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Immunoglobulin chain gene rearrangements in a t(4;ll) acute leukaemia with monocytoid blasts
Author(s) -
Srivastava B. I. SAHAI,
Wright John J.,
Bakhshi Ajay
Publication year - 1986
Publication title -
british journal of haematology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.907
H-Index - 186
eISSN - 1365-2141
pISSN - 0007-1048
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-2141.1986.tb05555.x
Subject(s) - lymphoblast , terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase , biology , microbiology and biotechnology , myeloid , chromosomal translocation , immunoglobulin heavy chain , clone (java method) , gene , immunoglobulin light chain , cd19 , phenotype , antibody , cell culture , immunology , genetics , flow cytometry , immunohistochemistry , tunel assay
Summary. We report a case of acute leukaemia with the t(4;l 1) chromosomal translocation which, at initial diagnosis, had L‐l lymphoblasts that were positive for terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase (TdT) and HLA‐DR but negative for myeloid cytochemical markers. At last relapse the patient had mostly monocytoid blasts which were now TdT negative but were positive for HLA‐DR, weakly positive for Sudan Black B (SB), periodic acid Schiffs (PAS), naphthol AS‐D acetate esterase (NSE), chloroacetate esterase (CAE) and negative for acid phosphatase (AP) and nitroblue tetrazolium (NBT) reduction. Treatment with 12‐o‐tetradecanoylphorbol‐13‐acetate (TPA) in vitro induced differentiation to macrophage‐Iike cells that were strongly positive for SB, PAS, NSE, AP, CAE and NBT reduction, indicating a latent monocyte‐like phenotype. Thus the leukaemic cell clone or a precurser clone with the t(4;l 1) translocation manifested a lymphoid phenotype at initial diagnosis and a monocytoid phenotype at relapse. Immunoglobulin gene analysis of the monocytoid relapse blasts revealed rearrangements of the heavy chain gene alleles and germline light chain genes. Thus, the leukaemia clone with the t(4;ll) chromosomal translocation could be a bipotential cell with heavy chain gene rearrangements occurring in a primitive cell which may retain the ability to differentiate along the myeloid‐monocytoid lineage in response to the appropriate stimulus. Alternatively, these characteristics may result from a transformation associated event.