The N-MYC Amplification probe consists of a red 140kb probe spanning the N-MYC (MYCN) gene region at 2p24.3. The LAF4 gene probe in green at 2q11 acts as a control for chromosome 2.
The proto-oncogene N-MYC (MYCN), located on chromosome 2 at 2p24.3, is a transcription factor that plays a role in regulation of cell growth and proliferation.
It is mainly expressed in the developing nervous system and is critical during neural crest embryogenesis. Myelocytomatosis viral homologue (MYCN) becomes rapidly down-regulated as tissues become terminally differentiated and growth-arrested1. Over-expression of MYCN seems to block differentiation and increase cell proliferation. MYCN amplification is the most important unfavourable prognostic factor for neuroblastoma and is amplified in 25% of cases2. Neuroblastoma is a dominating group of neuron tumours and is one of the most common solid tumours in children3.
It was very important for us to have more consistent results with our probes — easy-to-read bright signals and a range of vial sizes, which is much more cost-effective. It also was critical to upgrade our pretreatment kit to expedite the analysis of FFPE samples. We can now complete the process in about 90 minutes.
Janet Cowan, PhD
Director of the Cytogenetics Laboratory, Tufts Medical Center, USA
Visit USA site
Visit Canada site
