SAGE analysis of neuroblastoma reveals a high expression of the human homologue of the Drosophila Delta gene

Serial Analysis of Gene Expression (SAGE) is an efficient method to establish a complete mRNA expression profile of a tissue. We applied SAGE to identify expression of developmental control genes in neuroblastoma. Results. The human homologue of the Drosophila Delta gene Delta like-1 (DLK1) was shown to have an unusually high expression in a SAGE library of the SK-N-FI neuroblastoma cell line. Northern blot analysis confirmed high DLK1 expression in SK-N-FI and several other neuroblastoma cell lines. Signalling between Delta and its receptor Notch controls many differentiation steps in Drosophila and man, including neural crest cell fate decision. Our data therefore suggest a role for the Delta-Notch pathway in neuroblast differentiation