ALBERT

Description: The t(9;14)(p13;q32) translocation is associated with approximately 50% of lymphoplasmacytoid lymphoma (LPL), a subtype of B-cell non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL). We cloned the chromosomal breakpoint of der (14) from an LPL case (1052) and showed that it involved a junction between 9p13 and the switch micro region of the Ig heavy chain locus (IgH) on 14q32. Using a YAC contig spanning 1.5 megabase (Mb), we determined that the 9p13 breakpoint in one case (1052) mapped within a 270-kb restriction fragment containing two previously reported 9p breakpoints associated with a alpha-heavy chain disease case (MAL) and KI-1 positive diffuse large cell lymphoma (DLCL) cell line (KIS-1). The same fragment also contained the PAX-5 gene which encodes a B-cell specific transcription factor involved in the control of B-cell proliferation and differentiation. The breakpoints of KIS-1 and 1052 were mapped within the 5′ noncoding region of PAX-5, while the 9p13 breakpoint of MAL mapped 230 to 270 kb upstream to PAX-5. In all three cases, the translocation caused the juxtaposition of the PAX-5 gene to the IgH locus in the opposite direction of transcription. When compared with six other DLCL cell lines lacking t(9;14)(p13;q32), the KIS-1 cell line showed an 11-fold overexpression of PAX-5 mRNA and a significantly reduced expression of the p53 gene, which is normally regulated by PAX-5. Moreover, metaphase and interphase fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) analysis using a YAC clone spanning 1 Mb including the PAX-5 as a probe identified chromosomal translocations in 5 of 7 cases carrying 9p13 translocations. These findings suggest that the PAX- 5 gene is the target of the t(9;14) in LPL whereby its expression may be deregulated by juxtaposition to IgH regulatory elements, thus contributing to lymphomagenesis.

Description: Karyotype evolution of t(14;18)-positive lymphoma was studied in 13 Japanese patients. The extra 18q- chromosome, found in six of ten patients with complex karyotypes, was the most common change subsequent to a t(14;18)(q32;q21) chromosome translocation. The additional change was interpreted as being a duplication of an 18q- derived from a t(14;18). The six patients had transformed histology of follicular small cleaved cell lymphoma or diffuse large cell lymphoma, and five of them had extranodal expansion associated with a poor prognosis. These findings indicate that the extra 18q-, together with other chromosome abnormalities, is closely associated with the advanced grade disease of t(14;18)-positive lymphoma, and the extra chromosome is evolutionally comparable with the second Philadelphia (Ph1) chromosome often found in the blastic phase of chronic myelocytic leukemia carrying a t(9;22)(q34;q11). In addition, since the extra 18q- is rarely found in American patients with t(14;18)-positive lymphoma, there appears to be a difference in the karyotype evolution between Japanese and American patients.

Description: Karyotype evolution of t(14;18)-positive lymphoma was studied in 13 Japanese patients. The extra 18q- chromosome, found in six of ten patients with complex karyotypes, was the most common change subsequent to a t(14;18)(q32;q21) chromosome translocation. The additional change was interpreted as being a duplication of an 18q- derived from a t(14;18). The six patients had transformed histology of follicular small cleaved cell lymphoma or diffuse large cell lymphoma, and five of them had extranodal expansion associated with a poor prognosis. These findings indicate that the extra 18q-, together with other chromosome abnormalities, is closely associated with the advanced grade disease of t(14;18)-positive lymphoma, and the extra chromosome is evolutionally comparable with the second Philadelphia (Ph1) chromosome often found in the blastic phase of chronic myelocytic leukemia carrying a t(9;22)(q34;q11). In addition, since the extra 18q- is rarely found in American patients with t(14;18)-positive lymphoma, there appears to be a difference in the karyotype evolution between Japanese and American patients.

