Methylation-specific multiplex ligation-dependent probe amplification in meningiomas.

Genomic loss and promotor methylation contribute to inactivation of tumor suppressor genes (TSGs). Methylation-specific multiplex ligation-dependent probe amplification (MS-MLPA) is a relatively new method for simultaneous detection of both these alterations. Here, we apply MS-MLPA to a series of 15 meningiomas of different WHO grades. The two MS-MLPA probe sets used detect copy number changes in 55 unselected TSGs and promotor methylation in a subset of 36 of these genes. Our findings concerning genomic deletions are concordant with previously published studies using alternative techniques. The number of aberrations identified per tumor increased with histopathologically determined grading. The most frequent single event was deletion of the von Hippel-Lindau (VHL) gene in 12 of the 15 tumors. Moreover, VHL deletion status was associated with presence/absence of peritumoral edema. Methylation was rare, being observed in only four tumors and in each case restricted to a single gene. We conclude that a meningioma-specific MS-MLPA probe set would be a valuable tool for both research and diagnostic approaches in these tumors.