1 and p35 are not involved in the molecular pathogenesis of gangliogliomas. A potential functional role of these developmentally regulated genes for the formation of epileptogenic glioneuronal lesions remains to be elucidated.
Copyright 2003 Blackwell Publishing Ltd