HRM method for identification of TP53 exon 5 and 8 mutations in human prostate cancer patients

Background: The purpose of the present study was to perform a high-resolution melting (HRM) analysis to discover mutations in gene exons 5–8 of tumor protein p53 (TP53), as well as the relationships of these mutations to clinical parameters in prostate cancer (PC). Methods: Genomic DNA was extracted from 50 formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) tissues with PC. Mutations in exons 5 and 8 of TP53 were analyzed using the HRM method. Sanger sequencing was used to describe mutations. Results: According to the HRM analysis results, 21 (42%) PC samples had different normalized and shifted melting curves from other samples. Mutations in TP53 exons 5 and8 were observed in 12 (24%) patients by the Sanger method. The detection sensitivity of the HRM method in exon 5 and exon 8 mutations was 66.7% and 50%, respectively. PSA levels of PC patients with TP53 mutation were found to be lower than that of patients with no mutation (p = 0.8270). However, we did not find any correlations between TP53 mutations and clinical parameters (p > 0.05). Conclusions: HRM analysis is a simple, rapid, and efficient mutation-scanning method for known/unknown mutations in TP53 exons 5and8, as well as an attractive method for detection of mutations and their analysis in FFPE tissues. Additional studies with larger patient populations are warranted to confirm the correlation between the TP53 mutations and PC risk.