HMGIC Expressed in a Uterine Leiomyoma with a Deletion of the Long Arm of Chromosome 7 Along with a 12q14–15 Rearrangement But Not in Tumors Showing del(7) as the Sole Cytogenetic Abnormality

Cytogenetic studies on uterine leiomyomas have shown that more than 60% of these tumors possess a normal karyotype and that 30% have clonal chromosomal aberrations. The most frequent changes are aberrations involving 12q14–15 and show rearrangements of the long arm of chromosome 7. Recently, we were able to demonstrate that in a variety of mesenchymal tumors showing 12q14–15 aberrations the HMGIC gene is rearranged thus playing a role in tumorigenesis. Here we report the results of HMGIC expression studies by RT-PCR of five uterine leiomyomas with different karyotypes. The RT-PCR studies were performed on two primary tumors showing a 12q14–15 aberration, one of which with an additional del(7) and three tumors with del(7) as the sole aberration. The tumor with the 12q14–15 aberration as the sole alteration and the leiomyoma with 12q14–15 rearrangement plus deletion of the long arm of chromosome 7 were shown to express HMGIC. In contrast, in all three tumors with the del(7)as the sole aberration no expression of HMGIC was noted.