Jian Zhang

Publications (3)16.61 Total impact

• Article: A de novo MLH1 germ line mutation in a 31-year-old colorectal cancer patient.

  Martina Plasilova, Jian Zhang, Roberta Okhowat, Giancarlo Marra, Markus Mettler, Hansjakob Mueller, Karl Heinimann
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  ABSTRACT: Hereditary nonpolyposis colorectal cancer is an autosomal dominant cancer predisposition syndrome caused by inherited germ line mutations in DNA mismatch repair genes, predominantly MSH2 and MLH1. Here we report the first proven de novo germ line mutation in MLH1 (c.666dupA) identified in a 31-year-old colorectal cancer patient with the alteration being present in a heterozygous state in all three germ layers and homozygously in his colon cancer. The mutation was absent in both biological parents and all sibs available. Despite extensive polymorphic marker analysis, the parental origin of c.666dupA could not be conclusively determined, representing either a single mutational event in a parental germ cell or (maternal) gonadal mosaicism. Although rare, consequential application of the Bethesda guidelines for genetic testing should allow the clinician to readily identify colorectal cancer patients below age 50 years who carry de novo mismatch repair gene mutations.
  Genes Chromosomes and Cancer 01/2007; 45(12):1106-10. · 3.31 Impact Factor
• Article: Prevalence of MYH germline mutations in Swiss APC mutation-negative polyposis patients.

  Anna M Russell, Jian Zhang, Judith Luz, Pierre Hutter, Pierre O Chappuis, Claudine Rey Berthod, Philippe Maillet, Hansjakob Mueller, Karl Heinimann
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  ABSTRACT: In 10-30% of patients with classical familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP) and up to 90% of those with attenuated (<100 colorectal adenomas; AFAP) polyposis, no pathogenic germline mutation in the adenomatous polyposis coli (APC) gene can be identified (APC mutation-negative). Recently, biallelic mutations in the base excision repair gene MYH have been shown to predispose to a multiple adenoma and carcinoma phenotype. This study aimed to (i) assess the MYH mutation carrier frequency among Swiss APC mutation-negative patients and (ii) identify phenotypic differences between MYH mutation carriers and APC/MYH mutation-negative polyposis patients. Seventy-nine unrelated APC mutation-negative Swiss patients with either classical (n=18) or attenuated (n=61) polyposis were screened for germline mutations in MYH by dHPLC and direct genomic DNA sequencing. Overall, 7 (8.9%) biallelic and 9 (11.4%) monoallelic MYH germline mutation carriers were identified. Among patients with a family history compatible with autosomal recessive inheritance (n=45), 1 (10.0%) out of 10 classical polyposis and 6 (17.1%) out of 35 attenuated polyposis patients carried biallelic MYH alterations, 2 of which represent novel gene variants (p.R171Q and p.R231H). Colorectal cancer was significantly (p<0.007) more frequent in biallelic mutation carriers (71.4%) compared with that of monoallelic and MYH mutation-negative polyposis patients (0 and 13.8%, respectively). On the basis of our findings and earlier reports, MYH mutation screening should be considered if all of the following criteria are fulfilled: (i) presence of classical or attenuated polyposis coli, (ii) absence of a pathogenic APC mutation, and (iii) a family history compatible with an autosomal recessive mode of inheritance.
  International Journal of Cancer 04/2006; 118(8):1937-40. · 5.44 Impact Factor
• Article: Gene conversion is a frequent mechanism of inactivation of the wild-type allele in cancers from MLH1/MSH2 deletion carriers.

  Jian Zhang, Annette Lindroos, Saara Ollila, Anna Russell, Giancarlo Marra, Hansjakob Mueller, Paivi Peltomaki, Martina Plasilova, Karl Heinimann
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  ABSTRACT: Hereditary nonpolyposis colorectal cancer (HNPCC) is an autosomal dominantly inherited cancer predisposition syndrome caused by germ line mutations in DNA mismatch repair genes, predominantly MLH1 and MSH2, with large genomic rearrangements accounting for 5% to 20% of all mutations. Although crucial to the understanding of cancer initiation, little is known about the second, somatic hit in HNPCC tumorigenesis, commonly referred to as loss of heterozygosity. Here, we applied a recently developed method, multiplex ligation-dependent probe amplification, to study MLH1/MSH2 copy number changes in 16 unrelated Swiss HNPCC patients, whose cancers displayed microsatellite instability and loss of MLH1 or MSH2 expression, but in whom no germ line mutation could be detected by conventional screening. The aims of the study were (a) to determine the proportion of large genomic rearrangements among Swiss MLH1/MSH2 mutation carriers and (b) to investigate the frequency and nature of loss of heterozygosity as a second, somatic event, in tumors from MLH1/MSH2 germ line deletion carriers. Large genomic deletions were found to account for 4.3% and 10.7% of MLH1 and MSH2 mutations, respectively. Multiplex ligation-dependent probe amplification analysis of 18 cancer specimens from two independent sets of Swiss and Finnish MLH1/MSH2 deletion carriers revealed that somatic mutations identical to the ones in the germ line occur frequently in colorectal cancers (6 of 11; 55%) and are also present in extracolonic HNPCC-associated tumors. Chromosome-specific marker analysis implies that loss of the wild-type allele predominantly occurs through locus-restricted recombinational events, i.e., gene conversion, rather than mitotic recombination or deletion of the respective gene locus. (Cancer Res 2006; (66)2: 659-64).
  Cancer Research 02/2006; 66(2):659-64. · 7.86 Impact Factor