The reliability of the differential polymerase chain reaction compared to restriction fragment length polymorphism for the detection of gene loss in primary tumors

The loss of genetic information from a number of specific regions of the genome has been documented in human tumors in vivo. To estimate the frequency with which IFNβ1 gene loss occurs in human gliomas, both restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) analysis and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification, using the IFN-γ gene as a reference, were used and the results obtained with the two methods were compared. The relative intensity of PCR bands (IFNβ1/IFNγ) in the gliomas with loss of heterozygosity for the IFNβ1 was significantly different (P < 0.05) with regard to the gliomas with the IFNβ1 gene. Consequently, these findings indicate that differential PCR is a reliable and non-radioactive method of demonstrating gene loss in tumors.