Unexpected immunoglobulin light chain gene rearrangements in myeloid antigen positive acute lymphoid leukemia.
Blast cells from 10 immunologically diagnosed adult acute lymphoid leukemias expressing myeloid antigens (M+ALL) were studied for immunoglobulin heavy (IgH) and light chain as well as T-cell receptor (TCR)-beta chain gene rearrangements. All but one leukemic isolate met the FAB-criteria for ALL. DNA from 2 patients with pre-pre-B-ALL (CD10-) and 1 patient with common ALL contained rearranged Ig light chain (kappa in two, lambda in one case) in addition to rearranged IgH genes. The TCR-beta chain gene was germline in all pre-pre-B leukemias and rearranged in common ALLs (bigenotypic features). One patient with mature B-ALL showed IgH and light chain gene rearrangements. DNA from 2 pre-T-ALLs contained rearranged TCR-beta chain genes plus rearranged IgH genes in one case. Ig light chain gene rearrangements in immature M+ALL were not associated with gross chromosomal abnormalities except for one Philadelphia chromosome positive case. The occurrence of Ig light chain gene rearrangements in M+ALL with immature lymphoid immunophenotype might represent an hitherto unrecognized aberrant differentiation potential of transformed multipotential stem cells with commitment towards the lymphoid lineage.
Paietta
E
E
Department of Oncology, Montefiore Medical Center, Bronx, NY 10467.
Van Ness
B
B
Bennett
J M
JM
Pellone
C
C
Billadeau
D
D
Cassileth
P A
PA
Wiernik
P H
PH
D000328:Adult; D015214:Antigens, Differentiation, Myelomonocytic / Q000378:metabolism*; D005260:Female; D015326:Gene Rearrangement, B-Lymphocyte, Heavy Chain; D015328:Gene Rearrangement, B-Lymphocyte, Light Chain; D015333:Gene Rearrangement, beta-Chain T-Cell Antigen Receptor; D006801:Humans; D016130:Immunophenotyping; D007621:Karyotyping; D008297:Male; D054198:Precursor Cell Lymphoblastic Leukemia-Lymphoma / Q000235:genetics* / Q000276:immunology
D015214:Antigens, Differentiation, Myelomonocytic