Description: A novel cell line, FL-18, was established from the pleural effusion of a patient with follicular small cleaved cell lymphoma. At the same time, an Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) nuclear antigen (EBNA)-positive cell line, FL-18-EB, was established from the EBV-infected culture of the same pleural effusion cells. Both cell lines had the same monoclonal surface immunoglobulin (IgG kappa), and they had the same karyotype as that of the fresh pleural effusion cells in which a reciprocal translocation between the long arm of chromosomes 14 and 18 [t(14;18)(q32;q21)] was detected. Gene rearrangement analysis of immunoglobulin heavy-chain gene (JH) and kappa light-chain gene (J kappa) showed the same rearranged configuration in the two cell lines; however, some morphological and phenotypic differences were found. The FL-18-EB cells, which were morphologically similar to common EBNA- positive lymphoblastoid cell lines of normal B cell origin at the initial phase of culture, were larger than the FL-18 cells and contained multinucleated giant cells. The FL-18 cells lacked cytoplasmic immunoglobulin and were positive for common acute lymphoblastic leukemia antigen (CALLA), whereas the FL-18-EB cells had cytoplasmic immunoglobulin and were negative for CALLA. Thus, the phenotype of FL-18-EB seems to be a result of a shift by EBV infection to a more mature stage in the B cell differentiation pathway than that of FL-18. The paired availability of EBV-free and EBV-infected cell lines of a neoplastic clone is unique and valuable in considering EBV infectibility of neoplastic B cells and resultant phenotypic changes.

Description: We established an interleukin 2 (IL-2)-dependent human T cell line, Kit 225, from a patient with T cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia (T-CLL) with OKT3+, -T4+, -T8- phenotype. Southern blot analysis showed that Kit 225 is not infected with human T cell leukemia/lymphoma virus (HTLV) type I or II, and is probably derived from the major clone in the fresh leukemic cells. Kit 225 cells express a large amount of IL 2 receptors constitutively and their growth is absolutely dependent on IL 2. No other stimuli, such as lectins or antigens, are required for maintaining the responsiveness to IL 2. As abnormal IL 2 receptor expression was also seen originally in the fresh leukemic cells, the establishment of this cell line with IL 2 suggests that IL 2-mediated T cell proliferation is involved in the leukemogenesis of some cases of HTLV-negative T-CLL.

Description: A t(14;18) (q32;q21) chromosome translocation is closely associated with the follicular lymphoma, which is prevalent in the United States, and the t(14;18) causes the juxtaposition of a bcl-2 gene on chromosome 18 with an immunoglobulin heavy-chain gene locus on chromosome 14. Genomic DNAs from 30 Japanese patients with follicular lymphoma were examined for the molecular features by Southern blot hybridization. Using probe b for the major breakpoint cluster region of a bcl-2 gene, the rearrangements were detected in eight patients. Six of the eight patients had breakpoints located within the major breakpoint region, while two had breakpoints outside this cluster region but within the region of the 7.5-kb SstI fragment containing the probe b sequence. In two patients, pFL-2 probe detected the bcl-2 gene rearrangements that occurred near or within the minor breakpoint cluster region. These ten patients had a rearranged JH-containing fragment that migrated with the rearranged bcl-2 fragment. In the other 20 patients, these two chromosome 18-specific DNA probes did not detect the bcl-2 rearrangements. Compared with studies performed in the United States, the statistical analysis indicates a significant difference in frequency of the bcl-2 gene rearrangements near or within the major breakpoint cluster region (P = 0.0027) and the minor breakpoint cluster region (P = 0.029). However, the distribution difference of these events was not significant.

Description: Junctional sequences created by chromosomal translocations in mature B- cell neoplasms, which involve immunoglobulin gene loci (IG) and putative proto-oncogenes on reciprocal partner chromosomes, are unique to neoplastic cells characterized by particular histological and immunological phenotypes. To establish a rapid and sensitive method to detect neoplastic cells carrying a specific chromosomal translocation, we have developed a novel strategy based on long-distance polymerase chain reaction (LD-PCR) amplification. Genomic DNA was extracted from tumor cells carrying t(14;19)(q32;q13), t(8;14)(q24;q32), t(3;22)(q27;q11), t(2;3)(p12;q27), or t(3;14)(q27;q32). Thirty-two to 35-mer oligonucleotide primer pairs were designed to be complementary to exons or flanking sequences of the BCL3, c-MYC and BCL6 oncogenes, and to IG constant region genes. LD-PCR with a newly available Taq polymerase for longer product synthesis successfully amplified fragments representing BCL3/C alpha junctional sequences for t(14;19); c-MYC/C mu, c-MYC/C gamma, and c-MYC/C alpha for t(8;14); BCL6/C lambda for t(3;22); BCL6/C kappa for t(2;3); 5′-BCL6/C mu, and 5′-BCL6/C gamma for t(3;14). In Burkitt's lymphoma/leukemia, all materials in which c- MYC rearrangements were detectable by conventional Southern blot hybridization showed positive LD-PCR amplification. The sizes of the amplified fragments varied from 1.8 kb to 12 kb, and these were specific to each material. Serial dilution of tumor cells or DNA in negative materials demonstrated a single band on agarose gel electrophoresis stained with ethidium bromide at a level of sensitivity of 10(-3), and hybridization with radioactive probe improved the level by one order of magnitude (1 cell in 10(4)), indicating that this LD- PCR approach is a sensitive technique capable of detecting minimal residual disease. Thus, the present study provided a useful tool for diagnosis and subsequent management of B-cell neoplasms characterized by specific chromosomal translocations.

