Gene expression profile of SYT-SSX2-expressing C2C12 myoblasts

Synovial sarcoma is a rare malignancy characterized by the presence of a specific chromosomal translocation t(X;18) that results in the formation of a fusion protein SYT-SSX. Because it is believed that synovial sarcoma arises from mesenchymal stem or progenitor cells, we wanted to determine the changes in gene expression caused by SYT-SSX2 in untransformed mesenchymal progenitor cells - murine C2C12 myoblasts in this experiment. In 2 independent experiments, C2C12 myoblasts were infected with retrovirus carrying either control vector (pOZ) or SYT-SSX2 expression vector. Total cellular RNA was extracted 48 hours post-infection and utilized for microarray analysis on Affymetrix arrays.