ALK Break Apart FISH Probe - CE

The ALK Break Apart FISH Probe localizes to the ALK gene allowing confirmation of rearrangements of the gene.

Anaplastic lymphoma kinase gene codes for the ALK protein, a tyrosine kinase receptor. These proteins play a crucial role in intracellular signal transduction, allowing for cell growth and differentiation4.

Aberrations in the ALK gene, including overexpression, deletion and most commonly translocation, have been found to play a significant role in the development of over 20 different types of cancers, especially lung and lymph1. As translocations make up almost 75% of all genetic abnormalities exhibited in cancer cells, tracking ALK’s intra and inter chromosomal migration can be useful in diagnosis and treatment3.

The identity of the gene that ALK fuses with during translocation is also critical in determining treatment, as different fusion partners have been shown to respond differentially to chemo drugs2. Although EML4 remains ALK’s most prevalent, well-studied fusion partner, other genes have also demonstrated oncogenic effects when conjoined with ALK 2,5. In fact, over 30 different fusion genes have been identified, albeit in lower frequencies than EML4, in tumors of ALK associated cancers2. The type and prevalence of these fusion proteins are specific to the type of cancer under study, further proof of ALK’s utility in diagnosis1, 2.

Our break apart probes can effectively map ALK shuffling, while our fusion probes can test for the presence of specific fusion proteins if you already have a target gene in mind.

CE Marked (Orange-Green color option only)

References:
1. Shackelford, R. E., Vora, M., Mayhall, K., & Cotelingam, J. (2014). ALK-rearrangements and testing methods in non-small cell lung cancer: a review. Genes & cancer, 5(1-2), 1-14.br />2. Childress, M. A., Himmelberg, S. M., Chen, H., Deng, W., Davies, M. A., & Lovly, C. M. (2018). ALK fusion partners impact response to ALK inhibition: differential effects on sensitivity, cellular phenotypes, and biochemical properties. Molecular Cancer Research, 16(11), 1724-1736.br />3. Futreal, P. A., Coin, L., Marshall, M., Down, T., Hubbard, T., Wooster, R., ... & Stratton, M. R. (2004). A census of human cancer genes. Nature reviews cancer, 4(3), 177.br />4. https://ghr.nlm.nih.gov/gene/ALKbr />5. Sabir, S., Yeoh, S., Jackson, G., & Bayliss, R. (2017). EML4-ALK variants: biological and molecular properties, and the implications for patients. Cancers, 9(9), 118.

Loci: 2p23