title: Molecular analysis of clonality in plasma cell dyscrasias.
abstract: It has been suggested that multiple myeloma, generally considered a neoplastic disorder of mature plasma cells, may arise from a pluripotent haemopoietic stem cell. The possibility that circulating lymphocytes derive from the same neoplastic progenitor has been tested in a large number of studies in the past few years, as proof of the interest that this subject is raising among scientists, and also of its elusiveness. We studied a group of 29 patients with plasma cell dyscrasias in order to evaluate clonality of haemopoietic cell populations. The X-linked markers hypoxantine phosphoribosyltransferase (HPRT) and phosphoglycerate kinase (PGK) disclosed no monoclonal component in seven heterozygous women. Analysis of immunoglobulin gene rearrangement with four probes showed a germline configuration in samples from 25/29 patients. Only four bone marrow samples from subjects with aggressive disease had rearranged C mu sequence; one had rearrangement of JH and C mu.
authors.affiliation: Istituto di Oncologia Clinica e Sperimentale, University of Genova, Italy.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Miglino
authors.forename: G F
authors.initials: GF
authors.lastname: Gaetani
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Canepa
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Meloni
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Forteleoni
authors.forename: A M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Ferraris
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001853:Bone Marrow / Q000473:pathology; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D005260:Female; D015321:Gene Rearrangement; D006412:Hematopoietic Stem Cells / Q000473:pathology; D006579:Heterozygote; D006801:Humans; D007041:Hypoxanthine Phosphoribosyltransferase / Q000032:analysis / Q000235:genetics; D007074:Immunoglobulin G / Q000235:genetics; D008214:Lymphocytes / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010265:Paraproteinemias / Q000235:genetics* / Q000473:pathology*; D010735:Phosphoglycerate Kinase / Q000032:analysis / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: D007074:Immunoglobulin G; D007041:Hypoxanthine Phosphoribosyltransferase; D010735:Phosphoglycerate Kinase