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Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America logoLink to Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
. 1996 Apr 2;93(7):2884–2888. doi: 10.1073/pnas.93.7.2884

Aberrant platelet-derived growth factor alpha-receptor transcript as a diagnostic marker for early human germ cell tumors of the adult testis.

S Mosselman 1, L H Looijenga 1, A J Gillis 1, M A van Rooijen 1, H J Kraft 1, E J van Zoelen 1, J W Oosterhuis 1
PMCID: PMC39728  PMID: 8610136

Abstract

Testicular germ cell tumors are the most common form of cancer in young adult males. They result from a derangement of primordial germ cells, and they grow out from a noninvasive carcinoma-in-situ precursor. Since carcinoma in situ can readily be cured by low-dose irradiation, there is a great incentive for non- or minimally invasive methods for detection of carcinoma in situ. We have recently shown that human Tera-2 embryonal carcinoma cells, obtained from a nonseminomatous testicular germ cell tumor, show alternative splicing and alternative promoter use of the platelet-derived growth factor alpha-receptor gene, giving rise to a unique 1.5-kb transcript. In this study we have set up a reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction strategy for characterization of the various transcripts for this receptor. Using this technique, we show that a panel of 18 seminomas and II nonseminomatous testicular germ cell tumors all express the 1.5-kb transcript. In addition, a panel of 27 samples of testis parenchyma with established carcinoma in situ were all found to be positive for the 1.5-kb transcript, while parenchyma lacking carcinoma in situ, placenta, and control semen were all negative. These data show that the 1.5-kb platelet-derived growth factor alpha-receptor transcript can be used as a highly selective marker for detection of early stages of human testicular germ cell tumors.

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Selected References

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