A trithorax-like gene is interrupted by chromosome 11q23 translocations in acute leukaemias.
Some acute lymphocytic leukaemias, particularly those in young children, are associated with a t(4;11)(q21;q23) reciprocal translocation. We have cloned the translocation breakpoint on chromosome 11q23 and isolated corresponding RNA transcripts from this region. The translocation occurs within a cluster of Alu repetitive elements located within an intron of a gene that gives rise to 11.5 (kb) transcript spanning the translocation breakpoint. The 11.5 kb transcript encodes a protein that is highly homologous to the Drosophila trithorax gene, a developmental regulator. An analysis of a series of leukaemic patients carrying t(4;11) and t(9;11) translocations indicate that the majority of breakpoints in infant leukaemias lie within a 5 kb region.
Djabali
M
M
Molecular Genetics Laboratory, Salk Institute for Biological Studies, La Jolla, California 92037.
Selleri
L
L
Parry
P
P
Bower
M
M
Young
B D
BD
Evans
G A
GA
D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D002874:Chromosome Mapping; D002880:Chromosomes, Human, Pair 11; D002894:Chromosomes, Human, Pair 4; D002899:Chromosomes, Human, Pair 9; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D004273:DNA, Neoplasm / Q000235:genetics; D004330:Drosophila / Q000235:genetics; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007938:Leukemia / Q000235:genetics*; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000235:genetics; D012334:RNA, Neoplasm / Q000235:genetics; D012091:Repetitive Sequences, Nucleic Acid; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid; D014178:Translocation, Genetic
D004273:DNA, Neoplasm; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D012334:RNA, Neoplasm