Description: In three lymphoma cell lines carrying t(14;18), named FL-18, FL-218, and FL-318, the genomic organization of IgH gene was compared with the expression of bcl-2 gene; the t(14;18) of the FL-18 cells occurred downstream from the major breakpoint cluster region (mbr) of a bcl-2 gene, and that of the FL-218 and FL-318 cells within the mbr. The FL- 318 expressed the normal-sized bcl-2 transcript of 8.5-kb mRNA having the noncoding region 3 to the mbr, which was found in the FL-18, and the FL-218 lacking the intact bcl-2 gene did not. This finding suggests that in t(14;18)-positive lymphoma having the breakpoint within the mbr, transcription of the nontranslocated bcl-2 allele is not necessarily silent. In addition, the FL-218 and FL-318 expressed aberrant bcl-2 transcripts and heterogenous IgH transcripts lacking the VH region, and the bcl-2 transcripts each comigrated with parts of the sterile IgH mRNAs. The FL-318, which did not exhibit switch recombination on either IgH allele, contained abundant amounts of l gamma mRNAs, a prerequisite for the recombination into the C gamma locus. One of the I-mRNA species comigrated with the aberrant bcl-2 transcript. The FL-18 and FL-218 lacking the I gamma mRNAs had completed switch recombination of both IgH alleles. This result raises a possibility that deregulated bcl-2 transcription caused by t(14;18) is capable of playing a role in class switch recombination of IgH gene.

Description: A t(14;18) (q32;q21) chromosome translocation is closely associated with the follicular lymphoma, which is prevalent in the United States, and the t(14;18) causes the juxtaposition of a bcl-2 gene on chromosome 18 with an immunoglobulin heavy-chain gene locus on chromosome 14. Genomic DNAs from 30 Japanese patients with follicular lymphoma were examined for the molecular features by Southern blot hybridization. Using probe b for the major breakpoint cluster region of a bcl-2 gene, the rearrangements were detected in eight patients. Six of the eight patients had breakpoints located within the major breakpoint region, while two had breakpoints outside this cluster region but within the region of the 7.5-kb SstI fragment containing the probe b sequence. In two patients, pFL-2 probe detected the bcl-2 gene rearrangements that occurred near or within the minor breakpoint cluster region. These ten patients had a rearranged JH-containing fragment that migrated with the rearranged bcl-2 fragment. In the other 20 patients, these two chromosome 18-specific DNA probes did not detect the bcl-2 rearrangements. Compared with studies performed in the United States, the statistical analysis indicates a significant difference in frequency of the bcl-2 gene rearrangements near or within the major breakpoint cluster region (P = 0.0027) and the minor breakpoint cluster region (P = 0.029). However, the distribution difference of these events was not significant.

Description: In three lymphoma cell lines carrying t(14;18), named FL-18, FL-218, and FL-318, the genomic organization of IgH gene was compared with the expression of bcl-2 gene; the t(14;18) of the FL-18 cells occurred downstream from the major breakpoint cluster region (mbr) of a bcl-2 gene, and that of the FL-218 and FL-318 cells within the mbr. The FL- 318 expressed the normal-sized bcl-2 transcript of 8.5-kb mRNA having the noncoding region 3 to the mbr, which was found in the FL-18, and the FL-218 lacking the intact bcl-2 gene did not. This finding suggests that in t(14;18)-positive lymphoma having the breakpoint within the mbr, transcription of the nontranslocated bcl-2 allele is not necessarily silent. In addition, the FL-218 and FL-318 expressed aberrant bcl-2 transcripts and heterogenous IgH transcripts lacking the VH region, and the bcl-2 transcripts each comigrated with parts of the sterile IgH mRNAs. The FL-318, which did not exhibit switch recombination on either IgH allele, contained abundant amounts of l gamma mRNAs, a prerequisite for the recombination into the C gamma locus. One of the I-mRNA species comigrated with the aberrant bcl-2 transcript. The FL-18 and FL-218 lacking the I gamma mRNAs had completed switch recombination of both IgH alleles. This result raises a possibility that deregulated bcl-2 transcription caused by t(14;18) is capable of playing a role in class switch recombination of IgH gene.