Agilent 244K aCGH data for colon cancer samples

Mutation of the gene PARK2 is the most common cause of early-onset Parkinson's Disease (PD)1,2. PARK2 encodes a gene product with E3 ubiquitin ligase activity3. In a search for multisite tumor suppressors, we identified PARK2 as a frequently targeted gene on chromosome 6q25.2-q27 in cancer. Here, we describe inactivating somatic mutations and frequent intragenic deletions of PARK2 in human malignancies. The PARK2 mutations in cancer occur in the same domains, and sometimes, at the same residues as the germline mutations causing familial PD. Cancer-specific mutations abrogate the growth suppressive effects of PARK2. PARK2 mutations in cancer decrease the gene product's E3 ligase activity, compromising its ability to ubiquitinate cyclin E and resulting in mitotic instability. These data strongly point to PARK2 as a tumor suppressor on 6q25.2-q27. PARK2, a gene that causes neuronal dysfunction when mutated in the germline, may instead contribute to oncogenesis when altered in non-neuronal somatic cells. Human colorectal samples were profiled on Agilent 244K aCGH arrays per manufacturer's instructions. Pooled reference normal DNA was used as the reference.