Effect of genomic imbalances on gene expression in rhabdomyosarcoma

Rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS) is the most common paediatric soft-tissue sarcoma and resembles developing skeletal muscle. Specific genomic alterations including translocations, deletions and amplification events have been associated with the alveolar and embryonal subtypes of RMS. Characterizing these changes has led to increased understanding of the underlying molecular biology. However, further aberrations and their significance remain to be defined. Genomic copy number variations have been shown to affect the level of transcription in several tumor types. In this study, we have combined array comparative genomic hybridization analysis of 13 RMS cell lines, supported by confirmatory PCR analyses, with their corresponding expression profiles. This identified sets of genes that are altered in their level of expression by genomic imbalances. We also show that the effect on gene expression was proportional to the level of genomic gain or loss. Keywords: Rhabdomyosarcoma cell lines will be added later on