Positional cloning moves from perditional to traditional

Multiple endocrine neoplasia type 2A (MEN 2A) is a dominantly inherited cancer syndrome that affects tissues derived from neural ectoderm. It is characterized by medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC) and phaeochromocytoma. The MEN2A gene has recently been localized by a combination of genetic and physical mapping techniques to a 480-kilobase region in chromosome 10q11.2 (refs 2,3). The DNA segment encompasses the RET proto-oncogene, a receptor tyrosine kinase gene expressed in MTC and phaeochromocytoma and at lower levels in normal human thyroid. This suggested RET as a candidate for the MEN2A gene. We have identified missense mutations of the RET proto-oncogene in 20 of 23 apparently distinct MEN 2A families, but not in 23 normal controls. Further, 19 of these 20 mutations affect the same conserved cysteine residue at the boundary of the RET extracellular and transmembrane domains.

In many areas of molecular biology there is a need to rapidly extract and analyze genetic information; however, current technologies for DNA sequence analysis are slow and labor intensive. We report here how modern photolithographic techniques can be used to facilitate sequence analysis by generating miniaturized arrays of densely packed oligonucleotide probes. These probe arrays, or DNA chips, can then be applied to parallel DNA hybridization analysis, directly yielding sequence information. In a preliminary experiment, a 1.28 x 1.28 cm array of 256 different octanucleotides was produced in 16 chemical reaction cycles, requiring 4 hr to complete. The hybridization pattern of fluorescently labeled oligonucleotide targets was then detected by epifluorescence microscopy. The fluorescence signals from complementary probes were 5-35 times stronger than those with single or double base-pair hybridization mismatches, demonstrating specificity in the identification of complementary sequences. This method should prove to be a powerful tool for rapid investigations in human genetics and diagnostics, pathogen detection, and DNA molecular recognition.