title: Kappa light chain gene rearrangement in T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia.
abstract: Immunoglobulin and T-cell receptor gene rearrangement assays are sensitive methods of detecting clonality in lymphoproliferative disorders. The lack of lineage specificity of immunoglobulin heavy chain and T-cell receptor beta and gamma gene probes in acute leukemia is well established. However, immunoglobulin light chain gene rearrangement traditionally has been considered a highly specific indicator of a clonal B-lineage process. The authors describe a case of T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia in which Southern blot hybridization studies showed rearrangement of the T-cell receptor beta chain gene. Unexpectedly, the immunoglobulin kappa light chain gene also was rearranged; no immunoglobulin heavy chain gene rearrangement was seen. Kappa rearrangement was confirmed with the use of three restriction endonucleases. No rearrangements were seen from normal skin tissue, making a restriction enzyme site polymorphism highly unlikely. Northern blot studies showed a normal-size, T-cell receptor beta chain gene transcript; no immunoglobulin RNA was identified. These results describe the first reported case of kappa light chain gene rearrangement in a T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia. The findings emphasize the necessity of interpreting molecular hybridization studies in conjunction with routine morphology and immunophenotyping studies.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor 48109-0602.
authors.forename: C A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Hanson
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Thamilarasan
authors.forename: C W
authors.initials: CW
authors.lastname: Ross
authors.forename: L M
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Stoolman
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Schnitzer
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D001853:Bone Marrow / Q000276:immunology; D015329:Gene Rearrangement, T-Lymphocyte / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology*; D015333:Gene Rearrangement, beta-Chain T-Cell Antigen Receptor / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology; D005803:Genes, Immunoglobulin / Q000276:immunology; D006801:Humans; D007147:Immunoglobulin Light Chains / Q000235:genetics; D015459:Leukemia-Lymphoma, Adult T-Cell / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology*; D008297:Male; D010641:Phenotype
chemical_list: D007147:Immunoglobulin Light Chains