A novel type of deletion in the CDKN2A gene identified in a melanoma-prone family

Abstract

Linkage to the CDKN2A locus has been demonstrated in approximately 50% of families with hereditary malignant melanoma but only a subgroup of these harbor identified mutations. We here report a Norwegian melanoma-prone family with a novel large germline deletion removing 13707 bps of the CDKN2A gene, including exon 1alpha and approximately half of exon 2. Our finding is the first reported large CDKN2A germline deletion with a breakpoint located within an exon. This type of deletion is not detectable through the direct exon sequencing and may also escape identification by use of multiplex ligation-dependent probe amplification (MLPA) analysis. Here, the defect was identified through detection of a truncated p14(ARF) mRNA and loss of p16(INK4a) mRNA expression from the affected allele. Our finding suggests that atypical, large deletions in the CDKN2A gene may explain linkage to the 9p21 chromosome band without identified gene mutations among melanoma-prone families. Thus, it illustrates the need to include p14(ARF)- and p16(INK4a) transcript analysis when searching for unknown mutations within the CDKN2A locus in melanoma-prone families. Similar deletions with atypical breakpoints may affect other genes involved in cancer disposition, and the need to examine gene transcripts in high-risk families with no mutation identified through conventional testing should be considered.