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T‐cell receptor β gene rearrangements in leukaemic B‐cells from patients with chronic lymphocytic leukaemia: association with chromosome 6 deletions
Author(s) -
Merup Mats,
Juliusson Gunnar,
Hammarström Lennart,
Smith C. I. Edvard,
Gahrton Gösta
Publication year - 1994
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.1365-2141.1994.tb04728.x
Subject(s) - gene , chronic lymphocytic leukemia , cancer research , biology , gene rearrangement , chromosome , genetics , microbiology and biotechnology , leukemia
Summary Rearrangement of immunoglobulin genes is a characteristic finding in normal B‐cells and in leukaemic cells of B‐cell origin. In some leukaemic cells simultaneous crosslineage rearrangement of immunoglobulin‐ and T‐cell receptor (TcR) genes occur. We have analysed TcR β gene rearrangement in 100 patients with B‐cell chronic lymphocytic leukaemia. All samples expressed CD5, CD19 and CD20 and six patients had rearrangements of both immunoglobulin and TcR β genes. Analysis of gene expression in cells with TcR β gene rearrangement indicated production of truncated TcR β transcripts but no expression of the T‐cell markers CD3, CD4, CD8, TcR αβ or δ on the cell surface. Three of the patients with both Ig and TcR β rearrangement (50%) were 44 years or younger at diagnosis and cells from three such patients expressed IgG. Three of the six patients had a terminal deletion of the long arm of chromosome 6 with different breakpoints, with or without other chromosomal abnormalities, whereas 6q deletions were found in 4/94 patients without TcR β gene rearrangement (4·3%) ( P =0·001). This study indicates a correlation between TcR β gene rearrangement and deletion of chromosome 6q.