Structural Alterations in the 5′ Region of the BCL2 Gene in Follicular Lymphomas With BCL2-MBR or BCL2-MCR Rearrangements

✍ Scribed by Vasiliki Mikraki; Marc Ladanyi; Dr. R. S. K. Chaganti

• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 1991
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 698 KB
• Volume: 3
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 1045-2257
• DOI: 10.1002/gcc.2870030206

✦ Synopsis

We report a new class of molecular lesions in the 5' region of the BCL2 protooncogene when it undergoes a t( 14; 18) translocation-associated rearrangement in the major break cluster (MBR) or minor break cluster (MCR) regions. Among 52 tumors assayed for BCL2 rearrangements using the MBR, MCR, and 5' probes, seven (six with MBR and one with MCR translocation breaks) showed aberrant bands in unique enzyme digests of D N A hybridized with the 5' probe. The aberrant bands in four tumors were in Hindlll digests, in two they were in EcoRl digests, while the aberrant band in one was in a B m H l digest. The two EcoRl bands and two of the four Hindlll bands were of identical sizes. Germline polymorphisms as the source of these bands was ruled out by appropriate control experiments. These results suggest that the bands were derived from point mutations or small deletions in the 5' region of BCL2. The significance of this alteration to BCU function in translocationcarrying tumors remains to be determined.