Background
Phosphatase and tensin homolog (PTEN) is a tumor-suppressor gene that is mutated in cancer of the liver, pancreas, endometrium,
and prostate. PTEN-dependent pathways are involved in mediating cell growth and invasion. To sequence the whole gene (including
introns and exons), we have taken advantage of new technologies that allow for rapid, inexpensive sequencing to great depth.
Methods
DNA from 15 HCC specimens were pooled, and long-range PCR was performed by using the GeneAmp XL PCR kit. Primer parameters
included: length of 20–30 base pairs (bp), melting temperature of −68°C, and G/C content of 50–60%. PCR products were then
column-purified and pooled, and DNA libraries were prepared for “shotgun sequencing” on both the 454 GS and Illumina GA sequencing
platforms.
Results
We successfully amplified approximately 98.9% of the PTEN gene by using one long-range PCR protocol applied to 24 primer sets,
resulting in 20 amplicons ~6.5 kilobases (kb) in length, 2 amplicons ~10 kb in length, and 2 amplicons ~2.5 kb in length.
Sequencing of fragmented PCR products on both sequencing platforms identified six high-frequency SNPs that were catalogued
in dbSNP as known variants.
Conclusions
Shotgun sequencing based on a single long-range PCR protocol in pooled samples is an efficient and relatively inexpensive
way to sequence an entire gene.
This work was presented at the Molecular Surgeon Symposium on Personalized Genomic Medicine and Surgery at the Baylor College
of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA, April 12, 2008. The symposium was supported by a grant from the National Institutes of Health
(R13 CA132572 to Changyi Chen).